School of Education Research Staff Profile

Barbara Hooker

Developmental work and research activity

Barbara’s research interests focus on the post -16 sector in relation to both policy and practice in the movement towards the development of institutional cultures based on the concepts of collaborative learning, where practitioners become active constructors and experimenters of their own professional practice. In particular, research is situated in a critical theory perspective with a view to engaging individuals in a critique of ideology, thereby encouraging autonomy and professional judgment that leads to the empowerment of teachers.

Current research focuses on the use of life history narrative in the study of teacher identity with the intent of co-constructing participants’ subjectivities through collaborative dialogue. The narrative study examines trajectories of teacher identity set within the wider social and political context, with the aim of challenging the hegemonic performative discourse of government policy. The methodology is grounded in postmodern views of the self, and aligns to social constructivism through dialogic engagement that is intersubjective. As such, the approach aims to encourage individual agency and counteract behavioural conformity, by raising consciousness of ethical, emotional and ideological paradoxes.

Key and recent publications and materials developed

• McGregor D, Hooker B & Wise D, Devlin L (2010) Supporting professional learning through teacher educator enquiries: An ethnographic insight into developing understandings and changing identities. Journal of In-service Education: Special Edition: Professional Development of Teacher Educators. In Press. Publication due April 2010.

Recent conference papers

• Devlin L, Adeghe A,  Hooker B, Winter, Wise D, (2009) Why a Professional Doctorate in Education?, International Professional Development Association Annual Conference 2009

Current development and research projects

Doctorial thesis, provisionally entitled Narrative Inquiry into Teacher Identity: a challenge to instrumental reasoning.