Teachers as vectors for socio-cultural change : exploring structure and agency in Teach For Lebanon

Abstract

This thesis explores the dialectic between the potential of teachers and the power of structure(s). It does so by looking at Teach For Lebanon (TFL), a global-local educational model that recruits predominantly young university graduates, placing them in select underprivileged schools across the country for two years of service in order to help eliminate educational inequality. As an educational model, TFL is framed and marketed within a discourse of equity and social justice, yet resonates with values and practices that are starkly neoliberal. I highlight the official discourse of the program and explore what kind of teachers TFL seeks to develop for marginalized classrooms across Lebanon. Using this background, I juxtapose official discourse with that of the teachers. My results are framed around the questions: What are the impacts of dominant structure on teachers’ subjectivity and, by examining the reflexive discourse of the teachers, is there potential for agency? Methodology for this work includes unobtrusive research methods and semi-structured interviews with ten TFL fellows. The TFL model presents a rigid structure that defines the notions of equality and transformation in education in neoliberal terms. However, by including the narratives of teachers, it is clear that there is some room for critical self- reflection and agency.