Table Of ContentUrsula Edgington
Emotional
Labour
and Lesson
Observation
A Study of England's Further Education
Emotional Labour and Lesson Observation
Ursula Edgington
Emotional Labour
and Lesson Observation
’
A Study of England s Further Education
123
UrsulaEdgington
Cambridge, Waikato
NewZealand
ISBN978-981-10-2989-9 ISBN978-981-10-2991-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-2991-2
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For my husband, Justin. Without his
continued support, my learning journey,
including this book, simply would not have
been possible. And to all my students, many
ofwhom,overtheyears,haveinspiredmewith
their resilience and creativity and motivated
me to seek out ways to be a better teacher.
Foreword
Observations of classroom practice are a ubiquitous feature of teachers’ profes-
sional lives nowadays. Whether it be in a formative context as part of a
teacher-training qualification, or as a summative source of evidence for quality
assurance purposes, there is no denying that observation has become an important
multifunctional tool in education. Many existing publications have to date focused
on the procedural aspects of the observation process with much less discussion of,
or consideration given to its wider impact on teachers’ identities, particularly in
relationtotheiremotionalexperiencesandthesubsequentrepercussionsforteacher
self-esteem and self-efficacy. This is certainly one of the distinctive features of
Emotional Labour and Lesson Observation: A Study of England’s Further
Education, a book which provides a fascinating psychosocial account of the lived
experiences of a group of practitioners.
Throughaseriesofdetailedcasestudies,thisbookisabletoexamineindepththe
real impact of performative-oriented approaches to observation on the emotional
selvesoftheteacherswhoseprofessionallivesitcharts.Adoptingapoststructuralist
andpsychoanalyticalapproachtoexploringandexplainingteachers’perceptionsof
observationiscertainlyanovelapproach,anditaddssomemuchneededcolourtothe
conventionalmonochromeaccountsofthetopic.Viewingobservationthroughthese
particular lenses means this book is able to illuminate aspects of the emotional
experiences of staff involved in observation and in so doing shed new light on a
commonareaofpracticethathasbeenlargelyunder-theorisedandunder-researched
for many years. Using a range of theoretical constructs from the domains of
post-structuralismandpsychoanalysisequipstheauthorwithasetofconceptualtools
withwhichtomakesenseofhowteachersexperienceobservationasemotionalbeings
and ultimately how it affects them and their professional practice. It makes a very
valuablecontributiontothegrowingliteratureonthetopicofclassroomobservation.
February 2016 Dr. Matt O’Leary
Reader in Education
Birmingham City University, UK
vii
Preface
Interest in emotion work and in the emotional labour of teaching and learning in
different educationalsectors isagrowingarea ofresearchinterest. Itisparticularly
relevant within the context of Further and Higher Education sectors where many
researchers are themselves based. This book presents research based in England’s
Further Education sector where increasing emphasis on marketised systems means
accountabilityandauditcultureshavebecomeembeddedwithineverydayteaching
practice.Uniquely,thisbookexploresmicro-levelissuesofthemanagerialpolicies
regarding classroom lesson observations; the profoundly emotional, philosophical
aspectswithintheprocessesofthesesituations,whichresearchassertscausesstress
and anxiety for many staff.
Forthoseinterestedinresearchingthesubjectofclassroomobservation,asmall
number of ‘how-to’ guides exist, aimed at helping teaching staff and management
with the practical aspects of preparation and stress management before and during
theseevents.Mostofthisliteratureisbasedinschoolsratherthanpost-compulsory
sectors. There are also chapters about lesson observations within teacher-training
textbooks which aim to support new teaching staff entering education, or staff
development.However,thisresearchprovidesverylittlein-depthdiscussionofthe
philosophical and psychosocial aspects of observations. This book illuminates
contextualised individual experiences of lesson observations, within the increasing
pressures of a global, marketised education system. Drawing on psychosocial
theoreticalconceptsexploringtheinterplayofhiddenor‘underground’micro-and
macro-elements of teaching and learning contexts, this book argues how the
presence of an observer fundamentally alters the dynamics of a classroom. This is
because the observer embodies a witness to emotional labour that is an unarticu-
latedpersonalact whichparadoxically isnotmeasurable,norperceivedasofgreat
value.So,itisnotnecessarilytheperformativity thatcreates thestressandanxiety
inanobservation,itistheindividual’sperceptionofthisperformativityandhowit
relatestoawiderconsiderationoftheiremotionallabourintheclassroom.Forthis
ix
x Preface
reason, this book puts forward a case for ending the formal, graded method of
lessonobservations,infavourofadevelopmental,holisticapproachthatissensitive
to the emotional nuances of the individuals involved as well as the social and
historical contexts of the institutions in which they are situated.
Becauseofthediverseuseoflessonobservationsasatoolforstaffdevelopment
and quality assurancepolicies, educational researchers,policymakers,teachersand
managersfrommanydifferentsectorsandbackgroundswillfindthisbookvaluable.
Cambridge, New Zealand Ursula Edgington
Acknowledgments
IamgratefultoCanterburyChristChurchUniversity,Kent,UK,whoprovidedme
withfinancialsupportintheformofathree-yearfull-timePhDscholarshipawardin
2010. The outcomes from that research project form part of the data presented in
thisbook.MysincereappreciationalsogoestotheBritishSociologicalAssociation
(BSA) and the British Educational Research Association (BERA), who provided
additionalacademicandfinancialsupportduringmyfieldworkandlaterduringthe
dissemination of my findings.
I would also like to thank Nick Mackey, a passionate and highly skilled edu-
cator,whomIwasluckyenoughtohaveasmymentor manyyearsagoduringmy
teacher-training. Nick was a constant source of inspiration and admiration and
encouraged me to reflect on aspects of my teaching which would eventually
becomeintegraltothisbook.IamalsogratefultoDr.MattO’Learywhoseworkin
this area was thought-provoking and his support of my own research was a
tremendous encouragement, including writing the foreword for this book. Thanks
also go to Professor David James who generously gave his time to discuss the
theoretical framework for this research and whose own research outputs from the
ESRC project ‘Improving Learning Cultures in Further Education’ (2007) were
invaluable and motivating resources. Discussion with members of the Higher
EducationResearchandDevelopmentSocietyofAustralasia(HERDSA)Teaching
and Learning Group (TATAL) has also been extremely helpful when sharing and
discussing aspects of my teaching philosophy reflected in this book. Numerous
individualsalsocontributedtomywritingthroughdiscussionswhichwerevaluable
in different ways. Special mentions are necessary for the academic assistance of
Drs. Darren Ambrose and Carrie Birch and also Professors Simon McGrath and
Tom Wengraf. On a personal level, Krysia Saul was my valued critical friend;
I miss her constant reassurance during my learning journey.
A sincere thank you also goes to the participants involved in this research—
without whom this book would not have been possible.
xi
Contents
Part I Researching Lesson Observation: Aims, Contexts
and Theory
1 Introduction.... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 3
Accountability and Performativity in the Global Tertiary Education
Sector . .... .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 3
Aims and Rationale for This Book.... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 7
About the Author: Insider Researcher.. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 10
Structure of This Book .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 13
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 15
2 Lesson Observation: Policies and Contexts.... .... .... ..... .... 17
Lesson Observation: Global Commercialisation .. .... .... ..... .... 17
Observations in New Zealand’s Education System .... .... ..... .... 19
Observations in Australian Tertiary Education ... .... .... ..... .... 22
Lesson Observation Policies in England: Why They Are Relevant. .... 23
Teaching Qualifications and FE Staff .. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 25
The Political Context of Lesson Observations.... .... .... ..... .... 26
The Historical and Sociopolitical Context of the UK FE Sector... .... 28
Education’s ‘Responsiveness’ to Political and Economic Needs... .... 30
Changes and Incorporation: Socio-Economic
and Historical Contexts.... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 31
New Labour’s ‘Social Inclusion’ Agenda and FE. .... .... ..... .... 32
Assessment and Performativity in England’s Further Education ... .... 34
Stress and Anxiety of Graded Observations . .... .... .... ..... .... 37
Conclusions. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 40
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 41
3 Theoretical Concepts of Lesson Observations.. .... .... ..... .... 47
Introduction. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 47
A Summary of the History of Emotions in the Classroom .. ..... .... 49
The Emotional Labour of Observations. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 51
xiii
