Ministry of higher and secondary special education of the republic of uzbekistan

The substance of professionalism
Freidson’s interpretation of professionalism, above, incorporates references to features that might generally be equated with elements of professional culture. Implicit in the interpretation – with its focus on ideology and a special set of institutions – is homogeneity of values and viewpoints. It is this homogeneity amongst its membership that Johnson (1972) suggests as one of the features of a profession.
The relationship - and the distinction – between professional culture and professionalism are relevant to examination of the substance of professionalism. On the basis of examination of most of the interpretations and definitions presented so far, as well as those presented below, it may be argued that professional culture makes up a large proportion of what, in many cases, is considered to be professionalism. An interpretation of professionalism as ‘something which defines and articulates the quality and character of people’s actions within that group’, (Hargreaves and Goodson’s reference to some writers’ interpretations, 1996, p.4) is indistinct from what may reasonably be presented as an interpretation of professional culture, and these authors’ own ‘principles of postmodern professionalism’ (Hargreaves and Goodson, 1996, p.4) include several that equate to manifestations of professional culture. Sachs’ (1999, pp. 83-85) five ‘core principles’ of teacher professionalism in the new millennium, and Freidson’s (1994, p.10) and Johnson’s (1972, p.53) emphases on ideological consensus and shared outlook as constituent elements of professionalism could also just as easily be features of, or principles underpinning, professional culture.
Although, based on examination of many interpretations, it may be argued that professionalism is constituted largely of professional culture, it is evidently also something more. The consensus of interpretation suggests that professionalism goes beyond professional culture by delineating the content of the work carried out by the profession, as reflected in accepted roles and responsibilities, key functions and remits, range of requisite skills and knowledge, and the general nature of work-related tasks. Whilst professional culture may be interpreted as shared ideologies, values and general ways of and attitudes to working – ‘a configuration of beliefs, practices, relationships, language and symbols distinctive to a particular social unit’ (Hoyle and Wallace, 2005, p. 103) - professionalism seems generally to be seen as the identification and expression of what is required and expected of members of a profession. Day (1999, p.13) implies an interpretation of professionalism as a ‘consensus of the “norms” which may apply to being and behaving as a professional within personal, organizational and broader political conditions’.
If professional culture is incorporated within, and constitutes a large element of, professionalism it is likely to have evolved as such as an inevitable by-product of it, although, as I discuss below, I do not believe this is likely to be a unidirectional relationship. The distinction between professional culture and professionalism is, arguably, that the former is more attitudinal than behavioural in its focus and the latter more functional than attitudinal, though this may at times be a rather blurred distinction. The relationship between the two, I suggest, is that professional culture may be interpreted as the collective, predominantly attitudinal, response of people towards the professionalism that predominantly defines how they function.