Future school services, 'Global Solutions' : ESRC Seminar 4 Proceedings

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Prospects and politics of professional power in England: an exploration of the state of teaching as a profession following the birth of the General Teaching Council for England

This thesis examines the status of teaching as a profession following the establishment of the General Teaching Council for England in 2000. After developing a theoretical framework for analysing the concept of profession, and addressing some of the confusion which often arises from the different discourses of professionalism, the work focuses on the key issues of knowledge and power. An extended literature review includes analyses of the Training and Development Agency for Schools, the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services and the General Teaching Council for England. The empirical component of the study presents data from a series of interviews with a number of people in senior positions in key education organisations which were conducted over a period stretching from June 2004 to January 2006.The thesis' main argument is that, because of political imperatives expressed through the policy interventions of successive governments, the logic of professionalism is being marginalised for teachers in England. Instead of serving the ideals of their profession, teachers in England find themselves working in an increasingly commercialized public sector and squeezed between the bureaucratic aspects of managerialist and market policies

Ammatillinen toimijuus ja institutionaalinen muutos : äitiyshuollon palvelut venäläisissä pikkukaupungeissa

The system of healthcare in Russia since the 1990s undergoes perpetual and considerable transformation and has become a particular field of concern to the state. Maternity care services, in particular, appear to be even more symbolically significant to the authorities, provoking additional efforts to redesign their provision and organisation. This study addresses institutional changes that have occurred since 2006, when the most appreciable state measures to improve maternity care were taken and a new, ‘statist’ policy model emerged in Russian healthcare. It focuses on the perspective of healthcare practitioners, working in maternity facilities in small-town Russia. The research is designed as a multiple case study and allows comparison of the differing limits to and opportunities for professional agency emerging in formally similar institutional settings. Each case (n = 4) addresses a complex of antenatal and maternity care facilities located in one small Russian town, located in a distance from regional, economic and cultural centres. The data were collected between 2011 and 2017 years. The qualitative methods of in-depth interviews (N= 28) and participatory observations in two cases under investigation have been applied in the study. The main method of data analysis is common thematic content analysis. This study revealed the diversity of medical approaches, doctor–patient relations, dispositions toward change and notions of professional commitment in practices by a formally homogeneous social group of practitioners providing maternity services. Focusing on the provision, regulation and arrangement of maternity care, analysis of the health professionals’ narratives provided evidence of aggravated working conditions in terms of a growing domination of managerial and market institutional logics. In such conditions of the institutional complexity, healthcare professionals find some forms, in which professional agency can be practices in the field of maternity services. As a result, both organisational transformations and micro-scale changes took place in one of the cases under investigation over the course of a decade from 2007. The case of ‘stealthy innovators’ exemplified the substantial internal restructuring initiated by healthcare professionals in order to integrate a new, more patient-centred and family-friendly approach to childbirth. The study results confirm a top-down approach to change in the field of maternity care in Russia, and suggest that most recent state-led changes have been centralised in character and have resulted in the predominance of managerial and market logics of regulation. Different organisational settings present various combinations of institutional logics and their hybrids, and some of them favour institutional alterations initiated by health professionals, at least at the level of their practices. In spite of some positive examples of the institutional change occurred in the field of maternity care, this work has identified that some state reforms may have unintended consequences for healthcare professionals working in the maternity units of small Russian towns, and that there is a particular vulnerability of health practitioners in Russia. The key suggestion of the study is to consider healthcare professionals’ perspective in future reforms, in order to provide more space for their agency in terms of the institutional work they might accomplish to make the system of maternity care more safe, accessible and patient-friendly.Venäjän terveydenhuoltojärjestelmä on käynyt 1990-luvun jälkeen läpi jatkuvia isoja muutoksia ja siitä on kehkeytynyt erityinen valtiovallan huolen kohde. Erityisesti äitiyshuollon palveluilla on ollut suuri symbolinen merkitys viranomaisille, minkä seurauksena niitä on yritetty järjestää monin tavoin uudelleen. Tämä tutkimus käsittelee niitä institutionaalisia muutoksia, jotka saivat alkunsa vuonna 2006 valtiovallan toteuttaessa huomattavia toimenpiteitä äitiyshuollon parantamiseksi. Tällöin Venäjän terveydenhuoltoon tuotiin myös uudenlainen “valtiojohtoinen” politiikkamalli. Tutkimus keskittyy äitiyspalveluihin venäläisissä pikkukaupungeissa, jotka sijaitsevat kaukana alueellisista, taloudellisista ja kulttuurisista keskuksista. Tutkimus on toteutettu tapaustutkimuksena, mikä antaa mahdollisuuden vertailla ammatillisen toimijuuden erilaisia rajoitteita ja mahdollisuuksia muodollisesti samankaltaisissa institutionaalisissa olosuhteissa. Kukin neljästä tapaustutkimuksesta käsittelee aina yhden venäläisen pikkukaupungin neuvoloita sekä synnytys- ja äitiyshuollon laitoksia. Aineisto on kerätty vuosina 2011-2017. Analyysi pohjaa syvähaastatteluiden (N=28) ja kahden tapaustutkimuksen kohdalla lisäksi havainnointiaineiston laadulliseen analyysiin. Tutkimus tuo esille sen, kuinka käytännön toiminnassa esiintyy erilaisia lääketieteellisiä lähestymistapoja ja lääkäri-potilassuhteita, erilaisia asenteita muutosta kohtaan sekä erilaista ammatillista sitoutumista muodollisesti homogeenisten ammatinharjoittajien parissa. Äitiyshuollon järjestelyä, sääntelyä ja turvaamista käsittelevien terveydenhuollon ammattilaisten kertomusten analyysi paljastaa työolosuhteita, jotka ovat huonontuneet dominoivan managerialistisen ja markkinavetoisen institutionaalisen logiikan seurauksena. Näissä monimutkaisissa institutionaalisissa olosuhteissa terveydenhuollon ammattilaiset löytävät kuitenkin tapoja, joilla ammatillista toimijuutta voi harjoittaa äitiyshuollon palveluissa. Sekä organisatorisia että mikrotasoisia muutoksia käytännöissä saatiin aikaan yhdessä tapaustutkimuksessa. “Vaivihkaisten innovaattorien” tapaus havainnollisti, kuinka äitiyspalveluiden ammattilaiset panivat alulle mittavan sisäisen uudelleenorganisoinnin uusien, potilas- ja perhekeskeisten lähestymistapojen integroimiseksi synnytyspalveluihin. Tutkimuksen tulokset vahvistavat, että Venäjän äitiyshuollon uudistukset ovat olleet ylhäältä ohjattuja. Viimeisimmät valtiojohtoiset muutokset ovat olleet luonteeltaan keskusjohtoisia ja johtaneet managerialistisen ja markkinapohjaisen säätelymallin ylivaltaan. Erilaiset palvelukontekstit tuovat esille erilaisia institutionaalisia malleja sekä niiden hybridejä. Toiset näistä ovat suotuisampia institutionaalisille muutoksille, joita tehtiin terveydenhuollon ammattilaisten aloitteesta ainakin heidän omien käytäntöjensä tasolla. Näistä yksittäisistä positiivisista äitiyshuollon institutionaalisista muutoksista huolimatta tutkimus löysi monia valtiojohtoisten uudistuksen mukanaan tuomia tarkoittamattomia seurauksia äitiyspalveluiden parissa työskenteleville ammattilaisille venäläisissä pikkukaupungeissa. Tutkimus osoittaa, että Venäjän terveydenhuollon harjoittajat ovat tietyssä mielessä suojaamattomia. Tämän tutkimuksen tärkein suositus on, että tulevissa uudistuksissa terveydenhuollon ammattilaisten näkökulma otetaan huomioon, jotta heidän toimijuudelleen ja sille institutionaaliselle työlle, jonka avulla he voivat tehdä äitiyshuollon järjestelmästä turvallisemman, helppopääsyisemmän ja potilasystävällisemmän, jää tilaa

To What Extent Has Information Security Professionalism Achieved Recognition?

The practice of securing information was until recently associated strongly with securing the Information Technology systems which store and process it. As it has developed as a specialised area of work however, particularly as the critical importance of human and social factors has increasingly been recognised, it has acquired an identity separate from that of computing. The separation has been sufficient for the formation of a new, distinct occupation, with specialised credentialing bodies being established to attest to practitioners’ professional competence. This study is the first empirical academic investigation into the professionalisation of UK Information Security. It considers attitudes towards professional status, the desirability and practicality of licensing, the current standing of the occupation and its prospects for the future. The analysis draws heavily from the substantial Sociology of the Professions, both from the structural and procedural theory of profession-forming and the later critiques of motivation, class and power. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with twenty-seven individuals comprising security analysts, managers, academics, professional bodies and the UK Government. Interviews took place between November 2012 and March 2015. Results are presented in two stages of analysis, using Actor–Network Theory as a theoretical lens. Whilst significant progress has been made towards forming a recognisable Information Security profession, its status is not yet comparable to more established peers. Aligned with US National Research Council findings but using a broader basis in professionalisation theory, the UK occupation was found to be too diffusely demarcated both internally and with respect to its bordering professions. It has yet to coalesce around distinct internal specialities with discrete qualification routes and establish the hierarchical arrangement of its major branches. Without such stratification of roles and a well-accepted claim to controlling a clearly demarcated body of knowledge, it is not possible to establish the boundaries of a graduate profession superior to any supporting para-professions, and thus position itself as requiring an advanced abstract education comparable to its peers. A rationalisation of credentials and institutions is required to produce a strong professional body which can advance the cause of the profession and properly establish and embed these roles. At present however – contrary to the tenor of much of the relevant sociology – neither the pursuit of professional status nor the exclusion of unqualified workers were found to be major motivators for current practitioners. By contrast government, the final arbiter of professional monopoly, is attempting urgently to increase the appeal of the profession to address a national skills shortfall, but is wary of direct market intervention in the form of licensing. Therefore, whilst change is rapid, significant impediments to full professional recognition remain

Developing Greek Cypriot philological teachers' professionalism in the light of existing contextual realities and future educational reforms

This thesis examines the views of a number of educational actors about the impact of a broad range of educational reforms upon philological Greek Cypriot teachers' professionalism. The empirical component of the study gathers evidence from a variety of educational professionals, and presents data from a series of focus group interviews with philological class teachers, deputy heads and head teachers as well as from a number of individual interviews with professionals in more senior positions such as inspectors, implementers and teacher trainers. The main rationale for the use of a variety of accounts to investigate philological teachers' understanding of their professionalism as well as their responses to past and future educational reforms rests within the need of the study for data triangulation.An extended literature review focuses on the international arena of debate on professionalism, includes a critical discussion of the impact of managerial and neo-liberal educational reforms upon teachers' professional identities. In addition, global as well as economic, political and cultural factors within the Greek Cypriot context are debated in the light of incoming managerial reforms.The thesis' main argument is that, given the historical, cultural and political tensions facing Greek Cypriot education, as well as future challenges, a managerialist approach would fail to provide the reflective and critical perspective that philological teachers need. Such values are highly important for educating Greek Cypriot citizens about the new European and global realities required for a possible future bi-communal and federal Cypriot state. Hence, this thesis calls for a 'discourse-based' ethics and 'reflexive' approach to professionalism, which is used as an ethical compass for repaying attention to what might be lost from teachers' professional repertoire in the aftermath of such reforms

The role of the law in the professionalisation of paramedicine in Australia

The paramedic discipline has developed over time from its humble beginnings as stretcher bearers and ‘drivers’ to now carrying out high-risk, highly skilled, life-saving interventions. Paramedics in Australia have not traditionally been regulated in the same way as other comparable health practitioners, despite performing similar tasks and playing a unique and essential role in healthcare delivery however they have undertaken a concerted campaign over the past 10 years to change their professional status and have looked to the law to facilitate that transition. This change is now underway. Despite the ambition of the paramedic discipline to be regulated as professionals, there has been relatively little analysis or discussion in the paramedic literature of the effect the discipline believes regulation as a profession will have on shaping the discipline in the future. This study examines how structural and legislative reform of the Australian healthcare workforce has coincided with the Australian paramedic professionalisation project to provide an opportunity for paramedics to gain professional status. It further analyses what the role of law could be in fostering a culture and ethos of professionalism in the discipline. This socio-legal study investigates whether or not paramedics have the characteristics of a profession; how best the law can facilitate their transition to professional status; and why that matters. The analysis utilises a sociological framework informed by the work of sociologist Eliot Freidson in particular to define what a profession is and establish whether paramedicine is a profession according to common criteria. It will map those criteria against the primary piece of Australian legislation that regulates health professionals in Australia, the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 (Qld). The study uses the same analytical framework to compare the Australian legislation to similar legislation in the United Kingdom (UK) where paramedics have been regulated as professionals for over a decade. The study analyses the implications of any significant differences between the two regulatory schemes for the UK and Australian paramedic professionalisation projects

(Re)constructing the model of interpreting professionalism through institutional work : the perceived impact of agencies on interpreters' work practices

The changing British economic climate and the austerity-led contractualism across public services have brought the role of interpreting agencies to the fore. Drawing on conceptual frameworks derived from the sociology of professions, knowledge-based organisations and institutional theory, this study documents the institutional work of a number of interpreter-turned-managers aimed at creating new practices against the corporatisation logic in the field of public service interpreting (PSI). Through closely observing the everyday managerial operations of interpreting work processes, these findings reveal that interpreters’ ‘professional project’ at the local level is carried out through the institutionalisation of their professional jurisdictions and knowledge claims. The micro-tactics employed by frontline managers constitute important forces of resistance against the procurement logic and sharply contrasts against the outcome of senior-level professionalisation strategies. Therefore, this thesis has made the following contributions. Theoretically, it challenges the traditional ‘association-centred approach’ to modelling the trajectory of PSI and highlights the role of commercial agencies in engineering the work practices of interpreters and the formation of organisational professionalism. It argues that agencies have gone beyond the traditional role of an information broker to a key institutional gatekeeper and central arena for inducing field-level change. An alternative hybrid model is proposed in order to reflect that PSI is changing from a technical profession towards a managed profession, in which traditional values are increasingly merged with business principles and market tenets. Empirically, it provides novel insights into the organisation of interpreting services in practice and opens up the unexplored field of interpreting agencies as a fruitful research site. A wider implication of the research is the need to extend the notion of the interpreting workplace beyond the space where communication-mediation tasks are performed, to where interpreting services are planned, organised and managed. Importantly, professional interpreters should be consulted in the procurement process rather than being treated as numbers by mainstream agencies for contract-bidding purpose

(Re)constructing the model of interpreting professionalism through institutional work : the perceived impact of agencies on interpreters' work practices

The changing British economic climate and the austerity-led contractualism across public services have brought the role of interpreting agencies to the fore. Drawing on conceptual frameworks derived from the sociology of professions, knowledge-based organisations and institutional theory, this study documents the institutional work of a number of interpreter-turned-managers aimed at creating new practices against the corporatisation logic in the field of public service interpreting (PSI). Through closely observing the everyday managerial operations of interpreting work processes, these findings reveal that interpreters’ ‘professional project’ at the local level is carried out through the institutionalisation of their professional jurisdictions and knowledge claims. The micro-tactics employed by frontline managers constitute important forces of resistance against the procurement logic and sharply contrasts against the outcome of senior-level professionalisation strategies. Therefore, this thesis has made the following contributions. Theoretically, it challenges the traditional ‘association-centred approach’ to modelling the trajectory of PSI and highlights the role of commercial agencies in engineering the work practices of interpreters and the formation of organisational professionalism. It argues that agencies have gone beyond the traditional role of an information broker to a key institutional gatekeeper and central arena for inducing field-level change. An alternative hybrid model is proposed in order to reflect that PSI is changing from a technical profession towards a managed profession, in which traditional values are increasingly merged with business principles and market tenets. Empirically, it provides novel insights into the organisation of interpreting services in practice and opens up the unexplored field of interpreting agencies as a fruitful research site. A wider implication of the research is the need to extend the notion of the interpreting workplace beyond the space where communication-mediation tasks are performed, to where interpreting services are planned, organised and managed. Importantly, professional interpreters should be consulted in the procurement process rather than being treated as numbers by mainstream agencies for contract-bidding purpose