‘It's Our Job to Take the Limits Away’: Exploring the Beliefs and Practices of High Expectation Teachers ¹

Abstract

This study explores the beliefs of ‘high expectation teachers’, and the practices through which teachers aim to build an inclusive learning environment in addition to the ways they develop strategies that do not rely on pre-determined ability labelling. The study is a case study design focused on one phenomenon, that of the beliefs and practices of high-expectation teachers, and one bounded case illustrates the phenomenon. The case is specific and bounded by time and location. It emphasises uniqueness through the in-depth exploration of the participants' experiences. Following the use of thematic analysis to analyse data collected through questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, the phenomena of high teacher expectation remained only partially scrutinised in terms of social justice. Therefore, the social concerns raised throughout this study are also explored through the theories of Bourdieu, to make sense of the wider issues of inequality inherent in this study. Habitus is helped by, and helps shape, pedagogical action. Findings include the requirement to recognise that in education, socially advantaged interests and voices dominate in terms of social mobility agendas. Furthermore, teachers are only granted space in the public domain through technical competency. Teachers must however be emotionally committed to different aspects of their jobs, as their sense of moral responsibility lies at the core of their professional identity.

Citation

Smith, J. and Waller, R. (2024), "‘It's Our Job to Take the Limits Away’: Exploring the Beliefs and Practices of High Expectation Teachers ¹ ", Waller, R., Andrews, J. and Clark, T. (Ed.) Critical Perspectives on Educational Policies and Professional Identities, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 191-208. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-332-920241012