Abstract
The role of accreditation in professionalizing an emerging field is examined in a study of on-site evaluation visits. Case records for five physical therapy education programs (including new and established programs at both public and private baccalaureate and entry-level master's programs in medical and nonmedical school settings) were analyzed by Glaser's constant comparative method. The study compared evaluators, teams, and programs in terms of a model of professional core values: (1) body of systematic knowledge; (2) professional authority; (3) community sanction; (4) self-control versus outside control; and (5) professional culture. A total of 362 references were made by on-site evaluation teams to all categories of professional values, with body of systematic knowledge accounting for 43% of value statements and professional culture accounting for 47%. A further breakdown of the number of references made to the value professional culture revealed 66% referred to the academic workplace. Body of knowledge statements varied in content but agreed on importance of developing research competence and cognitive skills in students. Professional culture statements gave priority to faculty research, with little reference to practice. Results highlighted team leader influence, with the most thorough leaders emphasizing quality assessment and program consultation. Team leaders who were elite members of the profession with higher education experience took a more active role in attempting to shape dominant professional values and create an elite institutional community. (LPG)