Theories of staff development: Progress and power

Abstract

This is the second of two papers which together consider a range of theoretical frames for the interpretation of educational and staff development. The first paper (Webb, 1996c) considered origins of the word ‘development’ and some of the problems caused by its association with ideas of growth and evolution. An alternative approach was presented from the tradition of hermeneutics and human understanding. However, the possibilities for human understanding in staff development and teacher‐student relationships are put at risk by power inequalities. In the present paper this point is developed in terms of a critical theory of society, education and staff development and the associated methods of action research. Claims that critical theory and action research offer a progressive path for staff development are discussed. The question of power is then revisited in terms of post‐modernism, and some consequences for educational and staff development when viewed from this standpoint are outlined.