The sacred and the profane: subject sub‐culture, pedagogical practice and teachers' perceptions of the classroom uses of ICT

Abstract

Drawing on extensive interview data with 37 participants across six subject areas (maths, science, English, music, modern foreign languages and geography) this paper explores and explains the extent to which subject teachers and their various epistemic communities or subject sub‐cultures negotiate the relationship between ICT and learning in their subject contexts. The study uses Bernstein's (1996) conception of ‘the sacred and the profane’ as a heuristic to guide the dynamics of the process. Using a content analysis based on grounded themes, the findings show that with extended and supported use ‘transaction spaces’ emerge where subject teachers begin to negotiate with new technologies thus creating new meanings and accommodations. These changes are evolutionary rather than transformatory with the evidence pointing to a ‘new’ blend of technology and subject taking place; a trend that highlights the centrality of pragmatic pedagogy and the importance of the ‘pedagogic dependent ICT resource’.

Acknowledgement

This paper is based on the work of the project ‘InterActive Education: Teaching and Learning in the Information Age’. This was a four‐year research and development project funded from December 2000 until August 2004 by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ref: L139251060) as part of Phase II of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (see http://www.tlrp.org). The project was directed by Rosamund Sutherland (University of Bristol) and co‐directed by Susan Robertson (University of Bristol) and Peter John (University of Plymouth).