Professional Practices

"There is recurrent public concern with enhancing the quality of professional performance. What is the contemporary understanding of professionalism? Are the needs of professionals in various fields being met in today's world, as what is commonly called "continuing professional development" has become a sizable industry? Many books treat the professions as a homogeneous group and view them from an external standpoint. In Professional Practices, Tony Becher investigates the differences as well as the similarities between and within professional groupings, and presents the perspectives of insiders. One particular theme concerns the main patterns of change in professional careers and the specific problems faced by women professionals in a largely male-dominated environment."--BOOK JACKET. "Practicing professionals will benefit from this insight into how people in their own and other professions cope with similar problems. Becher's volume will be particularly appealing to educationists, policymakers, and social scientists interested in the subject of professionalism, those involved in the provision of initial and mid career change for the professions, and those with a lay interest in the topic."--BOOK JACKET.