An analysis of the representation of teachers in the British press, 1990-2000

• Main Author: Zemke, Emily Jayne
• Published: University of Warwick 2007
• Subjects: 371.1; LB Theory and practice of education
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.445517

This thesis describes an analysis of the representations of teachers in the British press during the 1990s. The research topic was a matter of personal interest to the researcher but an extensive review of educational literature revealed it to also have potential theoretical value. Analysis of the literature showed that these representations could be described conceptually according to the position of teachers' characteristics within two continua: one relating to commonality and contradiction, the other to continuity and change. These continua were used to predict the potential theoretical value of this study and to form the basis of four research questions. The study involved an empirical examination of 900 newspapers using a modified version of grounded theory. The rationale for this approach was based on precedents set by philosophy on the nature of meaning and studies on the process of communication. The examination yielded findings in the form of eight key concepts for the teacher, namely: the employee, symbol, service provider, intermediary, school functionary, classroom practitioner, source and person. The continua were applied to these findings and re-defined so as to contribute to theory. Using the continua, a comparison was drawn between the representation of teachers in the press and the literature. The comparative analysis revealed ways for research to develop a more comprehensive and sophisticated understanding of how the teacher is represented in different cultural contexts, mediums and tirneframes. Using different foci and emphases research could build on the contributions made by this study. The methodology was evaluated, raising suggestions for using modified grounded theory in further research on the representation of teachers.