Social Justice Dispositions in Schools (Routledge Research in the Sociology of Education)

Against the backdrop of equity-sensitive approaches within education policy and practice, inequalities in student attainment remain a persistent problem. In response, this book advances the concept of social justice dispositions (SJDs), offering a new perspective by shifting the focus to what operates between the values and beliefs of policymakers and educators and the actual everyday practice evident within classrooms.

In this intermediary space between belief and practice, this book conceives of social justice dispositions being one part of a larger collection of dispositions that constitute one’s habitus, drawing from the work of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. Bringing this together with methodological insights from cultural-historical activity theory, the authors seek to identify a spectrum of social justice dispositions that influence the pedagogic work of schooling―dispositions evident both in the pedagogic authority of school leadership and in the pedagogic action of classroom teachers.

The book contributes new lines of inquiry, conceptual tools, and novel methodological approaches to advance social justice research and outcomes in education. As such, it is essential reading for academics, scholars, and postgraduate researchers working in the space of critical research and sociology of education.

Russell Cross is Professor of Education at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He specialises in Vygotskian sociocultural accounts of teachers’ professional knowledge, practical expertise, and professional learning and development.

Carmen Mills is Associate Professor at The University of Queensland, Australia. Her work within the field of the sociology of educaion draws on Bourdieu and focuses on educational inequality.

Trevor Gale is Emeritus Professor of the Sociology of Education and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, UK. His research is focused on the reproduction of inequalities through schooling and higher education.