Visual Rhetoric About the Social Status of the Teaching Profession on University Webpages

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Abstract

Chile faces a critical decline in the enrolment of initial teacher education (ITE) programmes and a lack of qualified teachers. This investigation seeks to contribute to understanding this problem based on the analysis of visual rhetoric about the social status of teaching profession in this country. We analyse a random sample of websites’ images of teachers (48) from the 35 universities with ITE programmes. The results reports three rhetorics: Undifferentiated university student, ITE student hands-on, and teacher in classroom role. These rhetorics give an account of a profession that lacks strong status markers as expertism and technology, but has active and leadership role in education. Discussion centre in the role of university in defy stereotypical assumptions about teachers.

Authors

• Karin Roa, Universidad de los Andes

• Juan de Dios Oyarzun, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso

• Catalina Zenteno, Independent researcher

• Diego Caro, Independent researcher