Vertical and horizontal specialization within the teaching profession

Abstract

Since the 2000s, several educational reforms have aimed to contribute to more specialized teachers and teacher educations, including the introduction of a five-year master’s degree and the teacher specialist scheme. However, point of departure for this article is that it is often unclear what the concept of specialization encompasses, and that we need new and more precise terms to understand what specialization entails and implies. By offering two new concepts that refer to two distinct forms of specialization – horizontal and vertical specialization – the purpose is to make a conceptual contribution that can nuance the debates on specialization in the teaching profession. The article demonstrates how horizontal and vertical specialization can be seen as two various ways of organizing teachers’ knowledge and work, and how these forms of specialization have been reinforced and challenged by educational reforms over the last two decades. Finally, the article discusses the implications of horizontal and vertical specialization, and how these concepts illuminate, expand, and challenge existing perspectives on specialization.