The Qatar National Professional Standards for School Leaders: a critical discourse analysis using Habermas’ theory of knowledge constitutive interests

Abstract

Qatar is in the midst of a massive educational reform, Education for a New Era. Influence by neoliberalism, one principle of the reform is the development of a standards-based system including the adoption of the Qatar National Professional Standards for School Leaders. This paper examines Qatar’s professional leadership standards using Habermas’ knowledge constitutive interests (KCIs) as a theoretical framework. The paper places professional standards within the context of neoliberalism and findings provide a deeper understanding of how the KCIs are embedded in the professional standards. An argument is made for using Habermas’ KCIs in the preparation of school leaders.