Understanding expertise

This paper aims to continue along a line of research (Bou and Sauquet, 2005) focusing on how professionals develop and use knowledge in practice. It is aligned with a stream of research that understands that knowledge and practice have a rich, complex and productive relationship. In this paper we take a closer look at the issue of expertise as part of the exploration of knowledge and practice. This is a central issue for professionals as they claim to have a special degree of expertise. However, expertise is a problematic issue. Philosophers have accurately questioned the possibility of developing expert judgement (Wittgenstein, 1953) on the basis of the problems involved in developing expert judgement and its complex relationship with rules, experience and learning. Indeed, this last statement comprises many of the central issues encountered in this research.