Teacher professionalism, expertise and the jurisdictional struggle

Abstract

In this paper, the relationship between teacher professionalism, expertise and educational knowledge is examined via the sociology of the professions, studies of professional knowledge, and the philosophy of expertise. Drawing on the work of Abbott the jurisdictional context of teaching is foregrounded, with a focus on (i) how educational problems are defined; (ii) professional knowledge-in-use (or diagnosis, inference and “treatment” in teaching); and (iii) the potential of systematically organised abstract knowledge base for teaching. It is suggested that teaching is a profession particularly vulnerable to external jurisdictional challenge, with little opportunity for protection against forms of what Abbott terms “advisory” or “subordinate” jurisdiction through state intervention. Reflecting on this context, it is suggested that a key task for teachers and educational researchers internationally is to gain greater control of the definition of educational problems and construct a knowledge base that is more suited to the distinctive purpose of teaching practice.