Page 364 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Contemporary European Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 364
ear ly school leaving: contempor ary european perspectives
Although arguments exist that wicked problems are difficult or impossible
to solve, Roberts (2000) pointed out three possible strategies to cope with
them: authoritative, competitive and collaborative. Constraints of the last
two open a space for the first one and enable a (specific and narrow) solu-
tion to be formed and thus understanding of the problem.
Governance of problems
Problem processing actually starts by searching for problems: governing
depends on identifying situations as problematic, acknowledging the ex-
pertise in connection with these problems and discovering governing tech-
nologies that are considered to be a suitable response (Colebatch 2006, 313).
Collective problem-solving means people have common values and joint-
ly identified policy goals (or a desired future situation) (Hoppe, 2011). Grek
(2010) argues that international institutions and organisations (European
Commission and OECD) are crucial in the construction of specific poli-
cy problems in the EU and thus the promotion of particular dispositions to
learning (therefore also to ESL) in member states. The process of problem-
atisation is thus the prevailing form of setting new education policy agen-
das in Europe. Since the very process of problem creation already carries
the seed of its solution, a critical approach should be applied when studying
problems that are placed high up the EU policy agenda.
Problem represented to be
Oomen and Plant (2014) assert that the ESL problem could be studied
through Bacchi’s (2009) WPR (What’s the Problem Represented to be?) ap-
proach. The WPR approach starts from the premise that what policy ac-
tors propose to do about something reveals what they think is problemat-
ic (needs to change). Following this thinking, policies and policy proposals
contain implicit representations of what is considered to be the ‘problem’
(‘problem representations’). For example, if educators’ training is recom-
mended to reduce ESL, the implication is that the lack of educators’ compe-
tencies is the problem (a factor that causes ESL). Many other potential fac-
tors (e.g. at the individual or system level) are then left behind. By applying
the WPR approach, Bacchi suggests asking six questions4 in order to sub-
ject every problem presentation to critical scrutiny.
4 1) What’s the ‘problem’ /…/ represented to be in a specific policy or policy propos-
al? 2) What presuppositions or assumptions underpin this representation of the
‘problem’? 3) How has this representation of the ‘problem’ come about? 4) What is
364
Although arguments exist that wicked problems are difficult or impossible
to solve, Roberts (2000) pointed out three possible strategies to cope with
them: authoritative, competitive and collaborative. Constraints of the last
two open a space for the first one and enable a (specific and narrow) solu-
tion to be formed and thus understanding of the problem.
Governance of problems
Problem processing actually starts by searching for problems: governing
depends on identifying situations as problematic, acknowledging the ex-
pertise in connection with these problems and discovering governing tech-
nologies that are considered to be a suitable response (Colebatch 2006, 313).
Collective problem-solving means people have common values and joint-
ly identified policy goals (or a desired future situation) (Hoppe, 2011). Grek
(2010) argues that international institutions and organisations (European
Commission and OECD) are crucial in the construction of specific poli-
cy problems in the EU and thus the promotion of particular dispositions to
learning (therefore also to ESL) in member states. The process of problem-
atisation is thus the prevailing form of setting new education policy agen-
das in Europe. Since the very process of problem creation already carries
the seed of its solution, a critical approach should be applied when studying
problems that are placed high up the EU policy agenda.
Problem represented to be
Oomen and Plant (2014) assert that the ESL problem could be studied
through Bacchi’s (2009) WPR (What’s the Problem Represented to be?) ap-
proach. The WPR approach starts from the premise that what policy ac-
tors propose to do about something reveals what they think is problemat-
ic (needs to change). Following this thinking, policies and policy proposals
contain implicit representations of what is considered to be the ‘problem’
(‘problem representations’). For example, if educators’ training is recom-
mended to reduce ESL, the implication is that the lack of educators’ compe-
tencies is the problem (a factor that causes ESL). Many other potential fac-
tors (e.g. at the individual or system level) are then left behind. By applying
the WPR approach, Bacchi suggests asking six questions4 in order to sub-
ject every problem presentation to critical scrutiny.
4 1) What’s the ‘problem’ /…/ represented to be in a specific policy or policy propos-
al? 2) What presuppositions or assumptions underpin this representation of the
‘problem’? 3) How has this representation of the ‘problem’ come about? 4) What is
364
