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Abstract

The major objective of this dissertation is to survey
and comment upon the usages of the term 'responsibility' in
education with particular reference to the bearing of such usage
on educational administration. It is a commonly held view that
the concept of responsibility is closely linked with the concept
of education and that it has application within the enterprises
that we label 'educational'. With this view in mind . we tend to
agree that educators should accept a heavy responsibility burden
and in order to do this it is necessary for them to be very
responsible people. Many educational theorists would also hold
that to be regarded as responsible would be a positive and perhaps
necessary attribute of the 'educated man'. The term 'responsibility' can have a variety of meanings
and it seems that a lack of clarification or specification in this
regard can lead and has led to a degree of practical and conceptual
difficulty for those involved in educational decision making. It
appears that the term is used not only too freely and in a loose
and inconsistent manner but also that such usage has tended to
obscure certain value-laden aspects of the concept of education.
Abstractions such as those closely related to the usage of terms
like 'responsibility', 'education', and 'society' are complex and
fraught with conceptual difficulty. In an attempt to overcome
the problems derived from such difficulty it will be necessary to
make some general assumptions in relation to what is meant and
what is desired.. Particular efforts will be made to emphasize
areas where inconsistency, avoidable ambiguity, combined with
disregard for logical argument have proved detrimental to the
quality of education taking place. It is intended to briefly
survey a number of issues and to deal more fully with those which
appear to have specific significance and application to educational
practices in the local situation. In the course work leading up to this dissertation, I
was concerned at the apparent lack of liaison between the
philosophical and the administrative aspects of our education
system. There are a number of reasons for this, not the least
being the difficulties of combining particular disciplines or
areas of knowledge and enquiry in such a way as to make them
more widely available and acceptable to educators in general.
Those involved in administration often find that the continuing
demands of the on-going task do not allow them time to involve
themselves in philosophical considerations which could, on more
careful analysis, be regarded as vital to the success of the
schooling and educational enterprises for which they are responsible.
The study has been undertaken with the practicalities
of educational administration and management specifically in mind
and some efforts have been made to curtail involvement in complex
theoretical debate. To do this it has been necessary to bring
together philosophical and practical issues in a discursive and
meaningful manner.
Some of the stipulations made in relation to the term
'education' will reflect my own views, and it is my main intention
to aid, where possible, the understanding of those administrators
or managers who are familiar with the local situation. Any attempts
to put forward radical innovative educational theories, Or even to
discuss alternative theories in detail, would tend to detract from
the aim of the exercise which is to reveal the central importance
of the concept of responsibility in the current management of education.

Item Type:	Thesis - Unspecified
Authors/Creators:	Hiller, PE
Keywords:	Educational accountability, School management and organization
Copyright Holders:	The Author
Copyright Information:	Copyright 197-? the Author - The University is continuing to endeavour to trace the copyright owner(s) and in the meantime this item has been reproduced here in good faith. We would be pleased to hear from the copyright owner(s).
Additional Information:	Thesis (M.Ed.)--Tasmanian College of Advanced Education, [197-?]. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [68]-[70]
Item Statistics:	View statistics for this item

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