AUTONOMY IN HIGHER EDUCATION: SOME RESEARCH FINDINGS
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb009731 |
| Published date | 01 February 1975 |
| Date | 01 February 1975 |
| Pages | 37-45 |
| Author | ADAM GRAYCAR |
| Subject Matter | Education |
THE JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
VOLUME XIII, NUMBER 2 OCTOBER, 1975
AUTONOMY IN HIGHER EDUCATION: SOME
RESEARCH FINDINGS
ADAM GRAYCAR
It is generally held that the educational programmes of any higher educational institution,
i.e. what is taught and how it is taught, are determined by those in the educational institu-
tions.
In this paper the notion of autonomy is examined and a distinction is made between
"subjective" and "objective" notions of academic freedom. A sample of academics in
professional schools in a university and a college of advanced education was interviewed and
their perceptions of their autonomy are discussed.
INTRODUCTION
In order that the quality of tertiary education reaches and maintains
high standards there is within academic circles a commitment to the value
of academic autonomy and on this basis a host of questions arises. How
autonomous are tertiary educational institutions? What is the basis for the
academics' claim to autonomy? How are non-academic interests com-
municated? Does the communication and accommodation of non-
academic interests compromise the freedom or autonomy of academics?
A study was conducted of the factors that influence the education of
professionals in Australia, focusing particularly on the education of
engineers. A study was made of the educational interests of the profes-
sional association (the Institution of
Engineers,
Australia), the educational
interests of the engineering industry, the educational interests of
Government—both federal and state, and the perception of
these
interests
of academics actively involved in teaching.
Within the engineering education system claims to autonomy come
from the profession, the tertiary institutions, the individual academics and
increasingly, from students. Within any educational system there can be
no absolute autonomy. The participants interact with each other, and ul-
timate policy decisions are dependent upon the variety of interests. This
paper focuses on general issues relating to the concept of autonomy and
shows that academics in professional programmes, who believe they are
autonomous, are subject to non-academic pressures, and thus have their
autonomy limited.
DR. ADAM GRAYCAR is a Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, Flinders University
of South Australia. He holds the degrees of B.A. and Ph.D. of the University of New South
Wales. Dr. Graycar has published a variety of articles on policy making in health, welfare
and education.
To continue reading
Request your trial