Teacher identity and media discourses about teachers in Chile

Abstract

Using the new governance in education paradigm as the starting point, this article analyzes the editorials published by the newspapers El Mercurio and La Tercera, as part of the influential context in which the new teaching career project was debated in Chile. Utilizing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), we identified the use of linguistics strategies such as the generalization and impersonalization of actors, and the authorization based on an expert discourse, as ways of undermining the role played by the Teachers’ Union during the discussion of the project. We also identified the conception of the ideal teacher, who was characterized as docil, willing to be constantly evaluated, and apolitical.