3. Competence and expertise

Expertise is a complex phenomenon that has been explored in various disciplines. In psychologically oriented research, expertise has been studied, in particular, as the development of high-level competence, whereas a social sciences orientation has focused on expertise as a communal and societal phenomenon. Interesting from the perspective of philosophy is, for example, the essence of expertise and expert knowledge as well as the ethics of action. Themes related to expertise and its development include, for instance, learning at the interfaces of education and working life, learning in different communities and networks, professional identity and agency, and the management and development of organizations. Expertise changes, and so do the ways of supporting it. Therefore, we also focus on the expertise needed in the future and the perspective of continuous learning.

The study of these themes is integrated with the development of students’ own expertise in educational sciences. The construction of expertise in educational sciences is a process that continues throughout one’s studies and professional career. The studies support the development of students’ self-knowledge and growth towards ethically sustainable agency in education. Students develop, direct and reflect on their own expertise in educational sciences. One’s own way of being an expert evolves through awareness of the values, attitudes, emotions, interests, and principles guiding one’s activities. In addition, students become aware that expertise in education does not develop in a vacuum but is constructed socially, and that professional activities are determined by various preconditions, such as acts, decrees and curricula. The phenomenon of competence and expertise is connected to the psychology of education, the sosiology of education and the philosophy of education. It can be analyzed through a range of the key concepts of educational sciences, including expertise, learning, guided learning and schooling.



Consider how the phenomenon competence and expertise can be examined from the perspective of the disciplines above. Choose the psychology of education, the sociology of education or the philosophy of education and come up with an example. You can use the Map of Educational Sciences for help.