Journal article
Questions of ‘teacher quality’: problematising myths about education in political discourse
AER, Vol.52, pp.3563-3584
2025
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
The quality of teachers and teacher-education continues to be a contentious focus of political debate internationally. Many have identified predominantly negative discursive representations of educators in politics, perpetuating myths of sub-standard teacher and teacher-educator quality. Much research has investigated the incentives and effects of these prevailing political discourses, but less researched is how such discourses operate and the textual features that characterise them. We employ critical discourse analysis (CDA) to explore some specific textual features that construct teacher quality and initial-teacher-education (ITE) quality as a problem in Australian political texts. Through a micro-level analysis of 14 political speeches, media releases, and debates spanning a ten-year period we identify several recurring presuppositions about teacher ‘quality’. These problematic assumptions include the belief that teacher quality does not meet public expectations, that ITE is inadequate and fails to appropriately select and prepare graduates, and that there is one universal form of ‘best’ teacher and best way to prepare them. We also identify and problematise representations of educators as inept, irresolute parties, dependent upon the guidance of the Government, who is positioned as steadfast and proficient, and perfectly placed to solve the ‘quality problem’. These discursive constructions perpetuate myths surrounding ‘quality’ despite counter-evidence with significant implications for teachers, teacher-educators, and public confidence in the profession.
Details
- Title
- Questions of ‘teacher quality’: problematising myths about education in political discourse
- Authors
- Renee Morrison (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education and Tertiary AccessKairen Call - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education and Tertiary AccessErin Siostrom - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education and Tertiary AccessDeborah Heck - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education and Tertiary AccessRachael Dwyer - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education and Tertiary Access
- Publication details
- AER, Vol.52, pp.3563-3584
- Publisher
- Springer Dordrecht
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1007/s13384-025-00867-9
- ISSN
- 2210-5328
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Organisation Unit
- Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; School of Education and Tertiary Access; STEM in Education Research Theme
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991140390302621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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