Changing Cultural Conditions for Knowledge Sharing in the Teaching Profession: A Theoretical Reinterpretation of Findings Across Three Research Projects

Abstract

How professionalism relates to developments in society has been widely discussed, and concepts such as “hybrid” and “connective” professionalism have been proposed to account for the way professionals interact with a range of actors and organisations beyond the professional realm. However, the critical role of knowledge-sharing practices for developing and maintaining professionalism has attracted less attention. Such practices have been conditioned by wider cultural dynamics, thus subjected to changes over time. In this paper, we present a theoretical reinterpretation of findings from three projects targeting knowledge-sharing practices in the Norwegian teaching profession over 14 years. We employ Knorr Cetina’s theory of epistemic cultures as nourished by the wider knowledge culture in society to analyse how changes in knowledge-sharing practices relate to cultural conditions. The paper contributes to current debates about professionalism by highlighting how connectivity and legitimacy depend on productive knowledge relations within and beyond professional boundaries.