A SPATE of scandals in banking, politics, religious life and social work has raised deep concerns about the education of professionals, according to US academic Prof Nona Lyons.
“Recent worldwide catastrophes in several professions have raised questions about the education of bankers, accountants, mortgage lenders, social workers, the clergy as well as politicians,” she said.
Prof Lyons was speaking in Cork at a reception to mark the publication of her book on reflective inquiry.
“Their practices have revealed to observers deep concerns about professional education and the sense that present practices are mismanaged, short-changing both the profession as well as the professional.”
She said there was particular concern about the role of ethics in professional learning and development.
“In the past, professionals were seen as the guardians of doing what is right or just, but that is no longer true. There have been omissions in thinking critically, as well as in acting to address ills of bad practice that seemed blatant.”
Prof Lyons has worked with UCC for the past 10 years as a visiting scholar and said the new book, Handbook of Reflective Inquiry, was a UCC story.
She edited the book, which presents the work of 40 international authors, including six from UCC. It reviews how people in a range of professions are being educated to think and to be reflective about their work.
One of the contributors, Dr Carmel Halton of UCC’s school of applied social studies, said the recent Roscommon abuse case showed the need for reflective inquiry and collaboration between the various professions.
“Look at the Kilkenny incest case, the Kelly Fitzgerald case and now the Roscommon case,” she said.
“Most of the reports talk about systems failing and the failure of communication and collaboration between the different groupings.”
Prof Lyons said it must be acknowledged that the way in which professionals think is as important as what they know.
She said a legal education must be an ethical education “steeped not simply in legal issues, but rather steeped in the issues arising from the actual life experiences of the individuals involved”.
Prof Lyons said the scandals highlighted the need for reflective inquiry by all professionals.
Handbook of Reflection and Reflective Inquiry: Mapping a Way of Knowing for Professional Reflective Inquiry is published by Springer Press
