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A Case Study Exploring the Societal Gatekeeper Role of an Ofsted

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A Case Study Exploring the Societal Gatekeeper Role of an Ofsted A case study exploring the societal gatekeeper role of an Ofsted inspector, using a systems thinking model of creativity, in the business studies curriculum in Further Education colleges in England by Jesvir Kaur Mahil BA (Hons), PGCE, MBA A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Education College of Social Sciences University of Birmingham August 2017 0 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract This study explored my own societal gatekeeper role as an Ofsted inspector, using a systems thinking model of creativity, within the domain of vocational business studies curricula, in Further Education (FE) colleges in England. My research questions sought to explore how business teachers and inspectors define, recognise, measure, reward and promote creativity skills in vocational business education. To provide a definition of creativity, I propose a framework based on its seven key aspects: process, person, place, pressures, product, persuasion and permanence. In addition to evidence-based success, I argue that we recognise the need for trust and freedom, through quality of relationships, to stimulate creativity. Through critical self-reflection on my role as an inspector and thematic analysis of data from multiple sources including interviews, Ofsted reports and Further Education college websites, I conclude that there is a low level of interest in promotion of creativity skills in the business curriculum in FE and that Ofsted is associated with normalisation, standardisation and efficiency rather than creativity. Creativity is an important business skill, so Ofsted inspectors, as societal gatekeepers, need to be self-reflective in acknowledging pressures that may distort perceptions, resulting in biased judgments that fail to reward and promote creativity appropriately. 1 Dedication I am dedicating this research and thesis to my parents Amar Singh and Tej Kaur, my uncle Ram Singh and my siblings Surjit Singh, Balbir Singh, Davinder Singh, Narinder Singh, Harbhajan Singh & Surinder Kaur for nurturing and sharing my love of education 2 Acknowledgements My sincere thanks to Dr Graeme Martin and Prof Gary Thomas for so kindly agreeing to supervise me when no-one else at the University of Birmingham was willing to do so. Completing the research seemed easy and effortless with the compassionate guidance of Dr Graeme Martin and the gentle support of Prof Thomas. Thank you! I am grateful for all the creative ideas that have stimulated my curiousity and enthusiasm for this research. For example, the Persian poet Rumi wrote a poem suggesting that what we seek is also seeking us. While searching for creativity, I found it approaching me. The spirit of creativity, courage, compassion and confidence strengthen my resilience and push me along, at times like a forceful gush of wind on my back and at other times like a warm breeze that makes a day writing about creativity, simply feel like a good day. Thank you to Waheguru for making it all possible. 3 Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Introduction and Research Context ................................................... 11 Organisation of my thesis ................................................................................................................ 14 The issue to be studied .................................................................................................................... 15 Research Context.............................................................................................................................. 16 The context of Further Education Colleges ..................................................................................... 18 The context of Ofsted in Education) ................................................................................................. 22 Systems Thinking Conceptual Framework ................................................................................. 25 Purpose of education .................................................................................................................. 25 Education and work ....................................................................................................................... 26 Blame free solutions ...................................................................................................................... 27 Diversity and inclusion ................................................................................................................... 28 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 30 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 30 Chapter 2: What is creativity? .................................................................................. 31 Introduction to Literature Review Chapters ..................................................................................... 31 What is creativity? ............................................................................................................................ 34 Popular definitions of creativity .................................................................................................... 35 Process, originality & value ....................................................................................................... 35 Who decides whether an idea is new or has value?............................................................. 37 Can everyone be creative? ....................................................................................................... 38 Is creativity individual or collective? ........................................................................................ 40 How important is the context in defining creativity? .............................................................. 41 Difference between ‘creativity’ and ‘learning’ in a creative classroom ............................... 41 Summary of definitions of creativity ......................................................................................... 42 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 43 Chapter 3: A Brief History of Research into Creativity .............................................. 44 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 44 Gifted, talented and genius .......................................................................................................... 45 Importance of Diversity ................................................................................................................ 46 Approaches to research into creativity .................................................................................... 47 Personality traits of creative people ............................................................................................. 52 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 58 Chapter 4: Culture and Creativity ............................................................................. 59 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 59 Definitions of culture ...................................................................................................................... 59 4 The impact of culture on creativity ............................................................................................... 61 The impact of creativity on culture ............................................................................................... 63 International differences in creativity ........................................................................................... 63 Cultural unpopularity of creative people ..................................................................................... 66 Cultural diversity and creativity .................................................................................................... 67 Cultural value of creativity ............................................................................................................. 68 Rising importance of creativity across the world ....................................................................... 71 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 74 Chapter 5: The Whiteness of Creativity ...................................................................
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