Reducing teachers' workload or deskilling 'core' work? Analysis of a policy response to teacher workload demands

Teacher workload is a growing problem internationally. In this article, we analyse an attempt by the state education bureaucracy of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, to address this through the 'Quality Time Program'. Drawing on labour process theory and Carol Bacchi's framework of &#...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inDiscourse (Abingdon, England) Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 187 - 199
Main Authors Stacey, Meghan, Gavin, Mihajla, Fitzgerald, Scott, McGrath-Champ, Susan, Wilson, Rachel
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 03.03.2024
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Administration
deskilling
Education policy
Educational policy
Educational quality
Frameworks
Higher education
Policy analysis
Policy formation
Policy implementation
Primary secondary education
school
Teacher
Teacher workload
Teachers
work intensification
Work life balance
workload
Workloads
Australia
New South Wales
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Summary:Teacher workload is a growing problem internationally. In this article, we analyse an attempt by the state education bureaucracy of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, to address this through the 'Quality Time Program'. Drawing on labour process theory and Carol Bacchi's framework of 'What's the problem represented to be?', we analyse how the Quality Time policy documents conceptualise and aim to address a particular kind of teacher 'workload problem'. We argue the policy defines the 'problem' as one of efficiency. At the same time, through use of the category of 'administration' the policy proposes the reduction of 'core' work, such as lesson planning, representing a potential deskilling of teachers. We argue that policies such as the Quality Time Program reflect the way in which teachers' work is emerging as a site of contestation in the context of workload reduction efforts, requiring ongoing monitoring and analysis.
Bibliography:Refereed article. Includes bibliographical references.
ISSN:0159-6306
1469-3739
DOI:10.1080/01596306.2023.2271856