In the remaining chapters I move towards a more radical conception of role model processes, developing the themes discussed in this introduction.
In Chapter 2, I describe the theoretical framework and rationale for the research inquiry. The key theoretical ideas are drawn predominantly from the work of Michel Foucault. In addition, feminist poststructural and Black feminist theorists provide an analytical frame for the research. I argue that the critical utility of poststructural theory lies in its analytical capacity to explore the relationship between discourse, knowledge and power. A Foucauldian interpretation of power relations is a useful tool to understand the interplay between various groups – for example, pupils, community members, colleagues – when B.E.M. teachers engage in their discursive work, including pedagogy. I discuss the role model concept and role modelling processes in relation to my key ideas and definitions.
The literature review in Chapter 3 consists of three sections. First I examine various interpretations of the role model concept, specifically within the fields of management studies, organisational studies and education theory. I review literature on the ‘teacher as role model’ debate. Most of the studies critique the binary of ‘masculinity’ and ‘femininity’ but with limited suggestions for how these issues might be addressed in schools and without giving attention to what the implications might be for B.E.M. teachers. The second section is a review of research studies on B.E.M. teachers’ experiences in school, with specific reference to the UK context. The main areas reviewed relate to institutional racism, career development and acculturation processes. In the third section, I argue for an alternative conceptualisation of the ‘B.E.M. teacher role model’ that considers social conditions and their enabling and constraining features.
In Chapter 4, I outline my methodological journey and positioning within the research design. An overarching goal of the research is to understand the construction of ‘B.E.M. role model’ teachers as social texts (or discursive formations). A methodological approach guided by poststructural principles is developed to understand how discourses produce different speaking positions through talk, constituting the teachers’ identities. The teachers’ accounts are read as text; the analytic units are critical events describing their role model relationships.
The empirical data are obtained from in-depth semi-structured interviews (and follow-up interviews) with seven teachers. I include details of the selection process, information about the participants, ethical protocols, and pertinent issues affecting the research design. I conclude with an explanation of how I applied Foucauldian Discourse Analysis to the data.
Chapters 5, 6 and 7 are the empirical chapters. In Chapter 5, I introduce my conceptual framework of ‘shared discursive history’ to describe the dynamic social interactions that characterise the role model relationships between B.E.M. teachers and pupils. Shared discursive history describes both the types of power relations formed and the factors that support and inhibit their maintenance. I elaborate on how the three dimensions of shared discursive history are applied to interpret the teachers’ narratives. Sharing marginality refers to the empathetic relations the teachers form, which I argue are premised on an understanding of their shared marginalised positioning and experiences of epistemic crises. Identification refers to teachers’ notions of role models and how they signify these to B.E.M. pupils. In subsequent chapters I examine how the teachers perform their role, and the counter- narratives they generate. The third dimension is the teachers’ deployment as a pedagogical resource. Within this, I examine the impact of a performance culture in schools and how they reconcile educational and professional imperatives. In this chapter, I discuss generic themes arising from the teachers’ narratives. In the subsequent empirical chapters, I develop ‘shared discursive history’ by analysing differences between the male and female teachers’ enactment of their roles.
Chapter 6 begins with the three male participants’ ‘his-stories’; their narratives are predominantly focused on cultural belonging. I argue that the male teachers attach greater significance to cultural expectations and the concomitant behaviours than their female counterparts. Forms exclusionary practice describes how they relate with B.E.M. pupils, however at times such organising principles of engagement produce unexpected conflict. I argue the male teachers perform as role models in ways premised on developing pupils’ criticality and discernment about the cultural representation of B.E.M. people. The male teachers perform their role by alerting pupils to ingrained assumptions and questioning the beliefs they hold about what in their culture constitutes acting ‘manly’. The final section on the deployment of cultural resources examines how one teacher’s understanding of youth culture is
deployed to enable inter-textual readings of masculinity.
Chapter 7 explores the female teachers’ narratives. A notable difference is that the women draw closely on critical events in their ‘her-stories’ to illustrate the influence of these incidents. A common theme in their narratives is their individualised resilience to regulatory forces. They promote self-reliant learner identities rather than adherence to the collectivist perspectives of belonging that influence the male teachers. The female teachers perform their role based on an ‘ethic of care’ (Collins, 1990) where they focus on pupils’ potential and promoting their self-determination. The female teachers’ deployment as a cultural resource is examined in terms of shared language registers, which I argue promote informal teacher-pupil bonding. The final section is a summation of the analysis chapters, here I draw together the key findings from Chapters 5, 6 and 7.
Finally, Chapter 8 is the conclusion. In this I draw out the study’s original contribution, calling for a reframing of the debate around role models. The teachers’ resistance to disciplinary power is revisited to argue that the teachers prepare pupils’ resistance in several ways. Role model teachers create moments for pupils to engage in critical reflection on dominant discourses about B.E.M. people. They understand that this role requires them to be strategic. Following this reframing, I look at the limitations of the research and areas for further development.