Preschool teachers' experience of parents' WhatsApp groups: technological ambivalence and professional de-skilling. Issue 8 (17th November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Davidson, Shosh; Turin, Ornat
• Is Part Of: Gender and education. Volume 33:Issue 8(2021)
• Page Start: 983
• Page End: 998
• Publication Date: 2021-11-17
• Subjects: Preschool teachers -- teachers' communication with parents -- ICT -- de-skilling -- ambivalence -- care work; Sex discrimination in education -- Periodicals; Sex role -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; Women -- Education -- Periodicals; Discrimination sexuelle en éducation -- Périodiques; Rôle selon le sexe -- Périodiques; Femmes -- Éducation -- Périodiques; 379.26
• DOI: 10.1080/09540253.2021.1884195
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0954-0253

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The paper sheds light on preschool teachers' experiences with the plethora of parents' WhatsApp groups in Israel. Using a social constructivist approach, we conducted discussions with twenty-five preschool teachers. We argue that WhatsApp as a social medium contributes to the de-skilling of the preschool teachers' labour. We identified three types of ambivalence in the teachers' comments regarding interactions with and among parents: (a) instrumental ambivalence celebrates technology's efficiency while witnessing a shift in long working hours and a need to justify their pedagogical decisions; (b) substantive ambivalence indicates the intensified tendency to hold teachers in a need to engage in public relations; (c) critical ambivalence demonstrates a turn from a professional discourse between parents and teachers to a surveillance and accountability discourse. We conclude that the intense supervision by parents afforded by WhatsApp groups contributes to the de-skilling of preschool teachers' labour by turning a caring profession to a managerial practice.