On Teachers’ Interpretations of Responsibility in a Norwegian Language Training Programme

Abstract

This study aims to investigate how teachers carry out their professional responsibility in daily teaching. It is conducted at a school that offers language training programs for adult immigrants and refugees. The data is based on participant observation in classrooms and interviews with the teachers. The findings indicate that a clear consciousness of the role of a teacher seems to be a “governing principle” for the practice of professional responsibility, whether the role concerns being accountable regarding the teacher’s contract with the greater society or moral considerations in the daily student and teacher interaction.