Choosing to Teach: Social class and progression onto teacher training in Yorkshire

本研究探讨了社会阶层与实习教师的教学决策和培训路径选择之间的关系。最近对社会阶层的研究已经从职业的分层标准转向通过将拥有相似社会网络、财务、爱好和兴趣的个人分组来进行分类。因此，这表明教师并不是局限于某一特定社会阶层的同质群体。此外，先前的研究表明，社会阶层已经从传统的“上层”、“中层”和“工薪阶层”的分类转变为中产阶级的扩张和碎片化。因此，本研究将探索这种新的社会阶层模式以及不同中产阶级个体的决策过程。本文提出了约克郡实习教师的个案研究方法。这个地区有着广泛的社会阶层：有像约克、哈罗盖特和北利兹这样的富裕地区，也有布拉德福德、唐卡斯特和北约克郡海岸被政府贴上教育机会标签的贫困地区。研究问题一：见习教师是什么社会阶层？以前讨论见习教师和他们所教的学生的社会阶层的文献，使用了中产阶级和工人阶级的限制性二分法。教师在有凝聚力的中产阶级中占有一席之地，他们与工薪阶层的学生并列在一起。二分法的使用限制了对社会阶级和教学进步的深入理解。同样，这些研究忽略了罗素集团的内部等级制度。此外，这些研究没有说明“工薪阶层”学生是如何成为实习“中产阶级”教师的。没有国家对研究生特征的集中存储。因此，在提议面试之前，参与者需要完成一份问卷，将他们归入一个社会阶层。然后，在采访中，样本将被要求用他们自己的话描述他们的社会阶层。参与者将从问卷中被告知他们的班级成绩。这一结果将与他们的课堂和教师培训的想法和经验联系起来进行讨论。这些数据将被用来回答研究问题二和三。研究问题二：为什么要训练去教书？研究问题三：社会阶层、教学原因和教师培训机构之间是否存在关系？本研究将使用与实习教师的经济状况、社会网络、爱好、兴趣、家庭背景和教养有关的概念来分析他们决定教学和选择培训路线。这将建立在以前的研究的基础上，这些研究隐含地提到了这些概念和教师培训的选择。在访谈中，在讨论了他们的社会阶层认同后，将讨论进入教师队伍的原因和途径。本研究将对受试者的社会阶层、受训途径、受教原因进行定量和定性分析。将进行卡方检验，以检验社会阶层和教学途径之间的统计意义。参与者的定性答案将按社会阶层进行分组，并对每个答案进行主题分析。这项研究将对教师培训机构和学术界都有用。首先，这项研究将使教师培训机构深入了解受训者选择[或不选择]他们的教学途径的原因。它还将为他们提供一个人口统计数据，了解他们吸引的是哪种类型的实习生，以及吸引的原因。其次，在学术界，关于社会阶层和高等教育参与的文献往往集中在进入本科课程时。一些研究讨论了社会阶层与教师培训之间的联系，但这仅限于传统的社会阶层分类。

My proposed research explores the relationship between social class and trainee teachers' decisions to teach and their choice of training route. Recent research into social class has moved away from occupational measures of stratification and into classification through grouping individuals with similar social networks, finances, hobbies, and interests. Therefore, this suggests that teachers are not a homogenous group confined to one particular social class. Furthermore, previous research suggests that social class has moved from the traditional classification of 'upper', 'middle' and 'working' class to an expansion and fragmentation of the middle class. Consequently, this research would explore this new model of social class and the decision-making processes of individuals from differing middle classes.A case study approach to trainee teachers within Yorkshire is proposed. This location has a wide subsection of society: there are affluent areas such as York, Harrogate and North Leeds as well as the deprived and government labelled education opportunity areas of Bradford, Doncaster, and the North Yorkshire Coast.Research question one: What social class are trainee teachers?Previous literature which discusses the social class of trainee teachers, as well as the pupils they teach, uses the restricted dichotomy of middle-class and working-class. Teachers are represented within the cohesive middle class and are juxtaposed with their working-class pupils. The use of a dichotomy restricts a sophisticated understanding of social class and progression onto teaching. Similarly, these studies ignore the internal hierarchy of the Russell Group. Furthermore, these studies do not account for how 'working-class' pupils become trainee 'middle-class' teachers. There is no national centralised storage of postgraduate student characteristics. Therefore, before proposed interviews, participants would complete a questionnaire which would place them within a social class. Then, within the interviews, the sample would be asked to describe their social class in their own words. Participants would be told their class result from the questionnaire. This result would be discussed in relation to their thoughts and experience of class and teacher training. This data would be used to answer research questions two and three.Research question two: Why train to teach? Research question three: Is there a relationship between social class, reasons for teaching and teacher training providers?This study would employ concepts surrounding trainee teachers' finances, social network, hobbies, interests, family background and upbringing to analyse their decision to teach and choice of their training route. This would build upon previous studies which implicitly refer to these concepts and choice of teacher training. Within the interviews, after discussing their social class identity, reasons for entering teaching and their route would be discussed. This study would quantitatively and qualitatively analyseparticipants' social class, their training route, and their reasons for teaching. A Chi-Square would be conducted to test statistical significance between social class and routes into teaching. Participants' qualitative answers would be grouped by social class and each thematically analysed.This research would be useful for both teacher training providers and academia. Firstly, this research would give teacher training providers an insight into the reasons why trainees choose [or do not choose] their route into teaching. It would also provide them with a demographic of what type of trainee they are attracting and why. Secondly, within academia, literature surrounding social class and participation in higher education is often focused upon entrance to undergraduate courses.Some studies have discussed the link between social class and teacher training, but this is limited to traditional classifications of social class.