Value conflicts in academic teaching
| Author | Gjalt de Graaf |
| Published date | 01 March 2021 |
| Date | 01 March 2021 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0144739420937755 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Value conflicts in academic
teaching
Gjalt de Graaf
Department of Political Science and
Public Administration, Vrije Universiteit
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Abstract
Many professors will recognize the dilemma when having to choose between the values
of professionalism and of collegiality. Everyone will endorse these two values as
important in academic teaching, yet professors sometimes find them conflicting. The
central research question of this manuscript is threefold: which value conflicts do aca-
demic teachers perceive in the Netherlands; what strategies are used to deal with these
conflicts; and what value profiles do they have? The empirical study took place at the
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Data from Q-methodological and 32 semi-structured
interviews were gathered and analysed to answer the research question. Thirty-five of
the 41 dilemmas found fell within three categories: dilemmas in this particular case study
of higher education occur mainly in the area of quality versus efficiency,quality versus equity
and between equality and reasonableness. Mostly the old institutional professional values
(quality of teaching, equality, and reasonableness) prevail among the academic teachers.
Yet, in these times of cutbacks, the tensions between the professional and economic
value systems are clearly prevalent in this Dutch case study. The most important coping
strategy is hybridization. This indicates something important about the profession of
academic teacher. Hybridization is a strategy often used when professionals cannot
choose between two values because they value both too highly. For better or worse, the
academic teachers (in this case) want to guard the quality of teaching against pressures
from career demands (doing research and publish successfully) and from cutbacks and
concomitant heavy teaching loads.
Keywords
Value conflict, dilemmas, coping strategies, Q-methodology, value profiles
Corresponding author:
Gjalt de Graaf, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Vrije
Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Email: g.de.graaf@vu.nl; Telephone: þ31 20 5986813
Teaching Public Administration
2021, Vol. 39(1) 107–124
ªThe Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/0144739420937755
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Background and research questions
In the Netherlands, universities are public organizations, and, as with public service
delivery and other professions, there are conflicting values (and loyalties) at all levels in
academic education. The rules on integrity are not always clear, and the choices to be made
are not always between good and bad. Many professors will recognize the dilemma when
having to choose between the values of professionalism and of collegiality (Winter, 2009).
Everyone will endorse these two values as important in academic teaching, yet professors
sometimes find them conflicting. An example would be when grading a master’s thesis as
a second reader. When in doubt that a thesis should be awarded a pass, one might feel
pressure in relation to the supervisor to allow the student to pass. Impartiality – treating all
students the same – is another value we all agree is important in teaching. But what does
that mean in practice when teaching and grading in academia? Dividing the teacher’s time
equally among all students? Or helping those students who are struggling? Or investing
more time in challenging the best students to get the most out of them?
The central research question of this article is threefold: which value conflicts do
academic teachers perceive in the Netherlands; what strategies are used to deal with
these conflicts; and what value profiles do they have?
The empirical study consists of one case in the Netherlands: the study took place at
the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. Q-methodological and 32 semi-
structured interviews data were gathered and analysed to answer the research question.
Values, university and the profession of academic teacher
Here values are studied in universities. Values are defined as qualities appreciated for,
contributing to or constituting what is good, right, beautiful or worthy of praise and
admiration (De Graaf and Van der Wal, 2008). Public values are the important qualities
of public governance. Norms are regulations prescribing proper general and situational
conduct. Value conflict is the tension one experiences between two or more values; value
profiles the values one considers most and least important.
Together with the Water Authorities and the Catholic Church, universities belong to the
oldest institutions in the Netherlands. Institutions are characterized by specific values
which determine for a large part the actions of their members (Van de Donk, 2014): ‘In
universities, perhaps the “most value-laden institutions in modern society” (Scott, 2004),
values such as collegial governance, institutional autonomy and academic freedom have a
long tradition of defining the essential elements of academic and university identities’
(Winter, 2009: 122). In most accounts of the ideal university, the university is characterized
as a community of scholars, committed to the pursuit of truth (Lawton, 2019), which is
marked by ‘honesty, intellectual courtesy, indifference to mere fashion in ideas’ (Coady,
2000: 6). Generally regarded values belonging to university identities include the value of
truth, critical inquiry, an appreciation of learning, and intellectual freedom (Becher and
Trowler, 2001; Hussey and Smith, 2010; Winter and O’Donohue 2012: 565).
In the academic literature, there is more attention to the identities of academic
teachers than their value conflicts or value profiles (e.g. Morales V´azquez, 2019; Shams,
108 Teaching Public Administration 39(1)
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