Discursive Perspectives on Education Policy and Implementation

This edited volume demonstrates some of the potential contributions of discourse analytic approaches to the study of education policy and its implementation within particular policy contexts. Contributing authors provide a range of perspectives, examining education policy using both micro-analytic traditions and more macro-analytic traditions. With examples of research focused on various stages of the policy process from agenda-setting and policy-making to implementation and media representations, this volume will appeal to scholars engaged in research at the intersection of education policy and discourse analysis, and to students with specific interests in education policy and qualitative research methods.


Jessica Nina Lester is Assistant Professor of Inquiry Methodology in the School of Education at Indiana University, USA. Much of her research is positioned at the intersection of discourse studies and disability studies. She has published widely, most recently co-authoring a methods textbook and co-editing two handbooks on mental health and discourse/conversation analysis.

Chad R. Lochmiller is Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in the School of Education at Indiana University, USA. His current research focuses on education policy issues, particularly those related to school finance, human resource management, and leadership development.

Rachael E. Gabriel is Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Connecticut, USA. Gabriel's research interests include teacher preparation, development and evaluation, and literacy instruction, interventions, and related policies. Her current projects investigate opportunities for adolescent literacy development, disciplinary literacy, and tools for teacher evaluation.