Exploring the Impact of Accountability on English Teachers' Conceptions of Their Work

• In Event: 35.081 - Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: 35.081-23 - Teacher Attitudes and Instruction

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of accountability on the way teachers conceive of their work. Through a qualitative, comparative analysis of interviews from pre-2001 teachers and post-2001 teachers, the author determined that teachers’ language shifted in tone and theme. Perrow’s (1967) job configuration model is used to frame the shift, indicating that teachers’ conception of their work shifted from one treated as a “craft” (characterized by subjective judgment and tacit expertise) to one treated as an “engineering” activity (characterized by mandates and regulations, and a technical efficiency orientation).

Author

• Sarah Marten, The University of Kansas