From Fantasy to Depression: A Beginning Teacher's Encounter with Performativity
Main Article Content
Keywords
Performativity, Teacher socialization, Worksheet curriculum
Abstract
This paper reports a qualitative study of a beginning teacher in Singapore. It explores the journey of a beginning teacher from his pre-service teacher education to his third year of teaching, drawing on extensive interviews, emails, phone text messages and fi eld notes over a span of three years. This study illuminates the issue of performativity faced daily by teachers caught in such a discourse, and highlight the tension between enacting one's idealism as a beginning teacher and pursuing academic excellence as required by the school system within such a climate. The study describes how the performativity pressures exerted by the school system shaped the beginning teacher's beliefs and practices. As a result of the socialization forces limiting and regulating his practices, the beginning teacher experienced cognitive dissonance, and consequently suffered clinical depression. From the findings, it shows there is a need for current teacher education to highlight the neoliberal emphasis on "market values" of accountability that currently exists in the school system. The study concludes with suggestions that teacher education in Singapore needs to extend beyond skills training to incorporate performativity discourse within its pedagogy courses. This might create more opportunities and thus induce a greater propensity to teach against the grain.
References
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Fang, Z. (1996). A review of research on teacher beliefs and practices. Educational Research. 38(1), 47-64.
Goodman, J. (1988). The political tactics and teaching strategies of reflective, active preservice teachers. The Elementary School Journal, 89(1), 22-41.
Hammerness, K. (2004). Teaching with vision: How one teacher negotiates tension between high ideals and standardized testing. Teacher Education Quarterly, 31(4), 33-43.
Hogan, D., Chan, M., Rahim, R., Kwek, D., Aye, K.M., Loo, S.C., Sheng, Y.Z., & Luo, W. (2013). Assessment and the logic of instructional practice in Secondary 3 English and mathematics classrooms in Singapore. Review of Education, 1(1), 57-106.
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Ng, P.T. (2008). The phases and paradoxes of educational quality assurance: The case of the Singapore education system. Quality Assurance in Education, 16(2), 112-125.
Pajares, M. (1992). Teachers' beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62(3), 307-332.
Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Richardson, V. (1996). The role of attitudes and beliefs in learning to teach. In J.Sikula (Ed), Handbook of Research on Teacher Education. 102-119). New York: Macmillan.
Rust, F. (1994). The first year of teaching: It's not what they expected. Teaching & Teacher Education, 10(2), 205-217.
Ryan, K. (1986). The induction of new teachers. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Education Foundation.
Sahin, C., Bullock, K., & Stables, A. (2002). Teachers' beliefs and practices in relation to their beliefs about questioning at Key Stage 2. Educational Studies, 28(4), 371-384.
Sikes, P.J., Measor, L., & Woods, P. (1985). Teacher careers: Crises and continuities. Lewes: The Falmer Press.
Silverman, D. (2000). Doing Qualitative Research. London: Sage.
Stake, R.E. (2010). Qualitative research: Studying how things work. New York: Guilford.
Sullivan, C. (1997). Myths, misconceptions, and miscommunications in reading instruction. In Singapore Symposium on Reading for Success, Reading for success: A collection of symposium papers (pp.40-47). Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.
Tan, C. (2008). Globalization, the Singapore state and educational reforms: Towards performativity. Education, Knowledge and Economy, 2(2), 111-120.
Tan, E.T.J. (2005). The marketization of education in Singapore: What does it mean for thinking school, learning nation? In E.T.J. Tan & P.T. Ng (Eds.). Shaping Singapore's future: Thinking Schools, Learning Nation. 95-111. Singapore: Prentice-Hall.
Tan, C., & Ng, P.T. (2007). Dynamics of change: Centralised decentralisation of education in Singapore. Journal of Educational Change, 8(2), 155-168.
Troman, G., Jeffrey, B., & Raggl, A. (2007). Creativity and performativity policies in primary school cultures. Journal of Education Policy, 22(5), 549-572.
Turner-Bisset, R. (2007). Performativity by stealth: A critique of recent initiatives on creativity. Education 3-13, 35(2), 193-203.
Watanabe, M. (2008). Tracking in the era of high-stakes state accountability reform: Case studies of classroom instruction in North Carlina. Teachers College Record, 110(3), 489-534.
Ball, S.J. (2003). The teacher's soul and the terrors of performativity. Journal of Educational Policy, 18(2), 215-228.
Ball, S.J. (2004). Performativities and fabrications in the education economy: Towards the performative society. In S.J. Ball (Ed.). The Routledge Falmer reader in sociology of education. 143-155. London: Routledge Falmer.
Ball, S.J. (2007). Education plc: Understanding private sector participation in public sector education. London: Routledge.
Ball, S.J. (2012). Performativity, commodification and commitment: An I-spy guide to the neoliberal university. British Journal of Educational Studies, 60(1), 17-28.
Blase, J. (1991).The politics of life in schools: Power, conflict, and cooperation. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
Chan, K.W., Tan, J., & Khoo, A. (2007). Preservice teachers' conceptions about teaching and learning: A closer look at Singapore cultural context. Asia Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 35(2), 181-195.
Cheah, Y.M. (2004). English Language Teaching in Singapore Today. In W.K. Ho and R.Y.L. Wong (eds.), English Language Teaching in East Asia Today: Changing Policies and Practices (2nd/rev. ed., pp. 353-74). Singapore: Eastern University.
Cole, A., & Knowles, G. (1993). Shattered images: Understanding expectations and realities of field experiences. Teaching and Teacher Education, 9 (5/6), 457-471.
Craig, C.J. (2004). The dragon in school backyards: The influence of mandated testing on school contexts and educators' narrative knowing. Teachers College Record, 106(6), 1229-1257.
Day, C.W., Kington, A. Stobart, G., & Sammons, P. (2006). The personal and professional selves of teachers: stable and unstable identities. British Educational Research Journal, 32(4), 601-616.
Deng, Z., & Gopinathan, S. (2003). Continuity and change in conceptual orientations for teacher preparation in Singapore: Challenging teacher preparation as training. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 31(1), 51-65.
Dornyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics: Quantitaive, qualitative, and mixed methodologies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fang, Z. (1996). A review of research on teacher beliefs and practices. Educational Research. 38(1), 47-64.
Goodman, J. (1988). The political tactics and teaching strategies of reflective, active preservice teachers. The Elementary School Journal, 89(1), 22-41.
Hammerness, K. (2004). Teaching with vision: How one teacher negotiates tension between high ideals and standardized testing. Teacher Education Quarterly, 31(4), 33-43.
Hogan, D., Chan, M., Rahim, R., Kwek, D., Aye, K.M., Loo, S.C., Sheng, Y.Z., & Luo, W. (2013). Assessment and the logic of instructional practice in Secondary 3 English and mathematics classrooms in Singapore. Review of Education, 1(1), 57-106.
Jeffrey, B. (2002). Performativity and primary teacher relations. Journal of Education Policy, 17(5), 531-546.
Jeffrey, B., & Troman, G. (Eds.). (2012). Performativity in UK education: Ethnographic cases of its effects, agency and reconstructions. Painswick: E&E.
Kelchtermans, G., & Ballet, K. (2002). The micropolitics of teacher induction: A narrative-biographical study on teacher socialisation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18(1), 105-120.
Keys, P.M. (2005). Are teachers walking the walk or just talking the talk in science education? Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 11(5), 499-516.
Lincoln, Y.S. & Guba, E.G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Lloyd, G.M. (2007). Strategic compromise: A student teacher's design of kindergarten Mathematics instruction in a high-stakes testing climate. Journal of Teacher Education, 58(4), 328-347.
Loh, J., & Hu, G. (2014). Subdued by the system: Neoliberalism and the beginning teacher. Teaching and Teacher Education, 41, 13-21.
Loughran, J., Brown, J., & Doecke, B. (2001). Continuities and discontinuities: the transition from pre-service to fi rst-year teaching. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 7(1), 7-23.
MacLure, M. (1993). Arguing for yourself: Identity as an organising principle in teachers' jobs and lives. British Educational Research Journal, 19(4), 311-322.
Ministry of Education, Singapore. (2007). Holistic teacher appraisal system clarifi es expectations. The Straits Times Forum letter reply. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/forum/2007/20070402.htm
Ministry of Education, Singapore. (2008). MOE Masterplan of awards for schools. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/files/2008/09/moe-masterplan-of-awardsfor-schools.pdf
Ministry of Education, Singapore. (2012a). MOE Removes Secondary School Banding and Revamps School Awards. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2012/09/moe-removes-secondary-school-b.php
Ministry of Education, Singapore. (2012b). Schools' SYF scheme revamped. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/news/2012/11/schools-syf-scheme-revamped-st.php
Mok, K.H., & Welch, A. (2003). Globalization and Educational Restructuring in the Asia Pacific Region. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Ng, P.T. (2008). The phases and paradoxes of educational quality assurance: The case of the Singapore education system. Quality Assurance in Education, 16(2), 112-125.
Pajares, M. (1992). Teachers' beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62(3), 307-332.
Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Richardson, V. (1996). The role of attitudes and beliefs in learning to teach. In J.Sikula (Ed), Handbook of Research on Teacher Education. 102-119). New York: Macmillan.
Rust, F. (1994). The first year of teaching: It's not what they expected. Teaching & Teacher Education, 10(2), 205-217.
Ryan, K. (1986). The induction of new teachers. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Education Foundation.
Sahin, C., Bullock, K., & Stables, A. (2002). Teachers' beliefs and practices in relation to their beliefs about questioning at Key Stage 2. Educational Studies, 28(4), 371-384.
Sikes, P.J., Measor, L., & Woods, P. (1985). Teacher careers: Crises and continuities. Lewes: The Falmer Press.
Silverman, D. (2000). Doing Qualitative Research. London: Sage.
Stake, R.E. (2010). Qualitative research: Studying how things work. New York: Guilford.
Sullivan, C. (1997). Myths, misconceptions, and miscommunications in reading instruction. In Singapore Symposium on Reading for Success, Reading for success: A collection of symposium papers (pp.40-47). Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.
Tan, C. (2008). Globalization, the Singapore state and educational reforms: Towards performativity. Education, Knowledge and Economy, 2(2), 111-120.
Tan, E.T.J. (2005). The marketization of education in Singapore: What does it mean for thinking school, learning nation? In E.T.J. Tan & P.T. Ng (Eds.). Shaping Singapore's future: Thinking Schools, Learning Nation. 95-111. Singapore: Prentice-Hall.
Tan, C., & Ng, P.T. (2007). Dynamics of change: Centralised decentralisation of education in Singapore. Journal of Educational Change, 8(2), 155-168.
Troman, G., Jeffrey, B., & Raggl, A. (2007). Creativity and performativity policies in primary school cultures. Journal of Education Policy, 22(5), 549-572.
Turner-Bisset, R. (2007). Performativity by stealth: A critique of recent initiatives on creativity. Education 3-13, 35(2), 193-203.
Watanabe, M. (2008). Tracking in the era of high-stakes state accountability reform: Case studies of classroom instruction in North Carlina. Teachers College Record, 110(3), 489-534.
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Published
Apr 14, 2016
Article Details
How to Cite
Loh, J. (2016). From Fantasy to Depression: A Beginning Teacher’s Encounter with Performativity. AsTEN Journal of Teacher Education, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.56278/asten.v1i1.143
Section
Research Article