Impact of social constructs on administrator understanding of social justice
Abstract
Educational administrators are expected to relate social justice considerations to
their actions and to the theoretical foundations of their practice. At the same time, social
constructs-including those related to administrative practice, social justice, and societal
norms-are important in helping administrators understand, frame, and describe
administrative issues. Furthermore, as part of socially constructed language, these
constructs represent discursive practices and accepted ways of knowing, valuing, and
experiencing the world. Drawing on the multidimensional methods of critical discourse
analysis as articulated in the writings of Michel Foucault, Norman Fairclough, and Allan
Luke, and using deconstruction as a strategic device for reading and interpreting texts,
this exploratory qualitative study examined how administrator knowledge, values, and
experiences impact their understanding of social justice within the context of delivering
social justice for students who experience bullying. Study findings reveal that school
administrators interpreted social justice as equitable distribution, action, and results;
fairness; and equity. Constructs embedded in these interpretations assumed common
things such as universal acceptance of norms of social relations and conveyed
administrator intent to secure the kind of social relations that enabled individuals to enjoy
greater equality within existing social arrangements.