A Comparative Analysis of Neoliberal Education Reform and Music Education in England and Ontario, Canada
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 1-15-2014 12:00 AM A Comparative Analysis of Neoliberal Education Reform and Music Education in England and Ontario, Canada Stephanie Horsley The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Paul Woodford The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Music A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Stephanie Horsley 2014 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Music Education Commons Recommended Citation Horsley, Stephanie, "A Comparative Analysis of Neoliberal Education Reform and Music Education in England and Ontario, Canada" (2014). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 1873. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/1873 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NEOLIBERAL EDUCATION REFORM AND MUSIC EDUCATION IN ENGLAND AND ONTARIO, CANADA (Thesis format: Monograph) by Stephanie Horsley Graduate Program in Music A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Stephanie Horsley 2014 Title Page Abstract This study provides an account and comparison of the ways in which neoliberal education reform and resulting music education policy, implementation, and provision were enacted in and responsive to social, historical, and institutional influences in England under Margaret Thatcher’s and John Major’s Conservative governments (1979- 1997) and in Ontario, Canada under Mike Harris’ Progressive Conservative government (1995-2003). It traces how global neoliberal economic policy has influenced education reform across the developed world by exerting pressure to restructure schooling to produce knowledge workers in response to the global knowledge economy. Curriculum and assessment standards play a vital role in this process, as does the creation of accountability measures. A conceptual map of neoliberal education is employed to examine the ways in which the governments of England and Ontario reformed their respective systems of elementary and secondary state-funded systems of education in relation to the core, adjacent, and peripheral concepts of neoliberal education. Music education policy development, implementation, and provision in each state are then placed within the wider contexts of these reforms. This study finds that neoliberal education in England and Ontario and the resulting processes and outcomes of music education policy converge and diverge based on the core, adjacent, and peripheral concepts of neoliberal education present in education reform and the ways in which history, ideology, and politics intersect in each state. Thus, it provokes a re-examination of a reified concept of neoliberal education in favour of one that is more nuanced and responsive to the locations in which reforms occur. It also reveals how a comparative approach to music education research can both broaden and deepen our knowledge of foreign systems of education, while at the same time dispelling taken for granted assumptions, based on experiences with our own educational systems, about the nature of neoliberal education reform and its effects on music education. Recommendations for future research are suggested. Useful tools for future research in music education policy include a conceptual map of neoliberal education and an overview of the history of comparative education and its research approaches and methods. ii Keywords: Globalization, Neoliberalism, Neoliberal Education, Education Reform, Knowledge Economy, Standards, Accountability, Music Education Policy, Policy Convergence and Divergence, England, Ontario, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Mike Harris, Comparative Education iii Acknowledgements I am grateful to the following people, without whom I would not be where I am today: Dr. Paul Woodford, for always believing in me and for his unfaltering support for, enthusiasm about, and promotion of my work. This study would not have been possible without his editorial work, his mentorship, and his friendship. Dr. Ruth Wright, another extraordinary faculty member whose caring, support, and positive feedback kept me inspired to keep writing. My parents, Barb and Dale Horsley, for their support, understanding, and patience while I toiled away in London missing many Trenton-based events. Anna Boyden, my long ago office-mate and always best friend: Sometimes it feels like we’ve lived a whole lifetime in the space of earning a degree. You made navigating that life so much easier and enjoyable through your thoughtfulness, optimism, and company. Ian Collins, my partner, who probably never realized how much more housework my finishing a degree would entail for him (all of it), nor how much time I would spend with my computer instead of him (most of it), nor how much time he would spend keeping our cat Brisby off my research (despite his allergies), but who never complained about it. Not once. His quiet but constant support and love made the completion of this work possible. Thank you for everything. iv Table of Contents Title Page ................................................................................................................. i Abstract ................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents .................................................................................................... v List of Illustrations .................................................................................................. x List of Appendices ................................................................................................. xi List of Acronyms ................................................................................................... xii Chapter One: Introduction ....................................................................................... 1 Introduction to the Problem: The Reification of Neoliberal Education Reform and the Isolated Nature of Music Education Policy Studies .......................................... 1 The Reification of Neoliberal Education Reform and Its Effects on Music Education.......................................................................................................... 3 Music Education and Comparative Education ................................................. 8 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................. 18 Definitions ............................................................................................................. 19 Benefits of the Study ............................................................................................. 20 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 21 Study Outline ........................................................................................................ 22 Chapter Two: Comparative Education and Research Methodology ..................... 24 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 24 A Brief History of Comparative Education .......................................................... 25 The Traveller’s Approach .............................................................................. 27 The Forces and Factors Approach.................................................................. 28 The Scientific Approach ................................................................................ 32 The Mid-1970s and Beyond: Heterodoxy and New Directions ..................... 39 Study Methodology ............................................................................................... 49 Research Questions, Assumptions, and Theoretical Perspectives ................. 49 Selection of Systems of Education and Historical Period for Study .............. 53 Data Sources and Collection Methods ........................................................... 56 Method of Analysis ........................................................................................ 57 Chapter Three: The Concept(s) of Neoliberalism and Neoliberal Reform in England and Ontario ............................................................................................. 62 The Problem of Defining Neoliberalism ............................................................... 62 Some Aspects of Classical Liberalism Relevant to Neoliberalism ....................... 67 Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations ............................................................ 68 The Rechtsstaat or Constitutional State ......................................................... 76 Lockean Philosophy ....................................................................................... 77 History and Overview of Keynesian Economics .................................................. 78 The Rise of Neoliberalism and Turner’s Conceptual Map ..................................