The evolution of professionalism - Centre for Policy Studies in ...

describes May 1968 as a “historical event” when the equilibrium of the academic
fi eld in France was broken and the existing lines of fracture were made more visible.
Similarly in the de4velopment of educational policy we are able to determine key
moments when governments change direction. At these moments the structural
forces present before and after the event are more visible and hence more amenable
to analysis. The Klein Revolution is an example of such a critical moment.
Methodology and Design
At the original meeting of the Policy group of researchers, we decided on a
general defi nition of policy and policy research. A general schematic that we thought
useful was to talk about the external and the internal lives of school agents. This
division takes into account both the external and internal social forces and practices
that have an impact on school agents. Again at the original meeting of group, we
decided on a list of sensitizing concepts or themes to guide our investigations. The
list was professionalization and deprofessionalization; the dominance of a politicaleconomic
imperative in the formulation of state educational policy (accountability,
privatization, market, choice, and decentralization); multiculturalism and diversity;
inclusion, and violence and security. While we expected to fi nd evidence of these
themes we also assumed we fi nd evidence of other emergent themes.
This book relies on documentary analysis. In line with our objectives and
stemming from our own theoretical foundations, our project aimed at reconstructing
and rendering sociologically intelligible the divergence in political, ideological,
and socio-educational positions among the major social actors: governments,
government departments, unions, professional associations (administrators,
teachers). Each regional team was responsible for producing a policy narrative for
provinces and territories, using the themes and sensitizing concepts as a guide. In
each province and territory, a case study was developed with a historical policy
overview.
The regional teams approached the whole of its tasks in light of the sociopolitical
and socio-educational context in which the teaching personnel in Canada
is evolving. The collection and analysis of the key documents included the period
from the late 1980s through to 2005. The range of documents included Royal
Commission reports, White and Green Papers, other major reports and policy
documents produced by the key stakeholders, as well as secondary documents
such as pamphlets and newsletters. The documentary data was examined with a
thematic analysis of content based on the various preceding themes. That is, the
policy narratives took into account the regional variations in the positions held
by the major social actors and their evolution in time. Other indicators were also
revealed, through the inductive reading of all the documentary sources.
We extended our analysis to document the differences in the policy-making
process between provinces and territories. In some provinces everything was done
through legislation, often without consultation. In other provinces, legislation
was avoided or used sparingly and the process involved continuous and careful
consultation. We were conscious of both the timing and sheer quantity of legislation
introduced by some governments. The analysis of the policy-making process as
6 Introduction