Reconstructions of Nordic Teachers: Reform policies and teachers' work during the 1990s

Abstract This article deals with the question of how the restructuring of educational systems in Nordic countries affects teachers' working conditions. It is based on results from the project "Restructuring in Education: Reform policy and teacher professionalism in different Nordic contexts" in which the construction of the "New Teacher" in Nordic countries was described and analyzed. In the paper we will relate the results from an analysis of steering and policy documents to an analysis of teacher interviews concerning how they experienced the changes during the 1990s. According to several scholars in the field, the consequence of restructuring has been a growing instrumentalism. Teaching is said to be increasingly managerial in nature, both as teachers are managed and, in turn, themselves manage others. This is, however, more a traditionalist than an obvious argument. Our ambition has been to qualify the discussion by more sensitive and nuanced descriptions of how restructuring affects teachers' work. Keywords: Curriculum reformsNordic teachersProfessional spaceRestructuringTeachers' work Notes 1. The project was organised as a collaborative research project between four senior researchers from Nordic countries and was funded by the Joint committee of Nordic Social Science Research Councils (NOS‐S). It lasted for a period of three years. For information about the project see Klette et al. (Citation2000) and Klette et al. (2002). 2. The comparisons were based on case descriptions and more systematic comparisons of steering documents and teacher interviews in each country. As examples of steeering documents, see, for example, Note 8. 3. This does not mean that we see teachers as obedient servants of the state, implementing whatever the state level decides. 4. In educational research, school reforms have often been treated as a starting point for school development and, as a consequence, what is happening in schools is seen as an implementation process. We prefer to see reforms just as much as responses to social changes as starting points for changes. 5. Hargreaves (Citation1994, p. 24) proclaims, however, that it implies modern and premodern solutions to postmodern problems. 6. There are different ways to characterise this phase, such as reflexive modernity, post‐modernity, high‐modernity or second‐modernity. To avoid the discussion of whether this phase means the end of modernity or modernity coming to its peak or something else, we want to use what we consider a more neutral designation, namely "late modernity". By this term we simply refer to highly differentiated and complex modern societies. 7. For the case of Norway our analyses were based on the 1997 Curriculum plan. A new national curriculum "Kunnskapsl⊘ftet" Knowledge Promotion was, however, launched in 2006/2007 giving a larger space to the professionals to define knowledge areas as well as teaching methods. 8. Curricula documents in the respective countries: Denmark (1994): "Aims and central knowledge and proficiency areas", which must be followed. Denmark (1995): "Curriculum Guidelines", which the schools may follow if they do not choose to make their own local curriculum. Finland (1994): "Framework Curriculum for basic education". Finland (1999): "The criteria for graduating evaluation in the basic education". Norway (1996): "National Curriculum for 10 years' compulsory schooling". Sweden (1994): "National Curriculum for compulsory schooling". Sweden (1996): "Syllabuses and grading criteria". 9. The responsibility is on the municipality, but, as a consequence, teachers seem to "take over" this responsibility. There has been quite a lot of worry that teachers, as a result, will lower the demands for passing, although that does not seem to be the case. 10. Ongoing analyses of restructruring efforts reflects of course prior history, national context and political situation in the respective countries analysed.The global discourse tends, however, to be held on a general level indicating that restructuring mechanisms have the same implications all over the world (see, for example, Ball, Citation2000).