loic menzies director: lkmco loic@lkmco // 07793 370459 // @lkmco

“Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”

[email protected] - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk

“The sharpest eyes in education” - “Outstanding support” - “A measurable improvement in teaching & learning”

“Excellent grasp of the sector & beyond” – “Evidence based opinions”

Loic MenziesDirector: [email protected] // 07793 370459 // @lkmco

Research funded by edapt (UK) www.edapt.org.uk

Photo: Paul Davey/Demotix/Corbis, The Guardian

Collectivists

Functionalistsand

Critics:

What do Teachers think of their Unions?#UnionBecause //@LKMco

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.edapt.org.uk/





Overall aim: To give teachers a voice in the debate over the role and legitimacy of unions

Research questions-Why do teachers join unions?-How do teachers chose their union?-What is it like not being in a union?-What support do teachers ask for from their unions?-How do teachers feel about the support they receive?-How do heads interact with unions?-How satisfied are teachers with their unions?-How do teachers feel about unions-How have recent events affected teachers’ views on their unions?





Key finding- Typology of three types of attitudes towards unions

-Collectivists-Functionalists-Critics

Note: -Other typologies exist: (Mac an Ghaill, 1992; Troman, 1996)-Danger of “reifying what is a loose classification system” (Fullan, 1982)





Background-Most unionised profession - average for UK = 27%, Education = 52.3% (Archur. J 2010), DfE/Certification Office (2010) suggests 130%!-Dropped in other sectors but maintained in education-Links between unions and effectiveness (Eberts & Stone 1987; Raham 1999), cost (Machin & Wadhwani 1991; Metcalf, 2003; Hoxby, 1996) productivity (Feldman, 2000), attainment (Seelman, Powell & Carini, 2000), stability and turnover (Pfeffer & Davis-Blake, 1990).-“Reform unionism” (Moore Johnson, 2004; Henderson, 2004; Moe, 2011)





The Project

Medium scale survey-Aim: to identify broad trends amongst a range of teachers-22nd Jan to 22nd Feb-384 respondents, (self selecting)-Specific sections for heads, non union members, independent school teachers-Lots of open answers-Analysis by group and qualitative methods applied to open answers – (coded descriptively categorised)

Interviews-Aim: To probe trends, unpack ambiguity and explore determinants of variation-Sampled to include different groups-22, semi-structured phone interviews (10-30 mins each)-Coded to link responses to themes from survey





Survey respondents

Promoted in a range of ways to ensure broad range of respondents-Press (TES, Guardian, Times)-Blogs and social media-Co-operation from NAHT and ASCL-Teach First mailing list-Snow ball sampling

Sample characteristics-Secondary teachers over represented-Leadership unions over represented-Teach First teachers over represented-Heads and senior leaders over represented-Males over-represented-Conservatives under-represented-More than 50% had over 10 years teaching experience-30% were active union members and 46% had strong views on unions and only 11% of these were Conservatives





Semi structured Interviews - 22 randomly selected to fill quotas from sub groups





Key findings

- High levels of satisfaction with unions, the support they provide and the experience of interacting with them

- Ambiguity of ‘support’- Do unions improve education?- The impact of recent events- Substantial variation amongst teachers in terms of what they want from their unions:

Collectivists, Functionalists and Critics





Why do teachers join unions?

-Protection very important (more than 80% ‘very important’, less than 1% not important cf. all other areas less than 60%) -“Collective bargaining” and “collective voice” important (approximately half very important).-Info on developments in teaching practice and pedagogy, Right to industrial action and campaigning least important (around 1/3 ‘not important’)





Why do teachers join unions?





The most important thing…

But what is support?“Supports your views nationally” R:1727167115 – Survey

“Support the teaching profession” R: 1724668494 – Survey

“Support teachers in their career development and progression” R: 1724884278 - Survey

“Support teachers both on an individual basis and collectively” R:1705452840 – Survey

“Collective and individual cover” R:1724883509 – Interview





How do teachers chose their union?

“Yeah they (ASCL) tend to, they’re more constructive” R: 1703580962 – Interview

“they are on the left hand side of a political debate, that is something that does appeal to me” R:1710864076 -Interview

“The biggest factor for me was what the biggest union was in my school” R: 1700429363 – Interview

Initial Choice Changers’ reasons





How do teachers chose their union?Changing union- Many teachers change union

Often fairly random:

“When I joined the first union I joined up because it was easiest to spell. It was the NUT “ R:

1711396318 –Interview





Interacting with unions





Why are teachers so satisfied with union support?

- 80% who received support are satisfied with it, (60% of them are ‘very satisfied’)

“ It was very important to feel that someone was on my side” R: 1704679638 – Survey

“Life at school became more bearable” R: 1711487399 – Survey

“The NUT representative gave me moral as well as practical support. If it had not been for him I would probably have had a breakdown.” R: 1724668494 – Survey

Because…

“the bully was terrified of the union rep because she really 'knew her stuff” R: 1705207853 - Survey

“Well it’s having people there to know what’s going on because they’re local and that can come up with answers, know the way to go round to get things done but also then has the back-up of the region offices and the full-time officials

there” R: 1711448224 – Interview

Reservations-Inaction-Under-skilled reps





Heads interactions





Feelings about unions…





Satisfied… with what?





Does it matter?





Unions and broader education…

Criticisms-Lack of attention to broader issues-Intransigence-Under-representativeness-Protecting bad teachers-Party political





The political divide- Both Labour and Conservative teachers satisfied overall- 54% of Conservatives satisfied with collective bargaining cf. US: 81% of Republicans

satisfied in this area (Moe 2011 p.91).- 41% gap in agreement that “education in the UK is better as a result of the unions”

(17% of Conservatives cf. 58% of Labour)





The impact of recent events





SummaryCollectivists Functionalists CriticsAround a quarter of our sample

- Strong feelings about unions

- Unions improving education

- Being a member every teacher’s duty.

- Satisfied (or prefer more pro-active stance)

- Contribute to the greater good and/or crucial to defending workers’ rights.

- Positive about strikes

“the word union by definition means collective” R: 1724883509 – Interview

Around a quarter of our sample

- Satisfied. “Joining a union valuable and worthwhile.”

- Unions not improving education (but that’s not the point of them- campaigning not generally important)

- Back up, fight corner, protect. Could do this individually or collectively

- 1/3 not prefer alternative, 1/3 prefer an alternative, 1/3 undecided

“the only reason most teachers are actually in unions is because of legal protection and

liability…It’s not to do with the politics behind it”

R: 1703580962 – Interview

15% of our sample

- Not necessarily dissatisfied- like functionalists, wanted support and got it.

- Education in the UK not better as result

- Prefer alternative/ not in union and consider alternative

- Don’t like strikes

5-10% critics and actively dissatisfied or already left/never joined

“They do the profession such damage”

R: 1704447359 – Survey

Any comments? Please contact: [email protected] // www.lkmco.org.uk //@LKMco#UnionBecause

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.lkmco.org.uk/

loic menzies director: lkmco loic@lkmco // 07793 370459 // @lkmco

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