Professionalism Essay

Concept of Professionalism

The concept of professionalism is defined from the point of several different perspectives. The term is used in different senses and can be somewhat difficult to define. For example, in daily language, professionalism is generally used to mean an activity for which one is paid as opposed to one done voluntarily. The term is also used to classify the status of occupation groups in terms of respectability (Kennedy, 2007). In 1975, Hoyle defined professionalism as "those strategies and rhetoric's employed by members of an occupation in seeking to improve status, salary and conditions" (cited in Evans, 2007).
The need to attain and develop certain standards and benchmarking criteria for all professions has increased

In other words professionalism is measured by the best and the highest standards (Phelps, 2006:21). Furthermore, Evans (2008) has noted that “what professionalism is and how it is constituted remains under-examined in the broad sociological field and particularly in the context of education”. Stevenson, Carter and Passy (2007) follow the same line with Ozga (1995:35), stating that “it is more useful to approach professionalism as an ideological construct that is neither static nor universal, but located in a particular socio-historical context and fashioned to represent and mobilize particular

Most professionals are now employed, or at least regulated by governments. Professional status, therefore, is typically dependent on the sort of bargain an occupation has struck with the state – what is sometimes called professional mandate‟. The nature of teachers‟ professional mandate has become a key policy issue for governments in many countries, sometimes as part of a broader attempt to redefine professionalism, especially in the public sector, and sometimes as a specific aspect of education reform‟ (2008: