ABSTRACT

Since 2010, government policy in England has positioned further education almost exclusively as employment-orientated training for school leavers whilst also imposing severe budget cuts. During this period, values-based pedagogies that foreground social justice for students, many of whom come from low-income households, have been undermined. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there is evidence that the mental health and well-being of further education students has suffered but little is known about the pandemic’s effects on teachers.This paper presents analysis of primary research data drawn from interviews with a small sample of further education teachers and managers in the English West Midlands about their mental health and well-being during the pandemic. The paper frames the research data by acknowledging that both mental health nursing and further education teaching are currently riven by contradictions with an epistemological basis anchored in meritocratic and neoliberal policy. Using Lefebvrian theory, our analysis suggests that for further education staff, the pandemic has sharpened the tensions experienced in an already precarious professional role. Key findings were that the further education funding regime drove a ‘business as usual’ management attitude during the pandemic, and an intensification of work and the erosion of pedagogical practice negatively affected staff’s mental health.

摘要

自2010年以来，英国政府政策几乎将继续教育定位为面向离校生的以就业为导向的培训，同时还实施了严重的预算削减。在此期间，以价值观为基础的教学法，为学生（其中许多来自低收入家庭）强调社会正义，受到了破坏。在 COVID-19 大流行之后，有证据表明继续教育学生的心理健康和福祉受到了影响，但人们对这种流行病对教师的影响知之甚少。本文对小样本访谈中得出的主要研究数据进行了分析英格兰西米德兰兹郡的继续教育教师和管理人员了解他们在大流行期间的心理健康和福祉。该论文通过承认心理健康护理和继续教育教学目前都因与精英政治和新自由主义政策的认识论基础的矛盾而分裂，从而构建了研究数据。利用列斐夫里安理论，我们的分析表明，对于继续教育人员来说，疫情加剧了本已不稳定的专业角色所经历的紧张局势。主要发现是，继续教育资助制度在大流行期间推动了“一切照旧”的管理态度，工作强度和教学实践的侵蚀对员工的心理健康产生了负面影响。我们的分析表明，对于继续教育人员来说，这种流行病加剧了本已不稳定的专业角色所经历的紧张局势。主要发现是，继续教育资助制度在大流行期间推动了“一切照旧”的管理态度，工作强度和教学实践的侵蚀对员工的心理健康产生了负面影响。我们的分析表明，对于继续教育人员来说，这种流行病加剧了本已不稳定的专业角色所经历的紧张局势。主要发现是，继续教育资助制度在大流行期间推动了“一切照旧”的管理态度，工作强度和教学实践的侵蚀对员工的心理健康产生了负面影响。