Nostalgia in the narratives of vocational teachers as a way of understanding responses to change

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on nostalgia in the narratives of vocational teachers. The aim is to understand the role of nostalgia as a mechanism for adapting to or resisting educational change. The paper is based on the secondary analysis of semi-structured interviews with 30 Estonian vocational teachers. In the teachers’ narratives, the nostalgia for the former vocational education system, which provided more autonomy and empowerment for teachers in their work, was overlaid with the nostalgia for a society with more stable family and work-life patterns and trusting attitudes towards vocational teachers. Although there were examples where the nostalgic narratives were strategically used to legitimize resistance to change, in most cases, nostalgia tends to serve as the mechanism for making sense of the educational changes teachers have been faced with. Nostalgia also contributes to making sense of oneself as a teacher in a new situation and collective identity building. It is argued in the paper that we should acknowledge the positive functions of nostalgia and create support mechanisms to facilitate sense-making and critical reflection upon the changes for teachers. Nostalgia should be recognized as a productive force indicating the contradictions in present reforms and practices and opening up new directions.

KEYWORDS:

• Educational change
• educational reform
• narratives
• nostalgia
• vocational teachers

Acknowledgments

This article is part of the national research project IUT18-2 “Teachers’ professionality and professionalism in changing context (1.01.2014–31.12.2019)”, supported by the Estonian Research Council.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The Phare programme is a pre-accession instrument financed by the European Union to assist the applicant countries of Central and Eastern Europe in their preparations for joining the European Union.

2. One of the prestigious senior secondary schools in Tallinn, capital of Estonia.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Estonian Research Council [IUT18-2].

Notes on contributors

Meril Ümarik

Meril Ümarik (PhD in Sociology) is working as an Associate Professor in educational research and a Senior Research Fellow at the School of Educational Sciences at Tallinn University. Her research interests involve educational reforms and adoption of reform policies in vocational education and training (VET), vocational teachers’ professionalism, gender segregation in VET, etc. Her methodological expertise lies in qualitative research methods. https://www.etis.ee/Portal/Persons/Display/abf2c96b-548e-4989-9d6d-1e51499d5d27?lang=ENG

Ivor F. Goodson

Ivor F. Goodson has worked in universities in Europe, Canada and the USA and held visiting positions in many countries. Ivor Goodson is currently Professor of Learning Theory at the Education Research Centre, the University of Brighton, UK and International Research Professor at the University of Tallinn, Estonia. Professor Goodson has spent the last 30 years researching, thinking and writing about some of the key and enduring issues in education and has contributed over 50 books and 600 articles to the field. Life history and narrative research specializations represent a particular area of competence as does his research on teacher’s lives and careers and teacher professionalism. http://www.ivorgoodson.com