The positioning of teachers as professional agents in educational policy on digitalisation

This article explores political intentions related to teachers’ professional practice in the realm of digitalisation. By drawing on positioning theory and theoretical perspectives on professional agency, this article explores how teachers are positioned as professional agents in the age of digitalisation. The empirical base consists of 16 Norwegian educational policy documents from 1999 through 2020. 11 teacher positions concerning the teacher in digitalised teaching environments are constructed. These positions are discussed in light of four modes of professional agency. The findings indicate that the Norwegian policy documents predominantly accommodate for agency modes that position teachers as (1) complying with political career programs and policy definitions of the teacher role and (2) accepting of challenges regarding the existing workplace and practice. The article argues that the political intentions for Norwegian teachers, as professional agents capable of utilising digitalisation, therefore are oriented towards collective choices and decisions for the benefit of the collective society or collective professional practice which might limit teacher individuality and hinder the implementation of policy intentions.