Martin Kerridge
School of Social , Political and Global Studies
Taking up Head Space : discourses of secondary headteachers ’ professional identity and practice
A critical analysis of what secondary headteachers say about the professional role they inhabit . In their own words establishing : why they do it , what are the rewards and challenges , what are the dominant demands and how are these addressed ? The research explores how the language and concepts shared by the Heads can be reviewed in terms of Gramsci ’ s ideas of ‘ common ’ and ‘ good ’ sense . Are moral and personal values , understood as good , losing out to the common drive for : competition , marketization , performative success and accountability ? Are schools now businesses operating according to new managerialist principles that have ‘ colonised the lifeworld ’ of the headteachers ? In critical analysis of the discourse in one-to-one interviews and focus groups , themes emerge around : new managerialism ( accountability , value , pragmatism ), professional identity ( purpose , status , description ) and professional practice ( culture , team , system ). The research examines the contested nature of the tensions inherent in the role , where common sense and good sense are not necessarily clear cut , where Heads in their own words are striving to articulate professional identity and where a new approach to Habermas ’ notion of the lifeworld may be helpful ; creating a community of accountability that ensures the headspace is focused on education and not economics .
Postgraduate Conference 2020 Page 28