Analytic Quality Glossary
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Citation reference: Harvey, L., 2004–12, Analytic Quality Glossary, Quality Research International, http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/
This is a dynamic glossary and the author would welcome any e-mail suggestions for amendments or additions.
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A profession is a group of people in a
learned occupation, the members of which agree to abide by specified rules of
conduct when practicing the profession.
explanatory
context
There are many professions and they are
controlled to varying degrees by professional, regulatory or governmental bodies. Typical
professions are medicine, dentistry, law, engineering, architecture, social
work, nursing, accountancy. Most definitions of profession identify Ôworking
for the public goodÕ as among the characteristics of the profession.
The terms ÔprofessionÕ (the area of study
and work) and Ôprofessional bodyÕ (the organisation that regulates or has
oversight of the profession) sometimes merge in popular usage.
analytical
review
The
Australian Council of Professions (2004) defines Ôa professionÕ as follows:
A profession is a disciplined
group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards and uphold themselves to,
and are accepted by, the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a
widely recognised body of learning derived from research, education and
training at a high level, and who are prepared to exercise this knowledge and these
skills in the interest of others.
It is inherent in the definition of a profession that a code of
ethics govern the activities of each profession[al]. Such codes require
behaviour and practice beyond the personal moral obligations of an individual.
They define and demand high standards of behaviour in respect to the services
provided to the public and in dealing with professional colleagues. Further,
these codes are enforced by the profession and are acknowledged and accepted by
the community.
Boone (2001) states:
Professions are based on
scientific and philosophical facts acquired through scholarly endeavor (1). Individuals who
enter a profession do so for reasons that distinguish them from other work or
vocations. They understand that their work renders a unique public
service with a scientific or philosophical basis and/or body of knowledge that
requires an extended period of academic and hands-on preparation.
Professions are also based on specialized skills necessary for the professional
to perform the public service.
Southern Illinois
University (2004) proposes that
professions have the following common characteristics:
á
Associated
with a profession is a great body of special knowledge.
á
Preparation
for a profession includes training in applying that knowledge.
á
The
standards of a profession are maintained at a high level through the force of
organization or concerted opinion.
á
Each
member of a profession recognizes his or her responsibilities to the public
over and above responsibilities to clients or to other members of the
profession.
This matches the earlier views of
Burbules and Densmore (1991) identify the characteristics of a profession as:
professional autonomy; a clearly defined,
highly developed, specialized, and theoretical knowledge base; control of
training, certification, and licensing of new entrants; self-governing and
self-policing authority, especially with regard to professional ethics; and a
commitment to public service.
Pratte and Rury (1991), focus more on
status and remuneration in their list of the characteristics of a profession:
remuneration, social status, autonomous
or authoritative power, and service.
The UK Inter-professional Group (UKIPG, undated, p. 1) defines a profession as:
an occupation in which an individual uses an intellectual skill based on an established body of knowledge and practice to provide a specialised service in a defined area, exercising independent judgement in accordance with a code of ethics and in the public interest.
Shift towards indirect monitoring
The report of the Higher Education Better Regulation Group (HEBRG) (2011) explored changes over the last decade and a half.
Over 15 years ago, the Quality in Higher Education (QHE) (Harvey, Mason and Ward, 1995) project reviewed the extremely varied field of professional and regulatory bodies (PRBs) and surveyed 110 organisations relevant to HE. Of the 74 respondents who identified themselves as professional bodies, only 10 had both statutory powers and offered chartered status; 21 offered chartered status but did not hold regulatory powers; three had regulatory powers but did not offer chartered status; and 40 possessed neither regulatory powers nor chartered status. The review identified that PRBs define knowledge and competence, assure standards and quality provision, and provide CPD.5 It was also noted that there was a growing tendency for professional bodies to trust HEIs to provide initial education, and to delegate responsibility in this area to them. The authors found that most professional bodies placed maintenance of standards at the heart of their work often as part of their statutory responsibility to ensure minimum standards to enter a profession. The burden of quality monitoring was identified as a significant issue for HE staff and the report recommended that professional bodies shift away from direct control of standards, and move towards indirect monitoring instead. Fifteen years later, there is clear evidence of PSRBs moving towards indirect monitoring and a number of initiatives to better align quality assurance and data collection in HE. (HEBRG, 2011, pp. 9Ð10)
related terms
See
sources
Australian Council of Professions, 2004, About
Professions Australia : Definition
of a Profession http://www.professions.com.au/defineprofession.html
Boone, T., 2001, ÔConstructing a ProfessionÕ Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline:
An international electronic journal for exercise physiologists, 4(5) May, ISSN
1099-5862 http://www.css.edu/users/tboone2/asep/ConstructingAprofession.html
Burbules, N., & Densmore, K., 1991,
The limits of making teaching a profession. Educational Policy, 5(1), pp. 44Ð63.
Pratte, R., & Rury, J. L., 1991,
ÔTeachers, professionalism, and craftÕ, Teachers College Record, 93, pp. 59Ð72.
Southern Illinois University, 2004, Engineering as a Profession http://civil.engr.siu.edu/intro/profession.htm,
undated page, accessed November
2004, not available 23 January 2012.