ERIC Number: ED669261
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 205
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-4604-4712-1
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Neoliberal Subjectivity and Discourses in an Elementary Social Studies Methods Course: A Case Study
Jake Gates
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University
Neoliberalism has been described by many as the greatest threat to global democracy. Few studies have attempted to locate the influences of neoliberalism at the interpersonal level on individual educators involved in university-based teacher education. Given this absence, I undertook an exploratory qualitative case study within one university-based elementary social studies teacher education course seeking to interrogate the presence of neoliberalism. More specifically, I utilized Foucauldian theories of subjectivity and discourses to gain a better understanding of what neoliberal subjectivity looks like in an elementary teacher education program. The data conversations that were produced from this work illuminated the presence of three primary neoliberal discourses: 1) market outcomes, 2) physical extremes and 3) fleeting time. These discourses worked to produce a form of neoliberal teacher as subject that is constantly concerned about increasing the value of their human capital, anxious, exhausted, and pressed for time. This study shines light on the tensions of utilizing humanizing pedagogy while still working within neoliberal logics of teaching and learning. For teacher educators and preservice teachers, the work herein may aid in the consideration of the presence of neoliberal discourses in their own conceptions of teaching and learning and reconsider taken for granted neoliberal education norms. Moreover, this study holds implications for social studies educators concerned with teaching towards a more democratic citizenry of subjects. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Neoliberalism, Discourse Analysis, Elementary Education, Social Studies, Methods Courses, Preservice Teacher Education, Preservice Teachers, Humanization, Norms, Democracy
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Elementary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A