Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This is a qualitative data collection. This project explored the impact of paperwork demands on people’s experiences in two contrasting educational workplaces. It focused on two case study sites: an Adult Education College, and an Early Years Education Centre. The broad aim of the project was to understand more about how changing textual processes are transforming the nature and experience of work in contemporary society. Its more specific objectives were:

• to document the literacy practices of workers in contrasting educational environments, focusing particularly on paperwork perceived as being generated by external demands
• to develop understandings of the effects of these demands on workers’ experiences, identities and social practices in the workplace, from their perspectives
• to develop understandings of how these demands have changed in recent years, and the impact of these developments

These questions were explored through interviewing people about their workplace practices, observing them in the workplace and making detailed fieldnotes, and asking people to keep logs of the paperwork they encountered over a one week period.

Further information about the project and links to publications are available on the ESRC Paperwork and pressure in educational workplaces: the textual mediation of target culture award webpage and the University of Lancaster Paperwork and pressure in educational workplaces project webpage.


Main Topics:

Topics addressed in interviews included:

• the types of paperwork people were dealing with
• their nature and functions in the workplace
• the effects of paperwork demands on experiences, identities and workplace practices
• local factors which shape the experiences of paperwork demands