Innovatus interregnum: Waiting for a paradigm shift

The purpose of this paper is to establish the case that innovation in the theory and practice of educational administration/leadership is very unlikely to occur within the existing doxa of our times. By innovation is meant a novel conceptual or practical change in the field of practice. By doxa is meant the unquestioned rules of the game and the linkage between the agencies and organs of government and foundations supporting research in the field. An approach towards thinking outside of the prevailing doxa is presented and explained as one possible antidote to the current dominant model.

Teachers as health workers: Patterns and imperatives of Australian teachers’ work

With increasing cross-sectoral relationships and partnerships and the blurring of the boundaries of the various service sectors (Westall 2009), the membrane that is assumed separate education and health in terms of young people’s wellbeing looks thinner than ever. In this project we are concerned to know what teachers do in terms of young people’s health, how much time they spend doing it, and to what extent this work might be considered as health work? The paper is informed by a Likert style survey and semi-structured interview data collected from a large cohort of teachers employed in different school sectors across Queensland, Australia and is framed by Bourdieu’s (1977) ideas around field, practice and doxa. The data suggest that teachers, often with a minimum of training undertake work that might be categorised as health work and do so with a high degree of commitment and with a growing sense of urgency but with concerns related to their competence. We consider it important to understand the reasons why and the extent to which teachers engage in work that might be more readily associated with public health and to ask “are teachers health workers?”

An examination of Fairtrade impact disclosure practices

This study extends important insights into the motivation behind the Fairtrade impact disclosures the Fairtrade licensors, Fairtrade Labelling Organization International (FLO), and some of its major licensees. Reflecting on Bourdieu's institutional sociology and using thematic analysis method, this study reveals that Fairtrade impact disclosures are used to mediate the tension, challenges, and contradictions persist in the field. The findings provide important insights about the legitimizing strategy of the dominant Fairtrade organizations. Such insights are imperative for the regulatory bodies, social activists and academics working for the development of the accountability practices within the Fairtrade field.