Italian Teachers: A Profession in Transition?

Abstract

The teaching profession, like many others, is involved in a deep process of change. The sources of pressure are manifold: top-down, as a consequence of neo-liberalist policies and of the implementation of the logic of New Public Management and, later, of New Public Governance; bottom-up, as a result of the socio-demographic and cultural changes affecting the relationship with end-users. All of these elements are challenging teachers’ professionalism. The article questions whether teaching in Italy is currently a profession in transition and, if so, which new features are emerging. To do so, we present a locally-based case study that draws on both Hargreaves’s and Noordegraaf’s theoretical frameworks.