Socially Constructed Teacher Professionalism: An Historical Analysis of Teacher Education Reform Policies of Canadian Case

Qiguang Yang,Chunjie Zhu

doi:10.5539/ies.v14n3p1

Abstract

Employing comparative historical method, this study provides an account of reforms and policies in teacher education from 1970s to the present in Alberta, Canada. In particular, this article tracks how teacher professionalism has been conceptualized and enacts over different historical periods in Alberta, and reveals that teacher professionalism, as a socially constructed concept, has taken on different interpretations from “de-professionalism” to “re-professionalism” in Canada historical contexts. Alberta’s teacher education policy has been usually used as a dynamic instrument to shape the paradigms of the concept of teacher professionalism. This analysis has also supported the claim that government-led teacher education reform has been accorded the key political significance in Canada. As a whole, the teacher education reform in Alberta area provides a useful concrete understanding and offers international lessons outside of Canada in how historical context influences the reform of teacher professional development.

Highlights

In the past several decades, education has become the primary reform topic in many countries, with serious international or regional competition in the era of globalization
Based on materials collected from Alberta provincial policy documents on teacher education reform in Canada, this study examines different historical periods of teacher education reform in Alberta and traces the evolution of the concept of teacher professionalism and strategies for teacher professional development in Canadian historical contexts
According to the historical document analysis, the core concept of “teacher professionalism” related to teacher reform policies in Alberta has been redefined by educationalists and reformers

Summary

Introduction

In the past several decades, education has become the primary reform topic in many countries, with serious international or regional competition in the era of globalization. In this process, the most important role belongs to teachers (Barış & Hasan, 2019). According to the social and economic development and the practical problems of education, different countries and regions have great differences in educational policies to promote teacher professionalization. In this way, why are the concepts and systems of teacher professionalism different in the perspective of global comparison? Why are the concepts and systems of teacher professionalism different in the perspective of global comparison? How is a country's or region's teacher professional development policy influenced by international educational ideas and other national policies? The historical review of these issues will help us to explore the institutional factors (especially political model of teacher education governance) that affect the improvement of teachers' quality from the comparison of global education policies and find a more effective practice path to promote teachers' professional development

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion