The professionalism of professors at German Fachhochschulen.

In the debate about the (de-)professionalising effects of current higher education reforms in Germany, the non-university institutions (Fachhochschulen) have mostly remained silent. Unlike university professors, Fachhochschul professors do not seem to regard managerial and market-oriented reforms as a threat to their professionalism. While the reasons may not be hard to find, the question arises as to how Fachhochschul professors - who are tenured academics with years of work experience outside academia - construct their professional ideal. Based on a survey, this article develops a model of Fachhochschul professors' normative professionalism, analyses what prevents them from achieving it, and finds that professors perceive their substantial teaching obligation as the principal threat to their professionalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)