Schooling for Work in New Zealand: Reproduction, Contestation and Transformation in three High Schools

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Abstract
This study records messages given to students about work within three high schools in New Zealand. Attention was given to overt and covert messages, and to those messages embedded in the structure of schooling itself. The study contributes to the debate within the ‘new’ sociology of education in that it focuses on the relationship between schooling and the established order in society. The data collected show that generally, the form, con tent and pedagogy of schooling function to serve the needs of industry rather than those of democracy. While teachers are described as functioning in the reproductive mode, the contradictions and conflicts observed are highlighted to show that reproduction does not take place without contestation. This opens up spaces wherein students and teachers can exercise agency and autonomy to question ‐‐and formulate alternatives to ‐‐the structure.