Towards an Understanding of How School Administrative Clerk’s Negotiate Their Work in Public Schools: A Social Worlds Perspective

Abstract

There is a dearth of literature concerning the social worlds of school administrative staff. The aim of the presentpaper is to understand the complex (social) reality of their work. Hence, the researchers used the notion of social worlds as a theoretical lens. The theoretical lens challenged us as researchers to understand the administrative clerk not as individuals but as participants within the social world of public schools. A qualitative methodology and case studies with multiple levels of input from participants were used. The researchers argued that the agency of the school administrative clerk lies in reworking, reconstructing, and influencing the social world of the school. The researchers asserted that the social worlds of school administrative clerks are closely tied to their perspectives, that is, their subjective understanding of their social context. The researchers argued that school administrative clerks are an integral part of the school social world-much more than the current discourse gives them credit for. The researchers findings suggestedthat the role of school administrative clerks needs to be re-imagined and reconceptualized to recognize the existing commitments that they are dedicated to. Finally, using social world’s theoretical lens clarifies the crucial role of administrative clerks for the successful running of their schools.