ABSTRACT
This chapter uses data from across the projects to explore the emotional impact of accountability on teachers. It argues that the negative emotional impact of workload on teachers goes beyond the oft-reported issues of stress and overwork. Performativity in education can lead to a sense of deprofessionalisation as teachers can feel that they are performing in order to demonstrate their competence. When linked to the feeling of becoming deprofessionalised, it is clear that the accountability culture will almost inevitably cause strong emotions. The emotional impact of an accountability culture, with its fear and loss of control and a sense of self can in the worst cases lead to teachers being unable to continue their work, and consider leaving. In RP1 (the Inspection Project), the data show highly stressed teachers experiencing inspection, but at least having the relief of eventual release. They talk about it as a one-off, unbearable event, expressing gratitude that its effects were intense but occasional. Within the data from RP3 (the Retention Project) were many reports of stress and emotion caused by the hyper-accountability culture, with teachers experiencing excessive workload not just in terms of long hours worked but as a deprofessionalising series of performative hoops. Many of the samples experienced a ‘loss of self’, causing physical and mental illness, and some to leave the profession.
