The ‘conduct of conduct’ of VET teachers: governmentality and teacher professionalism

Abstract

ABSTRACT Vocational education and training (VET) systems are currently confronted with extensive reforms. Teacher commitment and active participation play an important role in the achievement of policy objectives. Contemporary education reforms therefore seek to shape the conduct of teachers not only through strict regulations but also by subtle and persuasive means. The aim of this paper is to shed light on these indirect forms of governance and to show how they influence the professional behaviour of VET teachers. Foucault’s governmentality perspective is used as an analytical framework for investigating education policies and their impact on teacher professionalism in VET. It allows a systematic exploration of the powerful reform mechanisms that structure teachers’ possible field of action. In the narratives of teachers working in full-time vocational schools in Austria, who face comprehensive reform measures within the scope of the Austrian VET Quality Initiative, the ‘conduct of conduct’ of teachers is exemplified. The analysis suggests that governmental power mechanisms in VET operate ‘at a distance’ and include expertise, professional responsibility and inscription, which shape teachers’ conduct in various ways. In part, teachers integrate these practices and procedures into their professional self-conceptions. At the same time, critique and other forms of resistance are apparent.