Panopticism, teacher surveillance and the ‘unseen’

Proudfoot, K. (2021) Panopticism, teacher surveillance and the ‘unseen’. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 42(5-6), pp. 812-827. (doi: 10.1080/01425692.2021.1914549)

Abstract

This paper seeks to contribute to the understanding of the ‘panopticon’ in educational research, problematising its validity and offering a fresh conceptualisation of teacher surveillance. The school as a ‘panopticon’ is a well-established concept which helpfully enables a consideration of aspects of high-stakes accountability. The present paper explores the question of how contemporary teachers perceive themselves to be subject to scrutiny and the consequences of this surveillance. It is argued that whilst the panopticon (and its variants) remain very valid notions for understanding performativity in contemporary schools, that a complementary metaphor can be offered which enables a fuller consideration of the ‘unseen’ behaviours induced by a high accountability environment.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Proudfoot, Dr Kevin
• Authors: Proudfoot, K.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education; College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Pedagogy, Praxis & Faith
• Journal Name: British Journal of Sociology of Education
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• ISSN: 0142-5692
• ISSN (Online): 1465-3346
• Published Online: 05 May 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor and Francis Group Introduction
• First Published: First published in British Journal of Sociology of Education 42(5-6): 812-827
• Publisher Policy: Reproduce in accordance with the publisher copyright policy