Singing Better Songs? A Life History Study of Higher Education Teacher Educators Working in the English Further Education Sector

There has been a growth in the last 10 years of higher education provision in the English further
education sector. This article examines the thoughts and feelings of three higher-education-level
teachers working in the further education sector. Using Ivor Goodson’s life history approach,
it identifies a high degree of compliance with the system by the teachers. In order to justify the
conflict between organisational and teacher concerns, key strategies were formed. These included
celebrating further education as a place which gives people a second chance, a students-first focus
and the significance of the human connection made at work. There were also similarities between
the underlying motivations of teachers to teach at a higher level than many of their colleagues,
which included family, class, control and the significance of dominant others in their lives.