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Preschool teachers' experience of parents' WhatsApp groups: technological ambivalence and professional de-skilling.
- Source :
-
Gender & Education . Dec 2021, Vol. 33 Issue 8, p983-998. 16p. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- The paper sheds light on preschool teachers' experiences with the plethora of parents' WhatsApp groups in Israel. Using a social constructivist approach, we conducted discussions with twenty-five preschool teachers. We argue that WhatsApp as a social medium contributes to the de-skilling of the preschool teachers' labour. We identified three types of ambivalence in the teachers' comments regarding interactions with and among parents: (a) instrumental ambivalence celebrates technology's efficiency while witnessing a shift in long working hours and a need to justify their pedagogical decisions; (b) substantive ambivalence indicates the intensified tendency to hold teachers in a need to engage in public relations; (c) critical ambivalence demonstrates a turn from a professional discourse between parents and teachers to a surveillance and accountability discourse. We conclude that the intense supervision by parents afforded by WhatsApp groups contributes to the de-skilling of preschool teachers' labour by turning a caring profession to a managerial practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09540253
- Volume :
- 33
- Issue :
- 8
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Gender & Education
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 153576361
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2021.1884195