Australian social work academics' perceptions of their teaching roles within higher education

The marketisation of higher education (HE) has created a number of
tensions and ideological dilemmas that may influence how
academics see their roles and teaching practices. This paper
explores how academics in the discipline of social work (who were
also in leadership roles) perceive their roles and identities and
manage the tensions and dilemmas that arise for them as teachers
in the current HE environment. Unless the tensions and dilemmas
are articulated, it is not possible to understand and manage their
impact on academics. This may lead to the loss of quality learning
experiences for students and lower workplace satisfaction. This
paper addresses the research question: were there ideological
dilemmas experienced by social work academics in the current
environment and if so, what subject positions did they adopt in
response to these? A discursive psychology approach was used to
answer this question. Data showed a range of ideological
dilemmas represented by each of the different subject positions
adopted. The paper concludes with questions for readers to
consider, generating ideas for transferring understanding of these
ideological dilemmas into positive action within the workplace.