Educational Change and Teacher Development

Since the early 1990s we have carried out a number of research projects examining matters such as teacher induction, teacher resignation, the impact of teaching on teachers' partners, teacher and school executive satisfaction, teacher motivation and stress, successful teaching, teacher self-concept, middle management in schools and other related areas. In the course of surveying and interviewing literally thousands of teachers in Australia, the USA, New Zealand, England and Malta, we have had many opportunities to access first hand accounts of how educational and societal change have influenced teachers and how they feel about teaching. A common thread running through much of this work has been how teachers have been placed in a paradoxical situation of rising societal expectations and widening responsibilities yet have experienced mounting criticism and declining status. A lack of control over imposed change and 'change fatigue' has resulted in many teachers reacting by reassessing their workloads and their commitment to professional development. For many, decreased career satisfaction and increased stress can be attributed to such change (Dinham, 1992, 1997; Dinham & Scott, 2000). In this chapter we examine some of the causes and manifestations of teachers' changing commitment to their professional development in the context of social and educational change.