Academic Attitudes toward Basic Higher Education

Abstract

In Swedish higher education, a prolonged debate has focused on the distinction between specialized training oriented toward vocational preparation and a general academic training oriented toward the idea of a liberal arts education. This theme is part of the broader problem of how to plan basic higher education. Centrally conceived reforms have met with definite attitudes among those active in the day to day operations in the system of higher education. This article maps these attitudes toward the orientation of basic higher education among Swedish academics. The findings indicate that the academics themselves unanimously value the contact between research and training but they are divided on the issue of specialized training versus general education. Moreover, those responsible for the inner life of academia place high value on the quality of the training provided.