The Teacher Study: the impact of the Skills for Life strategy on teachers: research report

A study of 1027 teachers of literacy, numeracy and [English for speakers of other languages] ESOL in England from 2004 to 2007. The teachers were interviewed in depth on at least three occasions during this period shedding light on all aspects of their professional life. The Teacher Study aimed to find out who these teachers were, what they do at work and what they think about their job. It has a particular focus on the impact of the Skills for Life strategy on them and their work. The strategy aims to improve the skills of those groups where literacy and numeracy needs are greatest, e.g. unemployed people; prisoners and those under supervision in the community; low-skilled people in employment; and other groups at risk of exclusion such as homeless people, refugees, asylum seekers and those who do not speak English as a first language. The impact of the strategy on those who teach and train Skills for Life learners is varied and multifaceted. For some teachers, the strategy has given a new standing and respectability to the field and the career in which they have worked for many years. Others perceive that the standards, targets and bureaucracy that have come with the initiative create administrative burdens and divert teachers from their commitment to social justice and their main business of improving learners' knowledge and skills. Many have welcomed the new professionalism that Skills for Life has brought; for others the strategy has emphasised divisions between different teachers in different education sectors.

A study of 1027 teachers of literacy, numeracy and [English for speakers of other languages] ESOL in England from 2004 to 2007. The teachers were interviewed in depth on at least three occasions during this period shedding light on all aspects of their professional life. The Teacher Study aimed to find out who these teachers were, what they do at work and what they think about their job. It has a particular focus on the impact of the Skills for Life strategy on them and their work. The strategy aims to improve the skills of those groups where literacy and numeracy needs are greatest, ...  [+] Show more