Power and resistance in further education: findings from a study of first-tier managers
Abstract
This article presents findings from a study of first-tier managers in four further education colleges as they attempt to manage perpetual change within a context of performativity and mistrust. It begins with a discussion of power in the sector before presenting findings of routine resistance against ever increasing control and surveillance within colleges. First-tier managers were found to be primarily the audience for routine resistance rather than the target and so faced the dilemma of colluding with resistance to maintain cooperation, or challenging the behaviours. The article concludes that despite the demonisation of critical opinions in the lifelong learning sector, resistance in further education, far from contravening the principles of academic citizenship, is a form of educational fundamentalism and an attempt to prioritise learners in the face of financial and managerial imperatives.Citation
Page, D. (2010) Power and resistance in further education: findings from a study of first-tier managers. Power and Education, 2(2), pp. 126-139.Publisher
SAGEJournal
Power and EducationAdditional Links
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.2304/power.2010.2.2.126Type
Journal articleLanguage
enDescription
This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by SAGE in Power and Education on 01/01/2010, available online: https://doi.org/10.2304/power.2010.2.2.126 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.ISSN
1757-7438EISSN
1757-7438ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.2304/power.2010.2.2.126
Scopus Count
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/