Responsibility and education : a study of the meaning and application of the term 'responsibility' in educational discourse with particular reference to its bearing on educational administration and management

摘要

The major objective of this dissertation is to surveyudand comment upon the usages of the term 'responsibility' inudeducation with particular reference to the bearing of such usageudon educational administration. It is a commonly held view thatudthe concept of responsibility is closely linked with the conceptudof education and that it has application within the enterprisesudthat we label 'educational'. With this view in mind . we tend toudagree that educators should accept a heavy responsibility burdenudand in order to do this it is necessary for them to be veryudresponsible people. Many educational theorists would also holdudthat to be regarded as responsible would be a positive and perhapsudnecessary attribute of the 'educated man'. The term 'responsibility' can have a variety of meaningsudand it seems that a lack of clarification or specification in thisudregard can lead and has led to a degree of practical and conceptualuddifficulty for those involved in educational decision making. Itudappears that the term is used not only too freely and in a looseudand inconsistent manner but also that such usage has tended toudobscure certain value-laden aspects of the concept of education.udAbstractions such as those closely related to the usage of termsudlike 'responsibility', 'education', and 'society' are complex andudfraught with conceptual difficulty. In an attempt to overcomeudthe problems derived from such difficulty it will be necessary toudmake some general assumptions in relation to what is meant andudwhat is desired.. Particular efforts will be made to emphasizeudareas where inconsistency, avoidable ambiguity, combined withuddisregard for logical argument have proved detrimental to theudquality of education taking place. It is intended to brieflyudsurvey a number of issues and to deal more fully with those whichudappear to have specific significance and application to educationaludpractices in the local situation. In the course work leading up to this dissertation, Iudwas concerned at the apparent lack of liaison between theudphilosophical and the administrative aspects of our educationudsystem. There are a number of reasons for this, not the leastudbeing the difficulties of combining particular disciplines orudareas of knowledge and enquiry in such a way as to make themudmore widely available and acceptable to educators in general.udThose involved in administration often find that the continuinguddemands of the on-going task do not allow them time to involveudthemselves in philosophical considerations which could, on moreudcareful analysis, be regarded as vital to the success of theudschooling and educational enterprises for which they are responsible.udThe study has been undertaken with the practicalitiesudof educational administration and management specifically in mindudand some efforts have been made to curtail involvement in complexudtheoretical debate. To do this it has been necessary to bringudtogether philosophical and practical issues in a discursive andudmeaningful manner. udSome of the stipulations made in relation to the termud'education' will reflect my own views, and it is my main intentionudto aid, where possible, the understanding of those administratorsudor managers who are familiar with the local situation. Any attemptsudto put forward radical innovative educational theories, Or even touddiscuss alternative theories in detail, would tend to detract fromudthe aim of the exercise which is to reveal the central importanceudof the concept of responsibility in the current management of education.