Creating Catch 22: zooming in and zooming out on the discursive constructions of teachers in a news article

Abstract

The media regularly present negative news articles about teachers and teaching. This paper focuses particularly on one such news article. Using reflective analytic practices, first we zoom in to conduct a detailed analysis of the text. We find that complex and contradictory moral categories of teachers are assembled within and through the text. We then zoom out to consider the potentially detrimental effects of such public discourses on teachers and the teaching profession. We make visible the dominant discourses in this text, illuminating some of the societal issues and practices that are textually constituted within this and other news articles about teachers. We provide evidence of a public discourse that might be contributing towards continuing concerns and negative public opinion regarding teacher quality and schooling standards. We argue that such news articles may well work to influence public opinion regarding declining teacher quality and standards, and views of public schools as being in crisis, creating moral panic.

Keywords:

• textual analysis
• teachers
• media
• reflective practice
• public discourses

Notes

1. Anzac Day is a public holiday in Australia and New Zealand, commemorating the troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps that took part in the two World Wars.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jayne Keogh

This manuscript was accepted by Young Chun Kim, QSE's regional editor for Asia, in November 2010.