Schools as Solutions, Students as Problems: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Institutional Scripts in High School Websites
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| Title: | Schools as Solutions, Students as Problems: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Institutional Scripts in High School Websites |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Allbright, Taylor N. (ORCID |
| Source: | Educational Administration Quarterly. Oct 2023 59(4):845-878. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 34 |
| Publication Date: | 2023 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | High Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Discourse Analysis, Student Role, Teacher Role, Expectation, High Schools, Web Sites, Power Structure, School Demography, Models, Marketing |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0013161X231166664 |
| ISSN: | 0013-161X 1552-3519 |
| Abstract: | Purpose: In this study, we used critical discourse analysis to examine what school websites convey about the expected roles of educators and students. Research Design: We analyzed 13 high school websites from a mid-sized urban district that has implemented several market-based reforms and has a centralized school choice model. We employed the concept of scripts from institutional theory to analyze what messages these websites communicate about the roles of different educational actors, how these messages relate to existing societal power dynamics, and how they relate to the school model or school demographics. Findings: For students and educators, the sites expressed that students had an important problem, while the school and educators were offered as the solution. This common framework manifested in four distinct patterns, which we describe as the savior, cultivation, assimilation, and marketplace scripts. Implications: By critically examining school websites and other semiotic materials, leaders and other stakeholders can work to "root out" potentially harmful assumptions and narratives and envision alternatives that offer empowerment and transformation. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2023 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1393982 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Purpose: In this study, we used critical discourse analysis to examine what school websites convey about the expected roles of educators and students. Research Design: We analyzed 13 high school websites from a mid-sized urban district that has implemented several market-based reforms and has a centralized school choice model. We employed the concept of scripts from institutional theory to analyze what messages these websites communicate about the roles of different educational actors, how these messages relate to existing societal power dynamics, and how they relate to the school model or school demographics. Findings: For students and educators, the sites expressed that students had an important problem, while the school and educators were offered as the solution. This common framework manifested in four distinct patterns, which we describe as the savior, cultivation, assimilation, and marketplace scripts. Implications: By critically examining school websites and other semiotic materials, leaders and other stakeholders can work to "root out" potentially harmful assumptions and narratives and envision alternatives that offer empowerment and transformation. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0013-161X 1552-3519 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0013161X231166664 |
