https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8396-2747
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ABSTRACT
The on-the-job collaborative discourse of teachers is said to offer promising insights into the implicit processes of teacher learning and socialisation (Lefstein et al. Citation2020). Building on existing theory and research, this article examines diagnostic frame disputes in teachers’ discussions that involve the negotiation of contradictions between external expectations and teachers’ own frames of reference. This phenomenon is illustrated using two purposively-sampled vignettes, drawn from video data generated in two Malaysian secondary schools in 2019. In both vignettes, teachers work to reconcile the discrepancies between how student learning problems are framed by external accountability measures, as well as how the teachers interpret those problems locally, leading to disputes about how to frame those problems. The analysis presents an empirical illustration of how teachers negotiate situated meaning, shedding light on how they interpret and respond to accountability pressures on their practice. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to acknowledge the candour and hospitality of the study’s participants, as well as the input and guidance given by the author’s PhD supervisor, resulting in successful completion of the thesis which this paper builds on. The author also records appreciation to the editors and reviewers for their constructive feedback. The study would not have been possible without the financial support by Yayasan Khazanah and the Cambridge Trust for PhD studies, and the Tunku Abdul Rahman Fund at St Catharine’s College for fieldwork expenses.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.