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Corrupt language, corrupt thought: the white paper 'the importance of teaching'

Corrupt language, corrupt thought: the white paper 'the importance of teaching'
Corrupt language, corrupt thought: the white paper 'the importance of teaching'
This article deconstructs the language of the 2010 UK Coalition Government's White Paper, The Importance of Teaching. It uses analytical frameworks related to rhetoric established by Aristotle and Cicero. It explores the mechanisms of language using both critical discourse analysis and content analysis, offering quantitative data on the content of the paper and qualitative data on the literary strategies employed. It is concerned not only with how what is communicated persuades but also the ethics of persuasion; what is suggested and to what end. The article suggests a mutually reinforcing relationship between poverty of language and poverty of thought. The Coalition Government asserts an heroic stance to act radically to free victimised teachers from the burdens of bureaucracy imposed by the previous government. However, rather than radical action to make change, the findings suggest that the White Paper presents an illusory carapace of change that conceals fundamental continuity. It reassures all of the commitment of government and audiences to change while sustaining education as fundamentally unchanged.
0141-1926
Lumby, J.
Muijs, D.
62af2eff-0cb5-403b-81cc-7a3bfb3e640e
Lumby, J.
Muijs, D.
62af2eff-0cb5-403b-81cc-7a3bfb3e640e

Lumby, J. and Muijs, D. (2013) Corrupt language, corrupt thought: the white paper 'the importance of teaching'. British Educational Research Journal.

Record type: Article

Abstract

This article deconstructs the language of the 2010 UK Coalition Government's White Paper, The Importance of Teaching. It uses analytical frameworks related to rhetoric established by Aristotle and Cicero. It explores the mechanisms of language using both critical discourse analysis and content analysis, offering quantitative data on the content of the paper and qualitative data on the literary strategies employed. It is concerned not only with how what is communicated persuades but also the ethics of persuasion; what is suggested and to what end. The article suggests a mutually reinforcing relationship between poverty of language and poverty of thought. The Coalition Government asserts an heroic stance to act radically to free victimised teachers from the burdens of bureaucracy imposed by the previous government. However, rather than radical action to make change, the findings suggest that the White Paper presents an illusory carapace of change that conceals fundamental continuity. It reassures all of the commitment of government and audiences to change while sustaining education as fundamentally unchanged.

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__filestore.soton.ac.uk_Users_jlumby_mydocuments_Text Document Feb 2013_Articles chapters Home_White paper with Muijs_To publisher Jan2013_Article rhetoric Post review FV5 final full version.doc - Author's Original
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Published date: 2013
Organisations: Southampton Education School

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 348726
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/348726
ISSN: 0141-1926
PURE UUID: 0c2f7db9-9d26-4b10-b8be-740052efb87f
ORCID for D. Muijs: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0131-8921

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Date deposited: 19 Feb 2013 16:38
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 13:04

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Contributors

Author: J. Lumby
Author: D. Muijs ORCID iD

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