scholarly journals Validation arrangements for formally low-qualified staff in geriatric care: The Design-based Research project KomBiA

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernd Gössling ◽  
Janika Grunau
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Geriatric Care ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Design Based Research ◽  
Formal And Informal Learning ◽  
Innovative Solution ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Assistant Nurses ◽  
Viable Model

Validation arrangements aim to increase the visibility and recognition of non-formal and informal learning. For geriatric care in Germany, such validation arrangements currently do not exist. The workplace learning of assistant nurses is therefore yet to be documented and certified. The Design-based Research project KomBiA was initiated in order to solve this practical problem. The interventions, which were developed, tested and evaluated, are based on the CEDEFOP model for the validation of non-formal and informal learning in Europe, which had to be adapted and modified according to the national and sectoral specifics of geriatric care in Germany. The project set-up focused on the development of an innovative solution to the problem that could gain support among all major stakeholders. Hence, the project included practitioners representing different interests. The collaborative development of the prototype was tested and evaluated in a two-cycle-approach. On this basis, a viable model of validating non-formal and informal learning in the field was designed and corresponding design principles were deduced.

scholarly journals Workers’ Power and Intentional Learning among Non-managerial Workers

2008 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Livingstone ◽  
Milosh Raykov
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Intentional Learning ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Formal And Informal Learning ◽  
Managerial Employees ◽  
Workplace Authority

This paper explores relations of workers’ power, in terms of unionization and delegated workplace authority, with incidence of participation in adult education and job-related informal learning activities. Empirical analysis is based primarily on the first Canadian survey to document both aspects of workers’ power and both formal and informal learning. Prior inconsistent research on unionization and adult education is critically reviewed. The current study focuses on non-managerial employees between 25 and 64. The findings of this 2004 survey, as well as secondary analysis of other relevant surveys, confirm that union membership is consistently positively related to both participation in adult education and some informal learning topics. Delegated workplace authority also has positive effects on both adult education and some informal learning topics. While delegated workplace authority is not related to unionization, their positive effects on workers’ intentional learning are additive. Implications of these findings for further research and optimizing workplace learning are discussed.

Connecting formal and informal workplace learning with teacher proactivity: a proactive motivation perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 437-456
Author(s):  
Xianhan Huang ◽  
Chun Lai
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Teacher Learning ◽  
Educational Change ◽  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Formal And Informal Learning

Purpose It is vital in today’s society that teachers are proactively involved in educational change. Given that proactive motivation is a critical driver of proactivity, this study aims to investigate how teachers’ formal and informal workplace-learning experiences were connected with their proactive motivations to implement educational change. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a qualitative case study approach to describe the relationships between teachers’ formal and informal learning activities and their different proactive motivations. The authors collected data from 17 teachers via individual interviews and open-ended questionnaire and performed analyses using a continuous inductive and deductive coding process. Findings The authors found that informal teacher learning can trigger three types of proactive motivation, whereas formal teacher learning is mainly connected with the can do and energised to motivations. The authors also found that formal and informal learning complement and compete with each other in shaping the can do motivation. Moreover, the authors found that informal learning played the dominant role in the reason to motivation, whereas informal and formal learning were separately connected to the energised to motivation. Practical implications These findings indicate that greater attention must be paid to teachers’ informal workplace-learning experiences. Specifically, teachers’ informal learning experiences should be actively integrated into their formal workplace training to enhance their proactive motivation to educational change. Moreover, teachers’ learning preferences and teaching experience should be considered in the design of teacher-training programmes. Originality/value Based on the proactive motivation model of Parker et al. (2010), the authors have uncovered the mechanisms of workplace learning that drive teacher proactivity. The authors have examined the relationship between teachers’ formal and informal workplace-learning and proactive teaching. The findings will assist policymakers and administrators to identify effective means of motivating teachers to engage in workplace learning.

Psychological empowerment as an antecedent of workplace learning: A study in the context of SMEs in Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Tanveer Hussain Shah ◽  
Syed Mohsin Ali Shah ◽  
Junaid Athar Khan
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Psychological Empowerment ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Formal Learning ◽  
Important Form

A very important aspect of HRD research is Workplace Learning (WPL). WPL is very important considering its role in the development of skills and abilities of employees. Since employees are a crucial asset for organizations to achieve competitive advantage. Therefore, organizations must ensure continuous learning of their employees. This research was aimed at the investigation of the antecedent role of Psychological Empowerment (PE) for WPL. Using a quantitative approach, primary data was collected from 241 employees of 153 SMEs in Pakistan. Data was analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) by using PLS-SEM. The results of the study indicated that PE did play the role of an antecedent of WPL. Furthermore, Informal learning appeared as the most important form of WPL, followed by incidental and formal learning in SMEs in Pakistan. Keywords: Psychological empowerment; self-efficacy; workplace learning; self-determination; PLS-SEM.

Firm size and workplace learning processes: a study of the restaurant sector

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 305-320
Author(s):  
Daniel Bishop
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Firm Size ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Learning ◽  
Individual Choice ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper asks how workplace learning environments change as firm size increases, and how employees respond to this. In doing so, it looks beyond an exclusive focus on formal training and incorporates more informal, work-based learning processes. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a comparative, qualitative research design, using semi-structured interviews with an under-researched group of workers – waiting for staff in restaurants. The data were collected from six restaurants of different sizes. Findings As formally instituted human resource development (HRD) structures expand as firm size increases are more extensive in larger firms, this leaves less room for individual choice and agency in shaping the learning process. This does not inevitably constrain or enhance workplace learning, and can be experienced either negatively or positively by employees, depending on their previous working and learning experiences. Research limitations/implications Future research on HRD and workplace learning should acknowledge both formal and informal learning processes and the interaction between them – particularly in small and growing firms. Insights are drawn from the sociomaterial perspective help the authors to conceptualise this formality and informality. Research is needed in a wider range of sectors. Practical implications There are implications for managers in small, growing firms, in terms of how they maintain space for informal learning as formal HRD structures expand, and how they support learners who may struggle in less structured learning environments. Originality/value The paper extends current understanding of how the workplace learning environment – beyond a narrow focus on “training” – changes as firm size increases.

Undergraduate Students Engagement in Formal and Informal Learning: Applying the Community of Inquiry Framework

2021 ◽  
pp. 004723952110625
Author(s):  
Suparna Chatterjee ◽  
Julia Parra
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Educational Technology ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Formal And Informal Learning ◽  
Community Of Inquiry Framework ◽  
Technology Course

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine the evidence of formal and informal learning of students in an undergraduate educational technology course for preservice teachers. The research question was, “How do undergraduate students in an educational technology course bridge formal and informal learning using Twitter?” The framework for this study was the Community of Inquiry. Directed content analysis was used on data extracted from Twitter. Key findings included, (1) evidence of cognitive, social, and teaching presence for students completing course activities using Twitter, that is, for their formal learning; and that (2) students developed competencies during formal course activities using Twitter that supported cognitive and social presence beyond the course requirements, that is, for their informal learning.

Negotiating the boundaries between the formal and the informal: An experienced teacher's reflective adaptations of informal learning in a keyboard class for at-risk students

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Costes-Onishi
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
At Risk Students ◽  
Experienced Teachers ◽  
Formal And Informal Learning ◽  
Pedagogical Approaches

The objective of this study is to address the important questions raised in literature on the intersections between formal and informal learning. Specifically, this will be discussed within the concept of ‘productive dissonance’ and the pedagogical tensions that arise in the effort of experienced teachers to transition from the formal to the informal. This case study discusses the issues that ensue when strict demarcations between formal and informal are perceived, and demonstrates that the former is vital to the facilitation of the latter. The blurring of formal and informal pedagogical approaches has shown that the concept of ‘critical musicality’ becomes more apparent in student learning and that engagement increases especially among at-risk students.

scholarly journals Someone Like Us: Trades identities and support for work/learning

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-34
Author(s):  
Chris Holland
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Learning Support ◽  
Family Status ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Formal And Informal Learning ◽  
Emerging Themes ◽  
Language Literacy ◽  
Vocational Learning ◽  
Learning Connections

This paper reflects on specific findings from a 2009 study of on and off-job learning that explored apprentices’ learning experiences, formal and informal learning connections, and implications for language, literacy and numeracy in vocational learning. The study was conducted in the glazing industry in New Zealandi, and as part of that study, apprentice profiles were developed. This discussion focuses on three of those profiles and reflects on two emerging themes. The first theme is employer and apprentice perceptions of the value of apprentices coming from a ‘trades family’. The second theme is the range of inclusions and exclusions, advantages and disadvantages that apprentices experience depending on their ‘trades family’ status in both on and off-job learning. The paper then considers what kind of learning support might help integrate the different identities required within an apprenticeship.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document