Sanna Eklund
[email protected]
New professionalism in practice- on the idea(l) of the “first
teacher”
Hej läsare!
Jag vill ge en kort introduktion till den här texten. Jag har precis ändrat form på min avhandling.
Tanken var först att jag skulle skriva en monografi. Då jag ingår i ett projekt om förstelärarreformen,
med två andra, märkte vi med tiden att det var svårt för mig att hålla mig utanför artikelskrivande. Jag
hinner inte både skriva avhandling och artiklar, dessutom var det svårt att hålla mig till en
sammanhållen idé, eftersom så många intressanta spår har dykt upp längst med vägen under
empiriinsamlingen. Det var ganska nyligen som jag bestämde mig för sammanläggning och därför har
jag inte hunnit så långt i författandet av artiklarna. Denna mycket ofärdiga text är den första jag skrivit
till en av artiklarna. Hoppas därför på förståelse för att texten är rå och spretig. Väljer att ändå låta
olika delar vara kvar, förhoppningsvis kanske det i alla fall framgår någorlunda hur jag tänker! Tar
tacksamt emot alla kommentarer, men några frågor jag har är:
-
Fungerar inramningen av problemet? Är det en trovärdig argumentation kring varför
detta är intressant att studera?
Hur kan jag lägga upp artikeln rent formmässigt? Vad ska vara var?
Hur kan jag utforma analysverktyg utifrån det jag teoretiskt ”vet” samtidigt som jag
vill ha öppenhet kring empiriska iakttagelser?
Fungerar det att använda legitimacy, authority och autonomy som någon slags ledord i
det jag letar efter i empirin?
Introduction
What characterizes contemporary professions? This question is the guiding line for this
article. A wide range of research is shedding light on the fact that professions of today may
not share the same qualities as they traditionally did (See Broadbent, Dietrich & Roberts,
1997; Evetts 2009; Hanlon 1998, Krejsler, 2005; Scott, 2008; Sehested, 2002). While there
are many scholars arguing that developments that could be placed under the New public
management (NPM) umbrella, have resulted in a weakening of public sector professionals
(See Haug, 1975; Parding, 2010; Sehested, 2002) there are also those claiming that picture is
oversimplified (See Bezes, Demazière, Le Bianic, Paradeise, Normand, Benamouzig, Pierru
& Evetts, 2012; Frostensson, 2015& Southon & Braithwaite, 1998). There are researchers
upholding that NPM also has led to increased professionalism in the sense that new
professional groups are created. For example, we see a professionalization of leaders in the
public sector. The impact of NPM on professions thus seems to be ambiguous, since some
professions might be weakened while others are created or strengthened (See Brunsson &
Sahlin-Andersson, 2000 & Noordegraaf, 2007).
There are however, also those that observe that we sometimes talk to sweepingly of the
deprofessionalization of traditional professions. Several scholars claim that we see a
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development where a kind of new professionalism is created with different characteristics
from traditional professions (See Evetts, 2009; Martin & Timmons, 2014; Moffatt, 2014;
Svensson, 2006). One observed trend is that professionals increasingly are involved with
managerial and administrative tasks. (See Evetts, 2009; Waring, 2014) Some notice how
organizational identity is gaining importance boundaries between organizations are growing.
This is described to reduce professional collaboration over organizational lines and strengthen
the organization as a unit (Brunsson & Sahlin-Andersson, 2000; Noordegraaf, 2007). Perhaps
this development could be connected to professionals in the contemporary public organization
being increasingly involved with the managerial level of the organization.
The school sector is one where the impact of NPM ideals have been scrutinized. Seemingly,
in many Western countries, changes have been introduced which can carry the NPM label,
including requirements for standardization, accountability, consistency and more focus on
structure and centralized control. A major focus has been on measuring, reviewing and
accountability. (See Beck, 2009; Olsen & Sexton, 2009; Roach, Smith & Boutin, 2011)
According to Olsen & Sexton (2009) perceived crises often lead to these kinds of measures.
Teachers are often characterized as a semi-profession, which Brante (2009) defines to hold
some of the characteristics of strong professions, while not maintaining the same status. Semiprofessions are in addition more controlled than strong professions (See Brante, 2009). The
teaching profession meets some of the criteria of a strong profession, including specialized
higher education, and teacher certification (See Freidson, 2001). However, several authors
have noted that above mentioned developments linked to the embracement of NPM ideals
have resulted in a weakened teaching profession (Fredriksson, 2010; Olsen & Sexton, 2009;
Stenlås, 2009; Stevenson, 2007). Some scholars describe an ongoing deprofessionalization of
the teaching profession (Beck 2008; Stenlås 2011; Stevenson, 2007; Wong, 2006).
Teacher professionalism is not only an issue for researchers. There is a wide debate
internationally about teacher quality as the determinant of school results and there is an
acknowledged need noticed by the European Union (EU) to strengthen teachers and raise the
status of their profession (European Commission, 2005). The European Commission (2005)
has agreed on common principles for all EU countries when it comes to teachers' skills and
qualifications. The Commission's (2005) writing says that the role of teachers is crucial for
both children and adult learning. A priority is therefore teachers' opportunities for
advancement within the profession. Important for the teaching profession is lifelong learning
and that teachers keep up with current research and innovation (European Commission, 2005)
Teacher professionalism in Sweden- a prioritized issue
In Sweden, the school system has undergone many changes during the past decades. The
impact of NPM ideals can be seen in the decentralization of schools, where school
management has been delegated from the state to the municipalities. The Swedish school has
also undergone significant marketization, with the introduction of a free school choice reform,
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deregulation of the establishment of schools, and greater emphasis on performance
management (See Fredriksson 2010). These changes have resulted in that Sweden now has
one of the world's most deregulated school systems (National Agency for Education, 2013).
In Sweden, teacher professionalism has been in focus in recent school reforms and
governmental policies. In 2011 a requirement for teacher certification was included in the
Education Act (National Agency for Education, 2016). In national regulations, teachers are
described as one of the key factors of student performance (Ministry of Education, 2012; SOU
2008: 52). The Government argued in the Budget Bill for 2012 (Prop. 2011/12: 1) to
introduce a reform consisting of career paths in the teaching profession, in order to reward the
best teachers. The Ministry of education then drew proposals contained in the memorandum
Career paths etc. in the case of teachers in the school-system (U2012 / 4904 / S). The main
motive for the introduction of career services, according to the memorandum, is to make the
teaching profession more attractive (Ministry of Education 2012, p. 8). Another core idea of
the reform is to create opportunities for advancement within the profession- teachers should
not have to change occupation in order to get ahead in their careers (Regulation 2013:70).
This appears relevant as recent statistics show that in Sweden, one in six teachers leave the
profession. Having a large portion of teachers working with other matters beside education
will lead to a large teacher shortage in the years ahead (Radio Sweden, 2015).
A reform was thus introduced where teachers can apply to become “förstelärare” (freely
translated first teachers) These teachers gain an extra of 5000 Swedish Crowns (around 530
Euros) on a monthly basis. The prerequisites needed to apply for a first teacher position are
wide and of suggestive nature rather than clearly defined. The reform also tries to attract
lecturers to schools by stating that lecturers gain an extra of 10000 Swedish Crowns a month
(around 1060 Euros).
The first teacher and lecturer reform was finally regulated in the Regulation (2013: 70) In the
regulation (2013: 70 § 3) the following criteria are put up for first teachers:
1. (first teachers) are licensed teachers under Chapter 2. § 16 of the Education Act (2010:
800), in accordance with regulations issued in accordance with Chapter 2. 16 b § second
paragraph of the Education Act or under Chapter 27. § 4 of the Education Act,
2. the documentation can account for at least four years of well-acknowledged work of
teaching in the context of one or more positions in the school system,
3. have shown particularly good ability to improve students' academic performance and a
strong interest in the development of teaching and
4. Also in general by the principal are considered especially qualified for teaching and tasks
related to teaching.
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Governmental initiatives with the stated aim of safeguarding the profession is interesting,
because professionalization traditionally initiates within professions where actors in a
coordinated manner invokes jurisdiction over certain tasks (Abbott, 1988). According to
Noordegraaf (2007), the school sector has been an area where professionalization has
occurred from internal sources with increased demands for autonomy and where external
influences have been prevented.
Swedish schools constitute an interesting context for examining professionalism since it is
highly affected by NPM ideals and much power lies in the hands of local school management.
Due to the dementalized system, principals have a lot of say in how management is conducted
at different schools (Jarl & Rönnberg, 2010). Thus, it is plausible to believe that the
conditions for teacher professionalism might vary.
The reform of 2013 is a try to invoke teacher professionalism by creating a new category of
teachers. Given the fact that scholars claim to see signs of a new professionalism it is
interesting to see what kind of professionalism is created in practice when introducing a new
category within a profession. What kind of role do these teachers play in the school
organization? Are the first teachers a form of new professionals or not? The starting point
here is to not make too great dividing lines between professions and managers or
professionals and organizations since much research shows that this dichotomy seems to be
somewhat obsolete.
Problematization and Research questions
Freidson (2001) sees professionalism as an ideal type that exists beside the market and
bureaucratic logics. He defines logic as "a systematic way of thinking that can embrace and
order most of the issues with which they deal" (Freidson, 2001; p.6-7). In the bureaucratic
logic, control is in the hands of managers and within the market logic control is in the power
of costumers. The professional logic of Freidson (2001) places control in the hands of
professionals. The professional logic consists of professional autonomy and trust from the
community that the profession is doing its job.
Trends connected to NPM can be interpreted to have strengthened the bureaucratic and the
market logics, but weakened the professional logic. When emphasis is on watchwords like
accountability, efficiency and control it is possible to imagine that values such as autonomy,
trust and confidence in individual professions have a weaker position (Johansson and Montin,
2014; Evetts, 2009). The market logic also contradicts the professional logic since there is an
inherent conflict between the profession's autonomy on the one hand and increased
transparency, visibility and influence by customers / users, on the other hand (Freidson,
2001). According to Freidson (2001) career steps threaten the professional logic since
professionals climb out of the profession, up the hierarchy and ultimately risk forming a new
profession. They can then be seen as "sell-outs" Freidson (2001) claims.
There is however, reason to believe that we sometimes talk too sweepingly about the
weakening of professions. Perhaps advocates for the deprofessionalization thesis miss the
wider picture where professions today are fragmentized and many professionals are involved
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with managerial levels of the organization (See Bezes et al. 2014). Rather than seeing
professions as incapacitated, succumbing to the pressures of NPM, maybe we get a more
nuanced picture if we include some scholars’ view of professions as adapting to their
surroundings, finding ways to arguably strengthen themselves and surviving in the
contemporary climate (See Freidson, 1985; Waring, 2014). Given this more complex picture
of contemporary professionalism the dichotomy between professions and managers is
problematic to withhold (See Bezes et al. 2012). It is not so that increasing power at
managerial level necessarily and undoubtedly leads to professions being weakened. In the
contemporary public organizations, as mentioned, professionals are sometimes involved at
managerial levels and they have tasks beyond their core assignments. In addition,
management differs from one organization to another. The Swedish school organization is a
good example of a sector where it is possible that management work differently in various
contexts (See Frostensson, 2015). It is plausible that in some schools, there are clear dividing
lines between management and professions, while in others professionals are more involved
in management of the school. The principal has an important role in defining what
professionalism means at the school and the extent of involvement of teachers in managerial
tasks (See Frostensson, 2015).
Freidsons (2001) professional logic is an ideal state and can help us defining what traits that
ideally characterizes professions. However, it is not as clearnwhat constitutes contemporary
professionalism in practice. New professionalism is a recurrent theme in the literature,
however several different aspects and definitions are used and research is needed to see how
new professionalism is manifested in practice.
With the anchoring of NPM ideals we could discern that professionals more and more get
incorporated with the management level, with Freidsons conceptualization, embracing other
logics than the professional. Hoy & Sweetland (2001) state that professionals today must
learn to talk the “managerialism language”. Bearing this in mind maybe it is not beneficial to
draw too large dividing lines between professionals and managers. It seems like different
logics today are intertwined and it is not self-evident that professionals only express a
professional logic. In the everyday life of organizations there probably is a need to find ways
to consider the different logics and make them work together. Several authors have identified
the need to look beyond the dichotomy between professions and organizations (Bourgeault et
al 2011) or between a professional and managerial logic (Mulcahy and Perillo, 2011).
Many scholars call for studies on professionalism in practice and more focus on the
relationships professionals have with colleagues and managers. (See Bezes et al. 2012; Evans,
2011; Frostensson, 2015; Waring et al. 2014). This article wishes to involve these aspects by
examining the practical role first teachers have in the school organization, derived from their
relationships with others. Only by reading the term “first teacher” associations are probably
made by many, that these teachers are somewhat superior to their colleagues. Undoubtedly
these professionals are “new” in the sense that a new category of teachers are created. It is
interesting to see what this new role contains and if these teachers can exemplify a new type
of professionalism. Drawing on the literature review it is justified to study the school
organization as a whole and make visible relationships between different actors. The general
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aim here is to contribute to the discussion on what contemporary professionalism means
today. Specifically, this article will look at what kind of professionals are created when a new
category of professionals is introduced in an organization and what type of professionalism is
created.
A weakened teacher profession, but professionalization of leaders
There is a wide range of research dealing with the issue of a weakened teaching profession
and a stronger position for leaders in the school system. This picture seems to be recurrent in
research in several different Western countries (See Beck 2008; Fredriksson, 2010;
Frostenson, 2012; Olsen and Sexton, 2009; Stenlås, 2009; Stevenson, 2007)
There are also signs of increased professionalization of other groups in the public sector. A
noted trend under the NPM umbrella is increased reliance on management. In school research
there are descriptions of a weakened teacher profession for the benefit of a stronger position
of principals and administrators (Jarl et al., 2012; Marks and Nance, 2007; Ringarp, 2011).
While traditional, classical professions have been weakened Noordegraaf (2007) means that
new professions are created. Svensson (2006; p. 582) claims that the trust that used to exist
between managers and professionals partly has been replaced by economic control. Principals
are subject to a variety of potentially conflicting objectives and an additional administrative
burden. School leaders have grown in number and have gained a more CEO-like role.
(Fredriksson, 2010; Stenlås, 2009). The literature speaks of a trend towards managerialism
which means an exaggerated faith in the management (Brunsson and Sahlin-Andersson, 2000;
Evetts 2009). Power (2003) argues that increased confidence in management results in a focus
on remote financial control (p. 191) and a decline of professional groups, such as teachers.
Evetts (2009) is another scholar who emphasizes that managerialism could weaken
professions since confidence in the professionals decreases while the position of managers
becomes stronger.
In the Swedish school system, Stenlås (2009) suggests that principals have taken a step away
from the teaching profession in the municipal management hierarchy. Stenlås (2009) suggests
that the collegiate within the school has been belittled in favor of what he calls
"governability". Concrete examples of this is an incredible increase in the number of school
leaders (1990, there were 1657 pieces, in 2004 there were 8,000 school principals), and that
the requirement that the principal must have a teaching degree has been demolished (Stenlås
2009, p. 87). According to Stenlås (2009), a new school leader profession is being formed
which competes with the teaching profession and removes a possible career path for teachers.
Hoyle and Wallace (2007) also present criticism of managerialism, which they see as a trend
linked to recent years of school reforms in the UK. They argue that collegial accountability
has been replaced by a bureaucratic and a market accountability. Hoyle and Wallace (2007,
p.17) argue that teachers who want to start a career, as it looks today, need to learn to talk "the
language of managerialism”.
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In sum, according to this research presented here, NPM-influenced reforms in the public
sector seem to have strengthened a bureaucratic logic, given the increased focus on
management, evaluation, measurement and monitoring. In addition, the logic of the market
can be seen to have been strengthened since customer control and user influence have become
increasingly important guiding principles for the public sector, while the principal's role has
become more CEO-like. NPM's impact on the professions is ambiguous since some claim that
the professionalism of teachers has been weakened, while the principal profession has grown.
The rise of the “new professionals”
There clearly are those claiming that teachers have experienced a loss of autonomy. However
Frostensson (2015) states that autonomy exists on different levels and we need to understand
that a loss of autonomy on one level does not necessarily results in a loss of autonomy in
other levels. The levels Frostensson (2015) accounts for are the indivudal level, the colleaugal
level, and the policy/system level.
As claimed earlier the deprofessionlization thesis has met some resistance and many scholars
observe a development where professions are fragmentized and new professions are created.
Noordegraaf (2007) describes how societal developments have led to demands for more
professionalization and an expansion of professionals who relies on professionalism.
Noordegraaf (2007) argues that the professions cannot have the same autonomy as before
since there are now demands for transparency and influence in their work. Professionals needs
to find ways to maintain their legitimacy.
Evans (2011; p. 851) writes about the teaching profession in a British context and argues that
an era of new professionalism began in the late 1980s. The government has since then on
various occasions tried to shape teachers' professionalism. In 2007 a system was introduced in
English schools where teachers were to be rewarded for their professional development.
Professional standards for teachers were introduced with five different career stages with the
highest steps: "excellent teacher" and "advanced teacher". In the higher career steps teachers
receive a higher pay, specific responsibilities and they assume leadership roles. Standards to
reach can be about school improvement and student performance.
Hanlon (1999, p.91) argues that the upgrading of management has created a commercialized
professionalism where the professional considers market forces, for example by adapting to
customers' wishes. The reduced autonomy of professionals goes hand in hand with an
increased monitoring of them. Hanlon (1999) claims that professionals who accept the terms
of the new reforms and adapts to the commercialized professionalism retain greater
autonomy.
Evetts (2009) assumes that there are two ideal types of professionalism- one based on an
organizational professionalism and another that deals with occupational professionalism. The
organizational professionalism is characterized by control and is often used by leaders in
organizations (Evetts 2009, p. 254). The occupational professionalism is associated with
collective responsibility and relationships.
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However, Evetts (2009, p.253) argues that it is important to think outside of these ideal
models because professionalism in many cases finds themselves somewhere in between, and
we need to acknowledge the ongoing changes in the concept of professionalism. According to
Evetts (2009) it is possible to speak of a new kind of professionalism that is affected by NPM
ideals which go wider than the two ideal types of organizational and occupational
professionalism. From control strategies, professionals are re-created to become “managers”.
This type of professionalism leads to an individualization of the professional and a control of
the profession which is based on self-regulation. These professionals need to take into account
customers while the normative idea of a strong profession is used to create effective
organizational governance (Evetts, 2009; p. 255).
The hybrid professional
One concept used by several authors to describe the new professionals is the hybrid
professional (See Kitchener, M., 2000; Noordegraaf 2007; Waring et al. 2014). The hybrid is
somewhat of a mixture between a manager and a professional and can conceptually help us
understand the role of this new professional in the organization. The hybrid professional holds
a complex role, needing to maintain the interests of both the profession and management.
Although the hybrid professional is accounted for in previous research, it is unclear how this
role is enacted in practice. What does it mean to be a hybrid professional? As Waring et al.
claims
“Further research is needed on the formation
of ‘elite identities’ to better understand, first, why elites choose (or are required) to
transition into these hybrid roles; second, how they relate both to their profession and wider
organization in the search for ontological security;…”
Waring et al. also claims that further research needs to take into account the relationships that
these professionals have with for example other professionals and management, since the
relational aspect has been somewhat foreseen in previous research.
Already back in the 1980: s, Freidson developed a thesis about how professionals adapted to
keep their interests in an environment where more and more bureaucratical and marketal
interests where introduced in the organizations. Freidson (1985) In his restratification thesis
Freidson claimed that rather than succumb to pressures in a deprofessionalization process,
professionals found ways to maintain autonomy. The strategy used was to internally become
more hierarchical and bureaucratic, to fit in a new landscape where these kinds of elements
were upgraded. The result was fragmentation of the professionals in those maintaining core
functions, described by Freidson as “rank and file” and those to be characterized as different
form of elites. The kinds of elites mentioned by Freidson were knowledge elites and
administrative elites. In connection to the discussion on new professionals earlier,
administrative elites can be seen as those involved in managerial tasks, a form of hybrid
professionals.
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Analytical framework
Waring et al. (2014) accounts for Freidson’s restratification thesis and states that the general
loss of professional autonomy often referred to by the advocates of the deprofessionalization
thesis, with Freidson’s framework is rather the loss of autonomy from some professionals to
others. Specifically the autonomy is lost from the “rank and file” professionals to the elite
professionals. Waring et al. claims that Freidson found that this was a way to maintain some
autonomy within the profession, since the elites could advocate collegial interests. With
Frostensson’s (2015) framework we could interpret this as a way to safeguard the collegial
autonomy.
Given this background it seems as new professionalism could describe a reality where
professionals internally divide to maintain their interests. This “strategy” is probably
something we can implicitly discover, rather than it being accounted for by professionals
themselves. However, if we interpret the forming of elites to strengthen professions and keep
them from external threats, it seems highly important that these elites receive legitimacy from
their peers. Legitimacy is necessary for the professionals to accept that some elites are
representing their interests. (see Waring, 2014)
Waring elaborates Freidson’s thesis by creating six different types of professional elites. They
are: political elites, knowledge elites, corporate elites, managerial elites (administrative
elites- in Freidson’s terms,) governance elites and practice elites.
Waring’s different forms of elites is used as an analytical framework in this article. However,
there remains an opportunity for empirical findings that are not included in this framework.
Perhaps there are other types of elites created, or maybe the first teachers are no elites at all.
The types of elites are not only derived from what the first teachers do, but what relationships
they have with peers and managers and from where they receive their legitimacy. This article
builds from interviews and observations of not only first teachers, but of interactions between
first teachers and other actors within the school organizations.
By coming to terms with what kind of elites, (or not), are created when a first teacher role is
introduced in Swedish school, it is interesting to reflect on what this description can say about
contemporary professionalism in practice.
Research design
This article is written within the frames of a larger project led by Gustaf Kastberg (professor
at Gothenburg university). Within this project the interest lies in examining in what happens
in an organization when trying to externally strengthen a profession. A variety of methods
have been combined including interviews, meeting observations and shadowing. A total of
around 100 interviews have been conducted, several weeks have been spent shadowing first
teachers, and tens of meetings have been observed.
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Municipalities and schools have in this project been selected to contribute to both the breadth
and depth of study. A total of three municipalities are included in the study; a metropolitan
municipality, a medium-sized university municipality and a small town community. These
three municipalities exhibit variation in strategies for the introduction of the first teacher
reform.
A total of seven schools are participating in the study. To create variation schools have been
selected with the aim to represent all levels of the school system. Out of the seven schools,
four are on elementary and secondary level and three are high schools. All schools included in
the study are public. This choice is justified by the study's focus on the management of public
affairs.
To study long term implications of the reform, and for the possibility of in-depth studies, the
schools were longitudinally followed. During a period of three semesters, interviews took
place with politicians, municipal managers, administrators, school principals, first teachers
and other teachers. To understand the first teacher role created, relevant constellations where
first teachers play an active part, were observed. Meetings were targeted where the role of the
first teacher was made visible.
The process to gain access to the schools initially began by contacting central key actors on
municipal level by e-mail. It was important to create a contact with everyone in the municipal
steering chain because local governance is the focus of the thesis. In some case first meetings
were booked with managers in the municipalities, in other cases contact information to the
principals at the schools were given directly in the e-mails. The next step was to interview the
principals of the schools and making plans for how to collect the empirical findings. After this
both first teachers and other teachers were interviewed. In the selection of teachers, the
ambition has been to create variation in the years of experience they have in the profession.
Actor-network theory as methodological approach
From the literature review latter research on professions calls for the abandonment of the
dichotomy between profession and organization (Bourgeault et al, 2011) or between
professionalism and managerialism (See Mulcahy and Perillo, 2011). With this approach, it
will be important to highlight the relationships between actors in the school organization. The
role of the first teacher is interpreted out of the relationships the first teacher has with
managers and colleagues. It is from these relationships that legitimacy can be seen to be
derived (or not). These relationships also determine what autonomy these teachers have.
This study has an explorative approach and takes its origin in Actor Network Theory (ANT)
as methodological tool. Based on ANT, we have few a priori assumptions about how the
world works and what exists in one context does not necessarily exist in another. (See Latour,
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1998) As scientists we are part of the reality that we are investigating. Therefore, it is
imperative to participate in the context about which you want to express something about.
Drawing from Latour’s ideas, Mouritsen et al. (2001) discloses how intellectual capital is
transformed from nothing to something by means of translation and that in the process
emerges as an actor. In the same we can imagine that the first role of the teacher is created out
of the relationships between different actors in a heterogeneous network where it finally
emerges as an actor. It is interesting to study the process in which the first teacher role origins
from “nothing to something” (See Mouritsen, 2001). This approach motivates intrusive,
longitudinal studies of the activity in which the networks that are of interest exist- the
networks in which relationships are created and disconnected.
Analytical tool
The types of first teachers are derived from what we empirically find. Due to previous
research it is of interest to look at relationships in the school organization as a whole. The first
teacher role is assumed to be produced in the practice of these teachers. What relationships do
they have to the other actors in the school organization and how do they form their role in
relation to them? Waring’s types of elites are a starting point to describe what new
professionalism could mean, but it is important to bear in mind other possible roles for the
first teachers to create. Drawing on previous research on professions some key concepts are
frequently used. As Waring et al. (2014) states, legitimacy is important since professionals
need to receive legitimacy for their role in the organization, especially if they are going to be
accepted to promote the interests of a wider collegium. We can also see that authority is a key
concept and it is closely connected to autonomy. Based on previous research on professionals,
many claim that autonomy is lost to other actors, often those at managerial levels. It seems
relevant in trying to determine what professionalism is created to see who has the authority
over what these new professionals do- and at the other end- how autonomous are these
teachers? Perhaps we see that there are hybrids within contemporary organizations but it is
still not clear what this role means. Are new professionals more connected to their
colleaugeus or to managers for example, when it comes to their legitimacy, authority and
autonomy?
1. From where do these teachers derive their legitimacy?
2. Who has authority? Who decides over these teachers?
3. How autonomous are they? (in relation to their individual work, colleagues and
managers)
By answering these questions we can start unravelling what role these teachers have in the
organization.
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Empirically derived ideal types of first teachers (OBS Mycket ofärdigt- mest
spontana tankegångar utifrån empirin.)
1. ”The best teacher”
The first teacher appointment has not led to many changes in the work of the first teacher.
They are no elites at all. Relationships with colleagues eventually harmed, since it is not clear
to them what the first teaches do. Weak legitimacy from their colleagues. Stronger legitimacy
would be necessary for not creating tensions within the profession.
2. ”The development manager”
In this ideal model the first teachers receive clear development assignments or projects.
These assignments are different from what they had before, in nature or extent. The first
teacher role results in a quite different and extended role for the first teacher, and separate
first teachers from other teachers. Legitimacy is derived from management, but should in
some cases be needed from their colleagues as well, since the teachers are both part of
management and the profession. They are hybrids and the problem is finding the
legitimacy needed from both management and their colleagues. Management does have
the authority in many cases, but there are differences in context as to how much the
teachers are involved in what development projects to focus on. In some cases, due to the
nature of management, teachers are more collegially autonomous, while in others less,
since development projects only come from above, from management level.
3. ”The subject expert”
There is not a great difference in work assignments for the first teachers- in the everyday
work, it is not apparent what are first teacher tasks. However, there is a tendency in this model
for the first teachers to have been given their assignment in order to indulge in work to
development their subject. In this model legitimacy is derived from the profession. The first
teacher is somewhat of a collegial leader, but this is described to be difficult when there is not
always a clear mandate to be this leader. Much power lies in the hands of the individual
teachers in how to develop their subjects. Could strengthen autonomy on collegial level, but
legitimacy from peers is necessary and this does not always exist.
What type of professionalism is created?
We can see here that a new category of teachers is created, no matter the differences in
interpretations. A first teacher role is shaped in all contexts, although we see a great
differentiation in how the shaping occurs and what the results are. From being “nothing”,
“something” is created. (See Mouritsen, 2001) Since different interpretations leads to different
ideal types of first teachers, the profession can be seen to be affected in various ways
depending on the context. We have detected three different ideal types of roles for first
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Sanna Eklund
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teachers and we can see that they all seemingly have different impacts on the teaching
profession and the school organization.
Ideal type number one risks fragmentizing the profession, since it is not clear for other
teachers what the first teachers do to deserve their role and their raise. Although the
appointment can be seen to strengthen individual teachers, the profession as a whole risks
being weakened. First teachers have arguably, a hard time creating acceptance and legitimacy
for their role.
Ideal type number two risks strengthening a managerial level rather than the professional.
However, the principal has a great role here to anchor the first teacher role at the school and in
the teacher collegium. This first teacher role could eventually strengthen the profession if
teachers receive a greater representation at managerial level. If the first teacher role is
accepted by the rest of the teachers and it is clear what the role means at the school, risks of
fragmentation might be reduced. It seems important that the first teachers receive the mandate
to represent their colleagues at managerial level.
The role of the first teacher as a subject expert struggles with the same problems as ideal type
number two. Here it is also of relevance to have the mandate to be somewhat of a collegial
leader and to have the legitimacy to lead in subject matters. If the first teachers receive this
legitimacy it is possible that the profession might be strengthened since subject development
is an issue close to the profession and it is a development task that can be seen to stem from
within the professions rather than from above.
Några slutliga kommentarer: Jag har empiriskt sett att lärarna i stor utsträckning påverkas och styrs av
relationer till elever och föräldrar. Min tanke till nästa artikel är att beskriva hur denna horisontella
styrning fungerar och skapar komplexa förutsättningar för professionen- alldeles oavsett om de är
förstelärare eller inte. Kanske kan man få ihop det med det relationella fokus jag vill ha i den här
artikeln, är ju en återkommande bild i forskningen att lärarna måste ta hänsyn till marknadslogik osv.
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Sanna Eklund
[email protected]
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