Transcript Professionalism, Professionality and Professional Development

Theoretical perspectives on
professionalism,
professionality and
professional development
invited seminar at the University of Cape Town
26th September 2008
Dr Linda Evans
School of Education, University of Leeds, UK
Professionality and
professionalism

Eric Hoyle:

professionalism - status-related
• the institutional component of professionalisation

professionality - knowledge, skills &
procedures used in one’s work
• the service component of professionalisation

‘extended’-‘restricted’ professionality
continuum
Professionality orientation: teachers
Eric Hoyle, 1975
‘Restricted’ professionality
‘Extended’ professionality

Skills derived from experience


Perspective limited to the
immediate in time and place


Introspective with regard to
methods


Value placed on autonomy


Infrequent reading of
professional literature
Teaching seen as an intuitive
activity



Skills derived from a mediation
between experience & theory
Perspective embracing the
broader social context of
education
Methods compared with those
of colleagues and reports of
practice
Value placed on professional
collaboration
Regular reading of
professional literature
Teaching seen as a rational
activity
‘Extended’ and ‘Restricted’ Researcher
Professionality
The researcher located at the ‘restricted’ extreme of the
professionality continuum typically:
The researcher located at the ‘extended’ extreme of the
professionality continuum typically:
conducts research that lacks rigour;
conducts highly rigorous research;
draws upon basic research skills;
draws upon basic and advanced research skills;
fails to develop or extend her/his methodological competence;
strives constantly to develop and extend her/his
methodological competence;
utilises only established research methods;
adapts established research methods and develops
methodology;
fails to develop basic research findings;
generates and develops theory from research findings;
perceives research methods as tools and methodology as a taskdirected, utilitarian process;
perceives research methodology as a field of study in itself;
applies low level analysis to research data;
strives constantly to apply deep levels of analysis to research
data;
perceives individual research studies as independent and freestanding;
recognises the value of, and utilises, comparative analysis,
meta-analysis, synthesis, replication, etc.;
perceives individual research studies as finite and complete;
constantly reflects upon, and frequently revisits and refines,
his/her own studies;
struggles to criticise literature and others’ research effectively;
has developed the skill of effective criticism and applies this to
the formulation of his/her own arguments;
publishes mainly in ‘lower grade’ academic journals and in
professional journals/magazines;
publishes frequently in ‘high ranking’ academic journals;
is associated mainly with research findings that fall into the ‘tips for
practitioners’ category of output.
disseminates ground-breaking theoretical issues and
contributes to, and takes a lead in developing, discourse
on theory.
The ‘restricted’-’extended’ teacher
professionality continuum
Professionality and
professionalism
Professionality is: an ideologically-, attitudinally-,
intellectually-, and epistemologically-based stance on the
part of an individual, in relation to the practice of the
profession to which s/he belongs, and which influences
her/his professional practice.
Evans, L. (2002) Reflective Practice in Educational Research (London, Continuum)
Hoyle (2008) ‘the service component of professionalism’
Professionality and
professionalism
Professionalism is:
 the ‘plural’ of professionality;
 professionality writ large;
 the amalgamation of individuals’ professionalities.
Professionalism is: professionality-influenced practice that is
consistent with commonly-held consensual delineations of a
specific profession and that both contributes to and reflects
perceptions of the profession’s purpose and status and the
specific nature, range and levels of service provided by, and
expertise prevalent within, the profession, as well as the
general ethical code underpinning this practice.
(Evans, L. (2008) ‘Professionalism, professionality and the development of education
professionals’, British Journal of Educational Studies, 56 (1), 20-38)
Professionalism and professionality

Professionality is: an ideologically-, attitudinally-,
intellectually-, and epistemologically-based stance on the
part of an individual, in relation to the practice of the
profession to which s/he belongs, and which influences
her/his professional practice.

Professionalism is: the perceived enactment of
professionality-influenced practice that is consistent with
commonly-held consensual delineations of a specific
profession and that both contributes to and reflects
perceptions of the profession’s purpose and status and
the specific nature, range and levels of service provided
by and expertise prevalent within the profession.
Key components of professionalism
Subjective
professionalism
Intellectual
component
Attitudinal
component
Functional
component
comprehensive
dimension
perceptional
dimension
processual
dimension
epistemological
dimension
evaluative
dimension
procedural
dimension
rationalistic
dimension
motivational
dimension
productive
dimension
intellectual
component
What do practitioners know and
understand?
What does the professional
knowledge base comprise?
Are there specialist areas?
Are there minimum (general)
practitioner knowledge
requirements?
What is the basis of practitioners’
knowledge?
Common sense and experience?
Research and/or scholarship?
•In which disciplines/subjects?
•What depth?
•What width?
•Contextual differences?
To what extent do practitioners
apply reason to decision making?
Is practice underpinned by
rationality, intuition, or a mediation
of the two?
comprehensive
dimension
epistemological
dimension
rationalistic
dimension
attitudinal
component
perceptual
dimension
evaluative
dimension
motivational
dimension
How do practitioners perceive things
(issues, situations, people, activity, etc.)?
How do they perceive their profession
and its purpose?
What perceptions do practitioners
hold?
What perceptions do they not hold?
How widespread/consensual are specific
perceptions?
Are there any key/core perceptions?
How do practitioners evaluate things
(issues, situations, people, activity, etc.)?
How do they evaluate their profession
and its purpose?
What values do practitioners hold?
How widespread/consensual are these
values?
Are there any key/core values?
How motivated are practitioners?
What motivates them?
How motivated are practitioners?
What motivates them?
functional
component
What processes do practitioners
apply to their practice?
Advising?
Educating?
Regulating?
Policy analysis?
Knowledge generation?
Learning?
Inter-institutional collegiality?
procedural
dimension
What procedures do practitioners
apply to their practice?
What hierarchical procedures
operate within the workforce?
What stratification exists within the
workforce?
Mode(s) of communication?
Mode(s) of implementing policy?
Mode(s) of regulating?
Mode(s) of innovating?
How is responsibility distributed for knowledge/role coverage?
What layers of practice exist?
productive
dimension
What is the nature of practitioners’
output?
How much do practitioners
produce?
What (if any) productive
yardsticks guide them?
What do practitioners ‘do’ – their
remit and responsibilities?
Is their workload determined by the
clock – set hours?
Is workload determined by the task –
in response to need?
processual
dimension
The professional development
process in individuals
2
Recognition of
perceived improved
alternative (a better
way)
1
Recognition of workrelated deficiency or
imperfect situation
Linda Evans (2007)
3
Motivation to adopt
perceived improved
alternative (or better
way)
4
Adoption of perceived
better way
Evaluation and
refinement of adopted
alternative
5
Recognition of new
practice as an
improvement
6
The professional development
process in individuals (model 1)
2
Recognition of
perceived improved
alternative (a better
way)
1
Recognition of workrelated deficiency or
imperfect situation
Linda Evans (2007)
3
Motivation to adopt
perceived improved
alternative (or better
way)
4
Adoption of perceived
better way
Evaluation and
refinement of adopted
alternative
5
Recognition of new
practice as an
improvement
6
The professional development
process (model 2)
2
Recognition of
work-related
deficiency or
imperfect situation
1
3
Motivation to adopt
perceived better way
of doing things
Recognition of a
better way of doing
things
Linda Evans (2007) - work in progress
4
Adoption of perceived
better way
Evaluation and
refinement of adopted
alternative
5
Recognition of new
practice as an
improvement
6
Definitions of professional
development


Professional development is: the
process whereby people’s
professionalism and/or professionality may be
considered to be enhanced.
Within this overarching definition, my current definition of individuals’
professional development is: the enhancement of their
professionality, resulting from their acquisition, through a
consciously or unconsciously applied mental
internalisation process, of professional work-related
knowledge and/or understanding and/or attitudes and/or
skills and/or competences that, on the grounds of what is
consciously or unconsciously considered to be its/their
superiority, displace(s) and replace(s) previously-held
professional work-related knowledge and/or
understanding and/or attitudes and/or skills and/or
competences. (Evans, 2008, work-in-progress)
The professional development
process in individuals
Components:
 recognition that there’s an alternative
 a better way
 ‘encountering’ a specific alternative
 evaluating the specific alternative
 recognising the specific alternative as a better way
 implies recognition of the perceived relative inadequacies of
previous practice/views/knowledge etc.
 adoption of the perceived better way
 evaluation of the newly adopted practice/views/attitudes etc. as
better than what it/they replaced
Evans (2008) work-in-progress
Professional development:
an ontological model (2002)
Professional
Development
Functional
Development
Procedural
Change
Productive
Change
Attitudinal
Development
Intellectual
Change
Motivational
Change
Professional development:
an ontological model (2008)
(Evans, work in progress)
professional
development
intellectual
development
attitudinal
development
functional
development
comprehensive
change
perceptional
change
processual
change
epistemological
change
evaluative
change
procedural
change
rationalistic
change
motivational
change
productive
change
Issues for consideration

Does the model apply to all elements of
professional development?

May each element involve a different
process?

Is there a process that, at the lowest
reductionist level, is applicable to all three
elements?

stimulus to modify professional practice, or
related attitudes, knowledge and/or
understanding?