Using the Capacity Approach to improve the sustainability of teacher inservice training 6 Causal links between valued functionings and empirical behaviour

As discussed previously, a Critical Realist Theory of Causation can be used to causally link constrained well-being to teachers’ ‘deficient’ or ‘negative’ practices and behaviours. Teachers’ valued functionings can be viewed as the causal mechanisms that generate much of their behaviour, and various conditions of service (conversion factors) constrain what teachers value being and doing. Teachers’ deliberation then determines whether they choose to comply with constraints (thereby not achieving their valued functionings), or whether to contend with them, which often leads to the production of certain ‘deficient’ behaviours, such as absenteeism or corporal punishment.

For example, several teachers articulated with quantity and depth their valuing of being able to take care of their families. This functioning ‘being able to take care of family’ entails the physical act of caring, such as preparing food, as well as the symbolic act of providing, such as paying for private school and clothing. When asked about constraints on their ability to care and provide for family, teachers remarked that a low salary was the greatest impediment to both. Although many teachers saw a lack of funds as a systemic problem that they could not do much about, others seemed determined to contend with such a constraint by seeking other avenues for income. As one peri-urban female teacher commented,

Sometimes you find time to escape and look for work so that you can get money so that you can take your kids to school. I will look, if the head is not there, then I will escape. Or I will lie and say I’m sick so that I can go and find other work. So the result is the bad behaviour of escaping or saying lies (Peri-urban female teacher).

This very candid response demonstrates the instrumentality of income for achieving this valued functioning and how constraint via a low salary prompts some teachers to seek supplementary income elsewhere. Sen (1999: 14) is very sympathetic to the ‘usefulness’ of income, and states, ‘‘we generally have excellent reasons for wanting more income or wealth. This is not because income and wealth are desirable for their own sake, but because, typically, they are admirable general-purpose means for having more freedom to lead the kind of lives we have reason to value.’’

Using the Capacity Approach to improve the sustainability of teacher inservice training

Valued Functioning

Being able to take care of family

Enabling conversion factors

Environmental resources, time

Social sharing of responsibility

Personal energy levels

Decision by teacher (to realise valued functioning)

Empirical event 1

Teacher takes care of family

Empirical event 2 Teacher decides not to take care of family

Constraining conversion factors

Environmental work hours, travel distance, low salary

Social unequal gender roles

Personal low energy

Decision by actor (to comply or contend with constraint)

Empirical event 3

Teacher cannot take care of family (distraction, lack of focus in class)

Empirical event 4 Teacher takes second job to take care of family (lack of preparation, absenteeism)