Teachers as Policy Refractors

Teachers as policy refractors is an evidence-based conceptual finding from thematic analysis of 42 semi-structured interviews with Australian primary and secondary school teachers undertaken as part of a larger international project investigating the relationships between narratives and the development of resilience in school teachers. The mediation processes of policy refraction identified in this chapter illustrate modifications, redirections and reinterpretations by teachers of educational reform policies. Findings illustrate that refraction occurs within the construction of policies themselves, as well as during dissemination internationally, nationally and locally in school communities. Teachers, who are only ever partly autonomous, interact with their students and other education stakeholders. Ethical dilemmas encountered are compounded by emotional, intellectual and even physical impacts during policy refraction. Finally, policy refraction calls into question what counts as professionalism and what it means to be a teacher in this day and age.