Professional Responsibility – An Issue for Higher Education? |
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| Authors: | Tone Dyrdal Solbrekke Berit Karseth |
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| Institution: | (1) Institute for Educational Research, University of Oslo, P.O.Box 1092, Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway |
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| Abstract: | The aim of this article is to shed light on some aspects of professional responsibility by investigating students’ visions
of future work and notions of professional responsibility. The data is based on interviews with samples of freshmen in three
educational programmes at the University of Oslo in Norway. The data has been analysed in relation to two thesis claimed by
Steven Brint: “The rise of a utilitarian ethos” in higher education and the movement from “social trustee professionalism”
to “expert professionalism”. The findings show that the students in our sample do not think of higher education primarily
as a means to get credentials that will be useful in the labour marked. An intellectual interest in the discipline is the
most prevalent reason for the students’ educational choices. Furthermore our findings support an orientation towards “expert
professionalism” rather than “social trustee professionalism”. But, embedded in the perspective of an expert there is an emphasis on ethical knowledge, moral and/or societal responsibility
and the wish to do good for others. However, the students’ sense of responsibility seems to be restricted to certain “localism”
of their specific occupation. Based on the findings we argue that the students reveal a moral awareness that should be taken
seriously by the educational institution in order to foster critical rationality and professional commitments. |
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| Keywords: | higher education moral issues professionalism professional responsibility students’ orientations |
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