How does the new emphasis on managerialism in education redefine teacher professionalism? A case study in Guangdong Province of China

Abstract

China, the same as her Western counterpart countries, has been experiencing educational decentralization over the last two decades. Such a policy shift, however, brings with it issues of “managerialism”, “accountability” and “competition”, all of which are becoming part of the common language in the educational lexicon. These newly imposed strictures have been theorized to influence teachers' daily practice in certain ways and also their views about their roles and responsibilities. It is said teachers have had to redefine their professionalism due to the invasion of this “audit culture” in education. However, research on this particular area has not devoted significant attention to the voices of teachers. This paper uses interview data from 75 teachers in Guangdong Province of China to find out whether policy changes have necessitated teachers to develop strategies to cope with new educational demands and challenges.