Fiscal Cuts in Education and Their Effects - Politicising Learned Helplessness as a Disciplinary Technology in Education Leaders in Catalonia - An Exploratory Research Study

Oct 15, 2026

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The study explores how head teachers and other education service leaders in Catalonia experience identity shifts during a decade of education budget cuts, and considers potential effects during the COVID-19 crisis. It develops an exploratory hypothesis for 2008–2015 crisis years and 2015–2020 nonrecovery years, using Ball’s “ratchet effect” to link cuts to learned helplessness (LH). Four interviews indicate selective cuts became normalized, producing political learned helplessness as a disciplinary technology shaping leaders’ subjectivity. Leaders also show (ir)responsible resistance practices as care for self and others, while further research is needed to capture complexity and ambiguity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Research focus and hypothesis

Methods and interviews

Key exploratory findings

Implications and further research needs

| education policy analysis archives A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal | | | --- | --- | | Arizona State University | | | Volume 30 Number 159 November 1, 2022 ISSN 1068-2341 | | Fiscal Cuts in Education and Their Effects: Politicising Learned Helplessness as a Disciplinary Technology in Education Leaders in Catalonia. An Exploratory Research Study Jordi Collet-Sabé University of Vic-UCC Spain Marta Garcia-Molsosa University of Girona Spain Matthew Clarke University of Aberdeen United Kingdom & Charlotte Haines Lyon York St John University United Kingdom Citation: Collet-Sabé, J., Garcia-Molsosa., M. Clarke, M., & Haines Lyon, C. (2022) . Fiscal cuts in education and their effects: Politicising learned helplessness as a disciplinary technology in education leaders in Catalonia. An exploratory research study. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 30 (159) . [https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.30.7210](https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.30.7210) Abstract: The paper aims to explore how head teachers and other education service leaders and their teams have been experiencing shifts in their identities during the last decade of education cuts in Catalonia (Spain), and the possible effects during the current COVID-19 crisis on educational leaders. Our exploratory hypothesis covers the crisis years (2008–2015) and on into the nonrecovery years (2015–2020) until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. During these years, through what Ball (2008) describes as a “ratchet effect,” education cuts and their everyday effects in schools produced learned helplessness (LH) in head teachers and leaders. Theoretically, we propose to examine this malaise from a political angle, seeing it as a disciplinary technology to transform education leaders’ identity and practices. To corroborate this, we conducted four interviews with head teachers of different public primary, secondary, and special education schools, and apsychopedagogical service leader in the same semi-rural area in Catalonia. The exploratory results show that the incremental and selective cuts soon became a new normal and created feelings of (political) learned helplessness that may be seen not as negative side effects but as a disciplinary technology that reshaped leaders’ subjectivity. At the same time, education leaders carried out some (ir)responsible practices of resistance that can be understood as care of the self and others. More research needs to be done with different agents to capture the complexity and ambiguity of cuts and LH as a political phenomenon. Keywords: education policy; education cuts; learned helplessness; ratchet effect; disciplinary technology; Catalonia Los efectos de los recortes en educación: Politizando el concepto de indefensión aprendida como tecnología disciplinaria sobre los líderes educativos en Cataluña (España) . Una investigación exploratoria Resumen: El artículo busca explorar como los directores, directoras y otros líderes educativos y susequipos han vivido los recortes en educación en Cataluña. Nuestra hipótesis exploratoria es que durante los años de la crisis económica (2008–2015) y a través de lo que Ball (2008) llama el “efectocarraca,” los recortes en educación y sus efectos en la vida cotidiana de las escuelas produjeronindefensión aprendida en estos líderes educativos. A nivel teórico, proponemos politizar este malestar, analizando la indefensión aprendida como una tecnología disciplinaria que transforma laidentidad de los líderes educativos y sus prácticas. Para contrastar esta hipótesis, realizamos cuatro entrevistas con cuatro directores/as de escuela pública primaria, secundaria, de educación especial y de un servicio público de psicopedagogía en la misma área semi-rural de Cataluña. Los resultadosexploratorios son que los crecientes y selectivos recortes pronto devinieron la nueva normalidad eneducación y produjeron sentimientos de indefensión aprendida. Unos sentimientos que an

FAQs

What time period does the exploratory hypothesis cover?

It covers the crisis years 2008–2015 and extends into 2015–2020 nonrecovery years up to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How does the study connect education cuts to learned helplessness?

Using Ball’s “ratchet effect,” it argues that education cuts and their everyday school impacts produce learned helplessness (LH) in head teachers and education leaders.

How were the exploratory results obtained?

The study conducted four interviews with head teachers from different public primary, secondary, and special education schools, and a psychopedagogical service leader in a semi-rural Catalonia area.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca