Social-political Arrangements Research Articles

Pedagogical Leadership in Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care through the Lens of Practice Architectures

This research examines how practice architectures, i.e., cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social-political arrangements both enable and constrain the pedagogical leadership practice of early child-hood education (ECE) center directors (N = 3). The data were collected by a qualitative shadowing method and analyzed deductively using the theory of practice architectures. The findings revealed that social- political arrangements were fundamental for directing pedagogical leadership practice, affecting both material- economic and cultural-discursive arrangements. The social- political arrangements of pedagog-ical leadership were grounded in the municipality’s organizational structure; in turn, this structure organ-ized daily pedagogical leadership practices. Social-political arrangements were narrated as the directors emphasized the importance of national guidelines, legislation, and implementation of the national and local curricula. These were related to the material-economic arrangements because they required organizing time for discussion and further training of personnel. The national guidelines combined material-economic and social-political aspects as well as cultural-discursive arrangements in leadership practice, as pedagog-ical development aligned with legislation and national curriculum demands in a wide range of leadership functions in ECE centers. The essence of pedagogical leadership practice was the focal point of joint dis-cussions regarding pedagogy and the implementation of curriculum in the ECE centers. Most significantly, the quality of these discussions could enable or constrain pedagogical leadership and were influenced by cultural-discursive arrangements and leadership philosophy of the center directors alike.

Case Study in Practice Architecture

This paper investigates a trajectory of forty years of evolving practices in grassroots community development in southwestern Ontario. We present it as a case study that yields fresh perspectives in socially transformative ways of knowing and discovering. In doing so, we aim to elucidate traditions in adult education and social transformation that have ‘flown under the radar.’ Our analysis is based on hermeneutic analysis of written sources. Taking a practice theory perspective, we explore the practice architectures, i.e. the cultural-discursive arrangements, material-economic arrangements, as well as social-political arrangements that enable or constrain the learning of and participation in particular practices that contribute to social innovation. Our findings suggest that the application of a practice theory framework to the complex and often unarticulated work of community development aids in bringing to light the creative ways in which the associated practices emerge, get shaped and acquired. We will conclude by discussing implications for adult learning and community development.

"I can't pose a whole heap of questions that I know I don't have time to follow up"-Exploring perceptions of an adolescent transition program.

Adolescent transition programs are patient education programs. They are geared towards enabling adolescents with chronic or long-term illnesses to become active partners in their health care and manage their own health. Although there is agreement about their importance, there is not an agreement on content or how they should be delivered. The study reported here was part of the first steps of an action research project. Our aim was to explore how health professionals understand the program at our hospital, and their opinions of its implementation. This would advance our knowledge of the practice of the program to support its development. We conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 18 physicians and nurses. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. In our discussion of the generated data, we use the theory of practice architectures as a lens. We generated four themes through the analysis, namely "We are (back) at scratch", "Time is always an issue", "Getting them ready for what is to come-transition as a synonym to transfer" and "Raising topics that go beyond medical issues". Changes to a practice requires changes to the practice architectures. Practice architectures can both enable and constrain a practice. Our analysis suggests a need for a more unified perception of the program goals, the cultural-discursive arrangements. Health professionals see time as a significant barrier to implementation and changes to the material-economic arrangements are particularly called for, i.e., more time, space and staff to practice the program. These also tie into the social-political arrangements of the program. There are arrangements in the practice architecture that currently seem to constrain the practice of the program. The practice is currently fragmented both within and across subspecialties. Efforts should be made to establish a more shared understanding of the program among health professionals. Furthermore, we should investigate how the practice of the program can be better supported.

Middle leaders in higher education: the role of social-political arrangements in prefiguring practices of middle leading

ABSTRACT Middle leadership is an area of increasing interest in higher education with little research to date exploring middle leading from the perspective of function or discipline leadership roles within Departments. This article uses a case study of twelve middle leaders within a university faculty in Australia to examine the broader contexts of middle leading practices. Using the theory of practice architectures as a theoretical tool, the article discusses practice arrangements enabling and constraining middle leading for discipline leaders and coordinators. Of particular interest is the important role of social-political arrangements in enabling and constraining middle leading practices and the tensions that arise. Given the critical strategic role of middle leaders in leading teaching and learning in universities, this article provides a deeper understanding of the practice landscape within which middle leading practices happen and factors influencing the middle leader’s role so that universities can provide appropriate support and development.

Försök till transspråkande undervisning

Today many classrooms in Sweden are multilingual, characterized by a diversity of linguistic, cultural and epistemological resources available for teaching and learning. Handling this diversity puts certain demands on teachers in order to provide all students equal learning opportunities in a context where the language of instruction is Swedish. As a response to this, local school development projects based on multilingualism as a resource have been initiated. This study focuses on two such projects with the aim to deepen the knowledge about how translanguaging teaching practices can be developed. To make visible what characterizes as well as enable and constrain translanguaging teaching practices under development, the theory of practice architectures is used. Three different practices are identified The Multilingual, The Ambivalent multilingual and The Monolingual teaching practice. The practices are formed by differing cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements. Above all, cultural-discursive arrangements such as norms and ideas affect the differences between the three practices. Existing norms and ideas affect how material and economic resources, mostly identic in all three practices, are used. Furthermore, monolinguistic norms seem to form hierarchical relations. Thus, we argue to develop translanguaging practices multilingual norms are important to develop.

Understanding ESL Preservice Teachers’ Metaphorical Epistemology in the Teaching Practicum Context

This study examined twenty English as Second Language (ESL) preservice teachers’ learning-to-teach experiences amid the teaching practicums from the perspectives of social realist theory and practice architectures in the US. Through iterative discourse analysis and constant-comparative approach, this paper reveals four aspects of the participants’ metaphorical epistemology. First, the participants developed the constructivist metaphorical epistemology on ESL teaching by grappling with the emergent properties and practice architectures. Second, the participants’ metaphorical epistemology changed from pre-reflection and surface reflection to pedagogical reflection. Third, the participants modeled the reflective disposition by activating their personal emergent properties and tackling the social-political arrangements. Fourth, the participants’ metaphorical epistemology predominantly focuses on their pedagogical reasoning and negotiation of their multiple professional identities. Implications for facilitating ESL preservice teachers’ metaphorical epistemologies in the teaching practicum context are discussed.

Exploring early career physical education teachers’ professional identity construction in rural China: insights from socio-ecological perspective and practice architectures theory

ABSTRACT This qualitative study explored 15 early career physical education (PE) teachers’ professional identity construction from rural China. Identity was shown as a multifaceted, context-specific, and dynamic social-cultural phenomenon. From a socio-ecological standpoint, this research demonstrated that early career rural Chinese PE teachers’ professional identity construction was shaped by the interplay between family backgrounds, Chinese Confucian cultural tradition, physicality, schooling experiences, workplace contexts, and the PE core competency curriculum policy. From the perspective of practice architecture, the professional identity construction encompassed their cultural-discursive arrangements (sayings), material-economic arrangements (doings), and social-political arrangements (relating). PE teachers’ professional identity may be facilitated by school administrators and education policymakers’ support.

'Making room for student autonomy' - an ethnographic study of student participation in clinical work.

Participation in clinical work is important for medical students' professional development. However, students often report that they experience a passive observer role, and further research on contextual factors that influence student participation is needed. The theory of practice architectures contributes a new perspective to this challenge by elucidating how cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social-political arrangements enable and constrain student participation in clinical work. Theaim of this studywasto explore how practice architectures in clinical learning environments enable and constrain medical students' participation. The study was designed as anethnographic field study in three student clinics: 106h of observation. Analysis comprisedethnographic analysis followed byapplication of the theory of practice architectures. The ethnographic analysis resulted in six themes: setting the scene, when to call for help, my room - my patient, getting in a routine, I know something you don't, and my work is needed. Applying the theory of practice architectures showed that material-economic arrangements, such as control of the consultation room and essential artefacts, were crucial to student participation and position in the clinical workplace. Furthermore, co-production of a student mandate to independently perform certain parts of a consultation enabled a co-productive student position in the hierarchy of care-producers. The findings offer a conceptually generalisable model for the study of material and social dimensions of clinical learning environments. Although not all clinical learning environments may wish to or have the resources to implement a student clinic, the findings offer insights into general issues about the arrangements of student participation relevant to most clinical teaching contexts.

Assessing Educating for Gross National Happiness Applying the Theory of Practice Architectures

Gross National Happiness (GNH) is a central policy, symbolic of Bhutan, which gave rise to Educating for GNH (EGNH). In Bhutan, the school Performance Management System is the sole instrument used by the Ministry of Education to evaluate the performance of schools. To test the utility of the Performance Management System in fulfilling the intended goals of EGNH, two of its key subcomponents—the School Self-Assessment and School Performance Scorecards—were assessed through the lens of the theory of practice architectures. The theory describes what comprises social practices and how they are shaped by the social, cultural and political contexts in which they occur. Content analysis was carried out using Leximancer text-mining software. The findings showed that the sayings and relatings and their corresponding cultural-discursive and social-political arrangements were not as evident in the School Self-Assessment indicators as the doings and material-economic arrangements. The findings also indicated that both the School Self-Assessment’s and the School Performance Scorecards’ indicators focus more on assessing leadership than teaching. The authors present several suggestions to ensure a closer alignment with the goals of EGNH, to demonstrate a balanced focus on assessing teaching and leadership, and to represent all practice architectures proportionately. Implications of this study should inform the policy and practices of Educating for GNH values in Bhutanese schools. The methods of the study could be adapted to examine educational practices beyond those of Bhutan.

Leading change of practice: a study of challenges and possibilities from the position of preschool management

ABSTRACT This article explores the conditions required for preschool managers to support change through research aimed at developing educational practice. It examines factors that enable and constrain support of change and the arrangements that can be identified in relation to these factors. The results suggest that arrangements that support a more technical and accountable form of practice constrain managers’ capacity to support research aiming to change practice. However, the findings also show thatmanagers do have possibilities to support such research. One key factor is whether the research is in line with their goals and efforts. Another is whether they have trust in the researchers and the educators implementing the change. The results also indicate that one way for leaders to enable change is by creating meaningful spaces for sharing experiences and developing practices. This involves the reframing of leadership practices into a more democratic and collaborative approach, and implies that cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social-political arrangements are needed to support such approach. Hence, for research projects aimed at changing educational practice, it is necessary to identify the specific arrangements connected to that practice. This is especially important in times when practice-based research is promoted as a way to attain educational goals.

Popular education by and for migrants. A study of preconditions for involvement of migrant study circle participants in the Swedish Workers’ Educational Association

ABSTRACT This article explores the role of popular education for migrants in a social movement context. The aim of this study is to explore how migrants’ societal involvement is enabled and constrained by participation in study circles organised in a local branch of the Swedish Workers’ Educational Association (ABF). The study was designed and conducted in close cooperation with ABF. Drawing on the theory of practice architectures, the preconditions for involvement of migrant study circle participants in ABF are analysed using participant interview data. The analysis of cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social-political arrangements shows how the study circles are highly integrated into various ethnic associations, thus preconditioning societal involvement with upholding an ethno-cultural heritage. Societal involvement is enabled as the participants can share social resources, information, and knowledge for both navigating in and relating to the local community and society at large. Societal involvement is constrained by scarce resources and challenges related to maintaining and developing constructive relationships, both within the group and in relation to the surrounding society.

Towards praxis: A practice architecture analysis of the work-integrated learning placement experiences of three Australian engineering students

ABSTRACT Australian universities have a remit to produce work-ready graduates and engage students from equity groups. In engineering education, accredited Australian programs commonly respond to Engineers Australia’s required engagement with professional practice by mandating completion of a specified number of hours in work-integrated learning (WIL) placements as a graduation requirement. Placements are frequently self-sourced, under/unpaid, full-time and available at set times. These conditions, largely beyond students’ control, limit options for students supporting themselves through paid work and for students with family commitments. In an investigation framed by the theory of practice architectures, we addressed the question: What are the institutional preconditions shaping WIL placement practices that enable and constrain particular students’ access to, experience in, and leverage of professional learning at work for their future careers? Our analysis of three individual student interviews identified key student practices—applying for, doing, and leveraging placements—that are enabled and constrained by material-economic arrangements in family, university and work life, cultural-discursive arrangements in career development activities and social-political arrangements in personal and engineering networks. Identifying this architecture of practices is an important step towards an equitable transformation of WIL engineering placements.

Leadership in the built spaces of innovative learning environments: leading change in people and practices in the perfectly self-managing society

ABSTRACT This article illustrates how schooling Innovative Learning Environments (ILE) deploy a future-focused imaginary for a perfectly self-managing society. New building design, coupled with this imaginary, creates possibilities for new ecologies of practices in which there are reframed relationships and pedagogical opportunities. We use the theory of practice architectures to demonstrate how practices in ILE are shaped through discourses, workplace activities, and power relations. We report data from a qualitative case study investigating the implementation of ILE in Aotearoa New Zealand. Interviews were conducted with four principals leading pedagogical transitions in newly built ILE. Data were categorised to explore changes in the cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social-political arrangements of the built spaces in which educators work and students learn. The data paint a vision of a ‘perfectly self-managing society’ where learners and teachers enact subjectivities immersed in pastoral forms of control. There is manufactured uncertainty (where technical solutions are constantly called for to ensure ‘progress’) and this ongoing variation and change destabilise prior practices. This article has relevance to those who work in contexts beyond education – where built spaces and the associated discourses of collaboration, agility and flexibility are elements of transitions to a new imaginary in the workplace.

A professional development practice to enhance principals' instructional leadership – enabling and constraining arrangements

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to increase the knowledge of principals' professional development (PD) by focusing on the arrangements that shape a PD practice initiated to enhance principals' instructional leadership.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on findings from a three-year PD initiative in a Swedish school district. The data consist of field notes and semi-structured interviews with principals and managers. Theoretically, the paper takes its starting point in the theory of practice architectures and the cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements that shape practices.FindingsPractices for principals' PD require a fine balance to prevent the perception of hierarchical control. Designated time, common artifacts and external expertise are arrangements of practice that enable principals' PD. High expectations and relations between principals and managers both enable and constrain principals' PD. As trustful relations are of particular importance, the implication for managers and others organizing for principals' PD is to make sure that collaborative work settings also become a natural way of working for principals. As building relations takes time, a longer time perspective is also recommended.Practical implicationsThe findings have practical implications for educational leaders responsible for organizing PD practices for principals in any context.Originality/valueThis paper adopts a practice theory approach to its study of principals' PD and provide an elaborated illustration of arrangements that enable and constrain principals' PD in collegial settings.

“That’s your right as a human isn’t it?” The emergence and development of leading as a socially-just practice in early childhood education

This article reports on an Australian study of the emergence and development of leadership that supports children’s rights and their access to high-quality early childhood education (ECE). The qualitative study contributes to a growing body of research on ECE leadership practice; specifically, the area of site-based leadership cultivation and development. Complexity leadership theory was used to situate leadership within the Australian ECE context; accounting for the competing purposes of high-quality education programs and for the complex array of practices required for leadership to be effective. Additionally, the theory of practice architectures was employed as an analytical tool. The theory of practice architectures helped to identify socially-just leadership practices that uphold children’s rights, and to understand the organisational arrangements that enabled and constrained those practices within each site. Study findings illuminate how leadership can be cultivated and developed in ECE. As a result of the study, organisations are encouraged to create the cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements that shape leadership within ECE sites. The paper argues for the development of ECE leadership as a socially-just practice, that upholds the rights of children and their access to high-quality early childhood education.

The Practice Architectures that Enable and Constrain Educators’ Risk-Taking Practices in High Quality Early Childhood Education

Purposeful and considered risk-taking can be an important aspect of early childhood education professional practice. Educator risk-taking can contribute towards the quality of education programs. Recent research shows that educators in high quality early childhood education services take a range of risks in their professional practice; yet we do not fully understand the conditions that make early childhood educator’s risk-taking possible. This lack of knowledge potentially inhibits early childhood educators from taking the kinds of risks that support high quality early childhood education. This article examines a qualitative case study that investigated the conditions within three high quality early childhood education settings that enabled and constrained educators’ risk-taking. By using the theory of practice architectures, we identify a range of cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements that worked together to create the conditions for educators in the study to take risks in their professional practice. Through analysis of observations, interviews and documents, arrangements found within, and brought to, the participating services included a service philosophy that recognises the value of risk-taking, particular types of professional development, and trusting relationships between educators, educators and leaders, and educators and families. Findings from this study have implications for the early childhood sector and individual services in reviewing the arrangements that enable and constrain educators in taking the kinds of risks that contribute towards high quality early childhood education.

Leadership emergence and development: Organizations shaping leading in early childhood education

Early childhood education (ECE) effects positive outcomes for children, but outcomes depend upon the quality of the program with which children engage. Program quality is positively influenced by effective leadership; yet we do not fully understand how effective leadership emerges and develops within ECE sites. This lack of knowledge potentially compromises the development of effective leadership and, subsequently, a child’s right to high-quality ECE. This paper, therefore, contributes to the field of research on ECE leadership development by describing a qualitative Australian study that investigated leadership cultivation. The mini-ethnographic case study examined the emergence and development of leadership in three high-quality, diversely governed ECE settings. Findings of the study suggest the practice of leading is foundational for positional leadership roles and is enabled by the practice architectures of an organization. Practice architectures comprise cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements. Arrangements, found within organizations, included cultures of trust, use of professional knowledge and language, collaborative development of philosophy, democratic allocation of resources, sharing of power and openness to activism, disruption and creativity. Such arrangements play an important role in the emergence and development of leading and therefore offer organizations alternative ways to consider leadership cultivation.

Teacher professional learning under audit: reconfiguring practice in an age of standards

ABSTRACT One of the key tenets of the global education reform movement, professional standards for teachers have reshaped different aspects of teachers’ work and learning in many contexts internationally over the past two decades. This paper explores the consequences of neoliberalism for teacher professional learning in contemporary times. The policies and processes built up around teacher professional development and learning as a consequence of contemporary regimes of standards and their dominant conceptualisation of teacher professionalism, constitute particular cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements that frame the practice of teacher professional learning. These in turn give rise to some possibilities of practice while limiting others, effectively creating the space within which what counts as 'authentic professional learning' can be enacted. A case study of the interplay between professional standards and professional learning in the jurisdiction of New South Wales, Australia, is presented, via an analysis of publicly available texts generated by the NSW Education Standards Authority explicitly related to teacher professional learning and development. The paper argues that the practice architectures of professional learning in an age of standards work to support instrumental forms of professional learning while constraining the possibility of more authentic or generative forms of professional learning and consequently, teacher professionalism.

What novice vocational education and training teachers learn in the teaching workplace

ABSTRACT Vocational Education and Training (VET) teachers often begin teaching with limited or no teaching qualifications, and necessarily much of their learning to be a teacher takes place in the teaching workplace. This paper considers what novice VET teachers learn in the workplace and what enables and constrains that learning. We argue that teachers learn to undertake their teaching role primarily in the same way as others in their teaching department undertake the role. The paper introduces the concept of three different groups of VET teachers whose learning is enabled and constrained in different ways: fringe teachers; favela teachers; and those who have an employment contract or are permanently employed. Using the theory of practice architectures, we show that teacher learning in the workplace is impacted by various site based conditions: including material arrangements; arrangements related to the use of VET language and of industry related language; and social-political arrangements.

Newly Qualified Teachers’ Understandings of Research-based Teacher Education Practices−Two Cases From Finland and Norway

ABSTRACT This study examines newly qualified teachers’ (NQTs) understandings of research-based teacher education practices by looking at two cases in Finland and Norway. The NQTs were interviewed after they had finished their master’s degrees and before they started their careers. The results of the individual semistructured interviews and a thematic analysis revealed a weak connection between research-based knowledge gained from initial teacher education (ITE) and the teachers’ professional work. The Finnish NQTs were highly research oriented, while the Norwegian NQTs focused on teachers’ development of their daily work. The results are discussed in relation to the theory of practice architectures, as well as how cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements enable and constrain different kinds of research-based ITE practices in both countries.