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Master's Thesis: Joy: A Power Problem

Andersen, Paige L.
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Andersen, Paige L.
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Neoliberalism—United States—Influence on education, Education—Philosophy—United States, Emotions in education—United States, Power (Social sciences)—United States, Educational psychology—United States
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Paige Andersen Final Draft.pdf
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https://hdl.handle.net/10267/36852
Abstract
The content of this study aims to analyze the ways in which neoliberalism manifests in education policy and pedagogy. I use a poststructural approach (Brown, 2015; Foucault, 1978; K. Kumashiro, 2002) to analyze neoliberalism as it shows up in the discourse on non-cognitive abilities and skills particularly as they relate to joy. This work first examines neoliberalism as it shows up in current education policies and then on the teaching practices that reinforce them, with particular attention to the ways in which joy is instrumentalized on behalf of student achievement. I illustrate neoliberal manifestations in organizations like the National Center for Education Studies and exams like the PISA test, as well as in teacher training manuals such as Teach Like a Champion. I aim to encourage other students, teachers, policy makers and researchers to challenge “traditional ways of thinking and acting” (Kumashiro, 2002, p. 9). Finally, I hope to articulate that the intent to define, measure and manage emotional states or character traits for the purpose of academic achievement greatly limits the possibilities of antioppressive education.
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