Teachers and educational policies: Negotiating discourses of male role modelling

Since the 1990s there has been some considerable discussion in English education policy of boys' underachievement and of male teachers serving as ‘role models’. Drawing on two separate research projects, this article explores the diverse ways in which individual teachers negotiate discourses of role modelling, while also considering the performative nature of these discourses and some of their effects on teachers. The article shows that discourses of role modelling retain some currency among teachers and highlights the need for contemporary research on equality issues to inform the work of both policy-makers and teachers.