Adult education as theory, practice and research: The captive triangle
Abstract
The authors argue that the aim of research should be to improve practice through a process of critical reflection. Focusing clearly on the everyday concerns and problems of practitioners, they emphasize the importance of practical knowledge. Their definition of 'practice' is wide, and includes the generation of theory and the doing of research as well as front-line teaching. They show how notions of 'adult learning' and 'the adult learner' have been constituted mainly through theory and research in psychology and sociology, and examine action research as a mode of understanding. They conclude by looking at the curriculum implications for the teaching of adult education as reflective practice.
... Since the recession was extremely severe in Finland, there aroused a widely accepted need for change as a matter of survival and the societal conditions encouraged learning and making organisational changes by dialogue processes [15,16]. Another line of theoretical influence came from researchers in the field of adult education who had applied AR in their educational activities [4,17], emphasizing critical approaches and emancipation as an objective. ...
... Although Habermas's (1984; [22,23] critical theory and ideas of communicative action are often seen as too abstract and idealistic [17]) to be applied in practice, ideality is also seen as a valuable starting point to create something new. We refer to Day (1993) [24] (p. ...
... As in any case study, the case-specific prerequisites and constraints of change, if subjected to further study, will enhance the understanding of the phenomena in question. While Usher and Bryant (1989) [17] emphasise the situatedness of any enquiry, we can conclude that the way AR is carried will contribute to the situatedness and alter the potential for actual change to take place. This points to the need for continuous flexibility in planning and conducting the AR processes. ...
The continuously changing world creates new challenges, large-scope issues, both at the community and the organizational level. Currently, sustainable development is among the key issues demanding organizational learning and new ways of operation. The paper looks for the potential of Scandinavian communicative-oriented action research (AR), applied in dialogue forums, to enhance learning and planning of integrative solutions to meet the needs of various actor groups. The paper links two intertwined AR lines of a Finnish work research institute to the contexts of classic and current AR discussion and their original social conditions in the early 1990s, when they were challenged by a severe recession. The characteristics of communicative spaces applied in the two cases are analysed qualitatively. The data, consisting of case reports, are reread and interpreted in a framework that concretizes Habermasian ideals of free communication. The elements of organisational learning and power embedded in the organisational positions of the participants dealing with large-scope societal issues are made explicit. Free communication and joint agreements of concrete plans require active agency that can be learned in a psychologically and socially safe communicative space where Habermasian lifeworld and system interact. The research shows the malleability of dialogue-based communicative spaces that can be applied in versatile social and organizational conditions. A future option would be a continuous dialogue applied in permanent dialogue structures. keywords: societal challenges as large-scope issues; action research; communicative spaces; organizational learning
... Eraut (2007) develops the concept of informal knowledge theory further and suggests that a key element of this informal knowledge is cultural knowledge that is based on shared meanings and understandings acquired informally through participation in wider social activities. The opposite of informal knowledge is formal knowledge which has more scientific origins and aligns with propositional knowledge, in education there can be synergy between informal and formal knowledge via research activity whereby poorly understood informal knowledge can be clarified (Usher and Bryant, 1989). ...
... In framing this ontological and epistemological deliberation, Usher and Bryant (1989) offer the concept of the ` captive triangle` as a structure which assists in uniting the terminologies and perspectives into an education field. Usher and Bryant (1989) depicts how practitioners engage in a triangle of practice whereby theory and research are the base and practice is the structure or application. ...
... In framing this ontological and epistemological deliberation, Usher and Bryant (1989) offer the concept of the ` captive triangle` as a structure which assists in uniting the terminologies and perspectives into an education field. Usher and Bryant (1989) depicts how practitioners engage in a triangle of practice whereby theory and research are the base and practice is the structure or application. Good practice is achieved when the researcher engages in dialogue with all three realms and the relationship between all three will shift as knowledge and understanding changes. ...
This thesis investigates an active European Nurse Education Network, illuminating its complex practices and the impact these have on the participants involved. The study employed a case study methodology with an iterative three phased design, acknowledging the multi-dimensional nature of knowledge and practice of networks within real work life situations.
Interpretations of the results were synthesised through the lens of Putnam’s (2000) theory of social capital. Findings revealed that practices have created a strong bonding social capital which has been influential in the sustainability of the network alongside having an effect on the participants involved. Relationships matter in social capital, using this lens enabled an insight of how social capital ebbed and flowed through the network and the significant tensions that were created as a consequence. Positive repercussions have ensured that the network has been successful in securing student placements for an exchange programme across Europe, has enabled self-governance of the network and is a learning factor for individual work related learning for participants. However, negative consequences include hegemonic and exclusive practices which contribute towards inequality and compliance relationships within the network. These findings provide guidance for future network activity highlighting the risks of relying solely on social capital for sustenance and governance. In contrast, the findings also illustrate that social capital has potential as a learning factor within work related learning which would be beneficial for future professional development programmes for nurse educators.
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... 22,23 Theories and models of adult learning and education contribute greatly to health coaching as theses theories recognize that adults intrinsically learn in a wide variety of ways. 24,25 The transtheoretical model for the stages of behavior change is relied upon to identify where the patient is with regards to their process of behavior change. 18 This model subdivides behavior change into different stages that a person would transverse in order to alter their behavior. ...
... Principles of adult learning and education work well with health coach training. 24,25 That is, training can begin with a needs assessment that assesses what trainees already know about the basic principles and concepts that underlie health coaching. A curriculum needs to be in place, which is relevant to pharmacists and community/ambulatory care pharmacy practice. ...
... 9 Some models that are already used in the U.S. by health and disease management providers focus on the usage of Health Risk Assessment Models, which help place patients into different categories to be able to identify high risk patients. 24 In traditional community/ambulatory care practice, initial target patients could be those with chronic health condition(s) that may not be optimally controlled despite the best effort of health care professionals. 24 Future research in pharmacist health coaching As health coaching is new to the pharmacy profession, opportunities exist for new avenues of research. ...
This paper describes a provider-patient communication process, which although not new to health care in general, is new to the pharmacy profession. Health coaching is a technique that empowers patients to make lasting health behavior changes that improve overall well-being. It provides patients with health care implementation options that better suit their lifestyle and abilities. Health coaching programs have the potential to foster better health outcomes, especially with patients who are chronically ill or represent an at risk population for medication non-adherence (e.g. elderly, patients on psychotropic medications). Other health professions (e.g. nursing and medicine) have had success with the implementation of health coaching models. For example, nurse coaching is recognized by the American Nurse Association and recent statistics show 3.1 million nurses in the U.S.A are also trained in nurse coaching. The pharmacy profession has yet to tap the patient-related benefits of health coaching. This commentary will discuss (i) The theoretical foundations of health coaching (ii) Distinctions between health coaching, motivational interviewing and traditional medication therapy counseling (iii) Training necessary for health coaching; and (iv) How pharmacists can use health coaching in practice.
... Based on these findings, the conclusion can be drawn that GraniteNet volunteers at the time of the study were experiencing significant and valuable learning through their workplace experiences that was not only serving an instrumental purpose in terms of being a means to a desired or valued end, but also the kind of learning that "furnish[es]…direct increments to the enriching of lives" (Dewey, 1916 Educational Values 2, The valuation of studies, para 2). The field of adult education practice embraces many different kinds of practitioner on a continuum from the full-time, professional adult educator to individuals whose vocational and community activities have implications for adult learning (Usher & Bryant, 1989). The findings reveal how GraniteNet volunteers perform a range of activities that have significant implications for adult learning, from teaching older adults basic digital literacy skills in a face-to-face, informal learning environment to facilitating community and network learning via sharing of information and knowledge in blended online and face-to face learning communities. ...
... Related to this are new understandings and insights generated about learning through volunteering as a phenomenon linked to adults' growing capacity for metacognition and reflexivity in the interests of understanding and furthering their own learning. Most significantly, the findings reveal how, as community volunteers contributing to the organisation's digital inclusion work, adult learners themselves can exercise their agency to become experts in understanding and facilitating their own learning while also developing their capacities to support others' learning through the practice of doing so (Usher & Bryant, 1989), shedding light on the mechanisms through which adults' learning through workplace experiences in community volunteering contribute to their agency and lifelong learning while also generating wider collective benefits. ...
Workplace experiences are central to adults’ learning and development, providing opportunities for significant and valuable lifelong learning. Research into adults’ learning in volunteer work attests to its significance and value across the spectrum of adult learning, serving instrumental, social, and altruistic purposes for the learner and enriching lives through furnishing individual, collective and broader community benefits. But how does adults’ learning through workplace experiences in community volunteering contribute to their agency and lifelong learning while also generating
wider collective benefits? What are people learning, and what are the learning incentives, processes, mechanisms and affordances at play? This article reports selected findings from a phenomenographic investigation into a group of community volunteers’ experiences of workplace learning in a social enterprise in an Australian rural town coming to grips with transitioning to life in a digital era. The findings illuminate the experience of community-based workplace learning from the adult learner’s perspective, and specifically, learning embedded in social participation in rural community volunteering and associational life, providing new insights about adults’ experience of learning through volunteering in the interests of understanding and furthering their own lifelong learning and development goals while contributing to their communities of interest, practice and place.
... This points to what Usher and Bryant (1989) Learning does not occur in a vacuum, it is socially constructed; a view that contrasts with theories of learners as 'empty vessels' to be filled until they are able to work within the context that is created for them. This view acknowledges that learning contexts in higher education are also socially constructed, as is the learning that takes place, and that when a learner enters and experiences higher education they enter a system that is not value free; where decisions can be made and power used to influence learning. ...
... Action research can be criticised for lack of generalisability since every project is different and the product of such research speaks only for that situation and no other (Usher and Bryant, 1989). However, in: ...
p>The research illuminates current practice and the potential of higher education to educate the individual with regard to their awareness and understanding of their own learning through exploration of the tutor-student relationship. Within conventional tutor-student relations the tutor holds the authority. The research has explored that for students to increase responsibility for their learning, an 'adjustment of authority' needs to occur.
Case study data has been explored in line with a critically reflective action research approach with tutor as researcher in order to gain insight to the student experience of the 'adjustment of authority'. Examination of the data has resulted in the emergence of principles to practice that recognise the relational nature of authority and responsibility and which indicate the need for the development of an appropriate context in order that students are able to increase responsibility for their learning.
The research has also resulted in the nature of the practitioner being challenged and reconstructed through the continual exploration of practice. The practitioner is able to learn about their practice, whilst remaining open to further learning and whilst mindful of their situatedness.
Through critical reflexivity this research attempts to move beyond the limitations of practice and focus on the personal research journey which provides a dynamic structure for understanding the experiences offered within the research.</p
... The discussion in chapter 1 introduced the challenges of To asess the "educate" part of the research question, this chapter builds on Usher and Bryant (2014). They introduce the 'captive triangle' of theory, practice and research to better understand education. ...
... Chapter 3 will explore the design theory and practice in detail in relation to entrepreneurship education.2.7 Conclusion: Need for new insightsThe scientific literature on entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education only partly answers RQ1 on how to better understand and educate the new venture creation process. The conclusion of this chapter is based on the captive triangle ofUsher and Bryant (2014) of scientific knowledge, practical knowledge and educational research activities. The scientific knowledge from the field of entrepreneurship about the business proposition development process, is not sufficient as a theoretical basis to educate the process of business proposition development. ...
In our daily practice of teaching and coaching students how to develop their business proposition for their high tech new ventures, we build on innovation and design sciences. In developing their business proposition, students engage in several activities simultaneously and also change their activities frequently. How can we, as educators, understand this process of always changing activities while being in the midst of coaching students? We investigate this process by analysing coaching conversations we have with students in our course Clean Tech Launchpad. Based on the theory of complex responsive processes of relating and the participatory innovation construct ‘quality of conversation’, this paper discusses how design as a social activity around the business proposition takes place in the interaction between coaches and students. Therefore, we introduce the term ‘Quality of Entrepreneurial Design Conversations’. This local creation of meaning helps to design the business proposition development process of students.
... Brookfield describes how critical thinking and self-reflexivity are important to understanding the influential factors upon individuals at work and the strategies used to deal with every day tensions and dilemmas (1991). He cites writers such as Carr and Kemmis (1983), Usher and Bryant (1989), and Usher (1989) to indicate that: ...
In the theory and practice of adult education and training, much of the writing on informal learning has focused on three main topics. These topics tend to represent the importance of informal learning as a valid form of knowledge acquisition; they explore how people learn from experience, and they seek to establish how learning from experience can be best facilitated and assessed. A postmodern critique of experiential learning has also emerged which challenges the arguments of each of these perspectives. The postmodern critique asks "why has this form of learning become an important discourse at this particular historic moment?" This article is primarily concerned with the underlying philosophies of these topics. It argues that the uses of informal learning will tend to embody the values and ultimate goals of its implicit philosophy. Developing a socially useful theory to eliminate oppression now requires attention to the elusive conditions of post modernity, and informal learning-at work and in education-is a central feature of these conditions. Résumé Les écrits théoriques et pratiques sur l'apprentissage informel traitent principalement de trois sujets. On y décrit l'importance de l'apprentissage informel en tant que mode valide d'acquisition de connaissances; on y explore les méthodes employées par les apprenants en situation informelle; enfin, on cherche des moyens pour soutenir et évaluer les apprentissages informels. Une critique postmoderne de l'apprentissage expérientiel remet en question chacune de ces trois perspectives, en posant d'abord la question: «Pourquoi cette forme d'apprentissage occupe-t-elle une place aussi importante dans le discours actuel, à ce moment de l'histoire?» Le présent article se penche sur les implications philosophiques de cette question. On verra que l'apprentissage informel reflète des valeurs, des buts et une philosophic implicites. Afin d'élaborer une théorie sociale utile à la lutte contre l'oppression, il faut tenir compte des conditions cachées de la post-modernité; parmi ces conditions, l'apprentissage informel en milieu de travail et dans les institution d'enseignement occupe une place de premier plan.
... These expanded interpretative boundaries encourage individuals to engage in "broad thinking" (Vogus, Rothman, Sutcliffe, & Weick, 2014, p. 592) and result in increased receptivity to alternative perspectives (Rees et al., 2013;Rothman & Melwani, 2017). Ambivalence promotes double-loop learning in which underlying assumptions and framing are questioned (Usher & Bryant, 1989), allowing individuals to think more deeply. In alliances, this openness to alternative perspectives and questioning of underlying assuptions is especially important as the alliance team members are faced with potentially competing parent firm goals and frames that introduce conflicting viewpoints and considerations they must engage with cooperatively to accomplish alliance work. ...
Several decades of alliance research have examined management of the opposing competitive and cooperative tensions inherent to the alliance context. The firm-level mechanisms of relational governance, trust, and contracts are widely discussed, but far less attention is given to the individual members of the alliance team and their experience of the cooperation-competition tension. Similarly, alliance process research falls short of describing how managers effectively manage alliance team members so that competition does not erode alliance performance. This is an important gap, and if not managed , alliance team members can cognitively withdraw from the activities that enable benefits to their firm as well as the alliance: effective problem solving, knowledge sharing, and collaboration. Drawing upon the growing body of research on the advantages of ambivalence, "the simultaneous experience of opposing orientations toward an object or target" (Rothman, Pratt, Rees, & Vogus, 2017, p. 35), we show that when alliance team members embrace "holism"-both the competitive and cooperative orientations at the team and individual level-they can improve alliance outcomes as well as firm-34 H. SCHLOEMER, K. M. ROGERS, and L. POPPO level outcomes. Our theoretical model posits that harnessing ambivalence can enhance cognitive processing at the individual and team levels, promoting problem solving, perspective taking, and creativity. The psychological mechanisms of psychological safety and nested identities, along with dual compensation and knowledge sharing operational routines, are core to fully harnessing "ambivalence" to benefit both the firm and the alliance.
... According to this perspective, learning was presumed to be the fruit of classroom-based social interactions between learners and a teacher equipped with a broad range of cognitive abilities such as knowledge of students, familiarity with learning/teaching context, and self-awareness (Johnson, 2009). During this era, a fierce debate raged between scholars of the time (e.g., Brookfield, 1993;Usher & Bryant, 1989) over the nexus of theory and practice. Notwithstanding the differences in theorizing the link, a clear consensus was made whereby an effective teaching performance, along with adequate theoretical knowledge, was believed to be dependent upon practical knowledge (Mehrpour & Moghadam, 2018). ...
Despite its enrichment, the literature on teacher self-efficacy lacks evidential data on the changes in both hidden and observable variables underlying this multifaceted construct. To compensate for this substantial gap, the current study compared patterns of cognition, metacognition, emotion, and behavior across three groups of Iranian EFL teachers with scant, moderate, and considerable teaching experience. 382 Iranian EFL teachers participated in the current study, filling out five well-established survey instruments targeted at measuring pedagogical knowledge, teaching reflection, motivational needs satisfaction, teaching styles use, and work engagement. The survey data were compared across the three groups based on a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). According to the results, the groups differed significantly on a linear combination of the five variables. The discriminant function analysis (DFA) results showed that pedagogical knowledge and motivational needs satisfaction acted as a concordant pair and explained the heaviest load of the overall between-group differences. The significantly higher levels of pedagogical knowledge and motivational needs satisfaction among the moderately experienced teachers, compared to those of their less and more experienced counterparts, suggested that Iranian EFL teachers' sense of efficacy reaches its peak in the middle years of teaching life. The findings may provide new insights into the ways of setting English teachers of various experiential backgrounds on the road to optimum efficacy.
... Ez a gondolat ezt a kérdést még tovább differenciálhatja. Egy jó elmélet segíthet megérteni és továbbfejleszteni a saját gyakorlatunkat, például Usher és Bryant a felnőttoktatói stílust gyakorlati elméletfejlesztésként írják le (Usher-Bryant, 1989), melyre Sz. Molnár Anna is rámutat a felnőttoktatók készségeinek vizsgálatában (Sz. ...
... This theory-practice problem has long been a topic of debate in the field of education (e.g., Day, fernandez, Hauge, & Møller, 2000;usher & Bryant, 2014). However, the question inevitably arises as to whether the intersection of theory and practice necessarily represents a dilemma. ...
... The most basic response to a difficult situation is to try alternative ways to solve the problem. In professional terms, the emphasis is placed on the technical aspects of practice, and any reflection, if it really exists, is directed towards making the techniques more effective (Usher & Bryant, 1989) leaving personal goals, values and beliefs unquestioned. At this level, described by Argyris and Schön (1974) as singleloop learning, practitioners notice that one particular strategy did not produce the expected result and decide to adopt a different line of intervention without really exploring why the expected result was not achieved. ...
... Underlying principles are not questioned. The focus is on solving problems and on making techniques more efficient (Westley 2002;Usher and Bryant 1989). Adaptive learning is more discontinuous in time and space. ...
Climate change, ecological degradation and socio-economic developments are increasingly putting pressure on people’s living environments. Societies, regions and cities need to increase their resilience through adaptive governance, which is their capacity to adapt to changing relationships between society and ecosystems. In this article, we explore how three core conditions for adaptive governance, referred to as; 1) discourse arenas, 2) epistemic networks and 3) leadership, have proved to be useful in the shaping of the Markermeer-IJmeer region, part of the Amsterdam Metropole Region in the Netherlands. We find that discourse arenas and epistemic networks have set the scene for societal actors to invest in a sustainable transformation of the area. Moreover, they were a push factor for the transformation of opinions how to govern and plan the area. Actors identified links to overcome the division between socio-economic development and environmental conservation in the Amsterdam Metropole region. Actors from the industry took steps to include nature conservation. We recommend that adaptive governance should be enhanced with notions such as discourse, learning, trust, responsibility and leadership in future research and policy making for resilient urban areas.
... 113). Usher and Bryant (1989) contended that the teachers develop a type of knowledge they called practical knowledge, which stems from reflection on practice by making sense of what a teacher does. This type of knowledge bridges the gap between theory and practice. ...
As the second phase of a larger-scale study, the present study attempted to explore the effect of self-reflection through an awareness raising technique on novice and experienced Iranian EFL teachers’ pedagogical beliefs enactment. To this end, a personal practical theorizing process was employed both as a method to make teachers’ practical beliefs explicit and as a consciousness-raising technique to increase teachers’ awareness of their beliefs, thereby stimulating the teachers to convert their beliefs into actual classroom practice. In the first phase of the study, the pedagogical beliefs and practices of the participants were examined and discrepancies were found in novice teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and practices. Within the domain of the qualitative research, a multi-case study design was utilized, employing eight novice and experienced teachers who were selected based on purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using a constant comparative method around common themes and categories, which were identified as distinctive features of teachers’ personal practical theories; these same categories were then compared with teachers’ practices. The results showed that, except for teachers’ content knowledge, the pedagogical beliefs of novice and experienced teachers were represented differently in their practices. However, after the theorizing technique, the teachers’ practices became more in line with their pedagogical beliefs. With respect to teachers’ professional development, the novice teachers who were initially concerned with maintaining order went through self-assessment and reflection, adopted new identities as real teachers, and entered into a state of maturity.
... 113). Usher and Bryant (1989) contended that the teachers develop a type of knowledge they called practical knowledge, which stems from reflection on practice by making sense of what a teacher does. This type of knowledge bridges the gap between theory and practice. ...
... The most basic response to a difficult situation is to try alternative ways to solve the problem. In professional terms, the emphasis is placed on the technical aspects of practice, and any reflection, if it really exists, is directed towards making the techniques more effective (Usher & Bryant, 1989) leaving personal goals, values and beliefs unquestioned. At this level, described by Argyris and Schön (1974) as singleloop learning, practitioners notice that one particular strategy did not produce the expected result and decide to adopt a different line of intervention without really exploring why the expected result was not achieved. ...
... The most basic response to a difficult situation is to try alternative ways to solve the problem. In professional terms, the emphasis is placed on the technical aspects of practice, and any reflection, if it really exists, is directed towards making the techniques more effective (Usher & Bryant, 1989) leaving personal goals, values and beliefs unquestioned. At this level, described by Argyris and Schön (1974) as singleloop learning, practitioners notice that one particular strategy did not produce the expected result and decide to adopt a different line of intervention without really exploring why the expected result was not achieved. ...
... L'esito del test T mostra che gli studenti con una età superiore a 30 anni sono inclini a ritenere più importante che in un insegnamento blended il docente diversifichi la sua didattica, in accordo con la preferenza verso le soluzioni ibride BL. Tale dato è in linea con le numerose ricerche sulla formazione degli adulti che mostrano che tale target è più incline ad apprendere con successo attraverso problemi autentici, dove i contenuti siano contestualizzati attraverso una didattica per competenze, in grado di sostenere la motivazione e la partecipazione attiva (Beavers, 2009;Usher & Bryant, 2014;Lindeman, 2015). ...
Negli ultimi anni la sfida per il miglioramento della qualità della didattica ha spinto sempre più le università a orientarsi verso modelli learner-centered, nella direzione socio-costruttivista dell’allestimento di ambienti d’apprendimento integrati. Numerose ricerche, infatti, sottolineano come il cambiamento sia favorito dallo sviluppo di processi trasformativi che, unitamente alla considerazione delle concezioni sull’apprendimento e sull’insegnamento, affrontino sistematicamente la progettazione didattica, integrando le diverse conoscenze dei docenti relative ai contenuti, alle metodologie e alle tecnologie.In particolare, le riflessioni sull’uso delle ICT hanno sviluppato studi teorici e analisi metodologiche volti a ripensare il loro impiego, anche nell’ambito della didattica universitaria, considerandole sempre più come strumenti utili sia sul piano cognitivo (per ricercare, produrre, rielaborare e far interagire il sistema dei saperi), sia su quello socio-culturale (per favorire processi di comunicazione, sviluppo, condivisione e scambio).In tale prospettiva il progetto dell’Ateneo di Padova Integrating technology in higher education to enhance work life balance (ITEDU), sui cui risultati e sviluppi il volume presenta un’ampia ricognizione, è nato dalla necessità di individuare metodi e strategie che, nella garanzia della qualità, possano favorire anche un miglioramento del bilanciamento dei tempi e dell’organizzazione didattica al fine di incentivare studentesse e studenti ad una partecipazione attiva, riflessiva, collaborativa e consapevole dei propri processi di apprendimento.
... It does not challenge the purpose of the system: goals, beliefs, values and conceptual frameworks ('the governing values' or 'the operating norms') are taken for granted without critical reflection. The emphasis is on 'techniques and making techniques more efficient' (Usher and Bryant, 1989, p. 87). Questions that may be asked are: Could we do what we are currently doing in more productive ways, doing it cheaper, using alternative methods or approaches for the same objectives? ...
This paper shows the initial results of research conducted within the LIPSE research 2. Two gaps in the literature are addressed in this research and in this paper: a longitudinal focus on public sector innovations, and a focus on failed innovations. Drawing on an extensive literature review we hypothesized feedback, accountablilty and learning to be three factors able to (partly) explain the success or failure of innovations over the long term. Using awarded and nominated innovations as cases, we were able to construct a sample consisting over 200 innovations. The survey results from these cases present an initial confirmation of our hypothesis. At the same time usefull descriptive insights are gathered surrounding the development of public sector innoations through time.
... This theory-practice problem has long been a topic of debate in the field of education (e.g., Day, Fernandez, Hauge, & Møller, 2000;Usher & Bryant, 2014). However, the question inevitably arises as to whether the intersection of theory and practice necessarily represents a dilemma. ...
Strong evidence indicates the importance of successful education for individuals as well as for society as a whole; however, evidence-based knowledge from educational psychology is frequently not (successfully) transferred to decision-makers and practitioners. Besides, there is an increasing demand for transfer of academic knowledge in general to help resolve diverse societal challenges – codified as the obligation of universities to perform a Third Mission. This paper aims to demonstrate Bildung-Psychology’s contribution to successful knowledge transfer. Two examples from Bildung-Psychology illustrate how teaching and research activities can contribute to fulfilling universities’ Third Mission. By localizing these activities within the structure model of Bildung-Psychology, we aim to depict how this framework may serve as a role model for other scientific fields to build a firm basis for successful transfer.
... The chosen research methodology is action-research. This involves the twin processes of the theorizing of PBL practice together with the situated theorizing from this PBL practice (Usher & Bryant 1988). I was a tutor for one team, the PBL module co-ordinator and the programme leader. ...
This qualitative study aims to show how the beliefs and teaching practices around listening comprehension of four Chilean English-as-a-foreign-language teachers were transformed after attending an eight-session reflective workshop. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and video-recorded and audio-recorded sessions. Information was analyzed using content analysis. Results evidenced that reflective practice positively affects the changes in beliefs and teaching practices in different ways. Conclusions show that this reframing is especially favored if certain factors (personal, professional development, and contextual) are given.
Change in society is happening—change in knowledge, change in working practices, availability of employment (robotics and AI) and change in management. How is Higher Education responding to these changes? This chapter takes the view that the metaphors employed by educationalists play an important role. It is suggested that machine-based metaphors emanating from Newtonian thinking are now outdated and need to be replaced with ones based on the systems approach. The chapter identifies some common metaphors used by governments, HE management and HE employees. It then examines the consequences of changing them. The chapter does not promote a specific point of view but is intended to stimulate debate in this important area.
11.1 Approccio delle capacitazioni come nuovo paradigma formativo europeo
Tutti i paradigmi della conoscenza tendono a produrre "verità universali" e a pro-porre, alle comunità umane, i propri modelli come universali. Questo ha fatto per secoli l'Europa, senza tuttavia confrontarsi col fatto che l'era delle verità uni-versali è da tempo tramontata. Etienne Balibar (1988). propone l'idea di universali multipli e alternativi (e, aggiungerei, interconnessi). Anche in quest'ultima acce-zione, nell'organizzare la trasmissione delle conoscenze e dei loro contenuti, nel decidere chi può o non può accedere alla conoscenza (e a quale tipo di cono-scenza), nel dettare o finanziare parti della ricerca, l'Europa mantiene una propria egemonia epistemica che è assai più ampia della sola sfera della conoscenza o del-l'istruzione e si estende alle sfere sociali, politiche, economiche e di altro tipo. La conoscenza egemonica che ne deriva influenza anche le relazioni internazionali, producendo l'estensione di un tipo o costruzione di conoscenza su altre culture continentali, considerate minoritarie. Oggi, tuttavia, sappiamo che nessuna prospettiva di conoscenza è completa, nessuna epistemologia, sono tutte reciprocamente incomplete e relazionali, quindi, complementari e valide solo a determinate condizioni. Non esiste una co-noscenza onnicomprensiva: nel pensiero relazionale c'è necessariamente qualche spostamento della conoscenza e qualche ibridazione culturale. Tale è anche il caso dei saperi europei, che, in passato, l'Occidente è riuscito a imporre alla maggior parte del mondo come dominante ed egemonico. (Ivekovi , 2022). Questo è il motivo per cui, in ambito europeo educativo-formativo, dobbiamo considerare non solo nuove agenzie o soggetti politici plurali emergenti, non solo...
p>This ethnography is an account of the journey through clinical placements that undergraduate student nurses take as part of a three year programme. It describes how they attempt to manage their own learning, and analyses the factors that appear to facilitate or impede their ability to be self-directed in learning to nurse. Conclusions are drawn from their experiences, suggesting how curricula could be developed to further enable self-directness to be achieved. Action learning strategies, introduced to the undergraduate programme as a result of findings from the study, are described.
The research was planned in two stages, an initial stage using focus groups a preparation for entering the culture, and a second stage involving participant observation and reflective interviews. Data was analysed using a modified grounded theory approach.
The nature of support provided for participant in practice was found to be the most significant factor in enabling students to manage their own learning. This led to the conclusion that - students are best able to manage their own learning in clinical practice when they are actively involved and facilitated to learn by 'mentors' who allow them the freedom to take risks, and provide a 'safety net' to protect them in taking such an approach.</p
This chapter explains the currently developing reflexive epistemology by firstly reviewing shifts in the contemporary cultural context that seem to point towards it, before noting key prior scholarship in lifelong learning that has suggested its development, articulating then the important features of the epistemology. A reflexive epistemology is argued to be developing from the currently predominant design epistemology in response to changes in the prevailing cultural context, especially the increasing pervasion of contemporary modernist culture by expressive individualism, by the Internet as a source of information and values, and by social media in identity formation. Reflexive epistemology foregrounds knowledge that informs individual identity: affirming or enhancing it, making a virtue of epistemic reflexivity and accepting the personalist subjective influences on what we take to be knowledge as ineradicably important to knowing. Knowledge is thus dependent on the questions that are taken to the search for it.
This chapter offers the reader a highly original account of learning and sets out the main mechanisms, processes and typologies of learning. The chapter ‘unpacks’ the concept of learning and details a clear definition of what learning entails and how we should account for structural considerations in the learning process. Drawing upon debates within the social sciences, the chapter argues that learning and change are inextricably linked. Specifically, the importance of double-loop learning—which dictates a definitive positive change in an organisation’s values, philosophies and behavioural procedures in response to past errors—is stressed. This chapter of the book also situates the process of learning within both an institutional and structural setting. The account of learning presented in this chapter identifies the key characteristics of learning while also familiarising the reader with those conditions most conducive to learning.
The findings from literature in the previous chapters have been brought together in a conceptual framework (see Sect. 10.1007/978-3-030-67130-3_3#Sec13 ) and an analytical framework for Transformative Social-Ecological Innovation (Sect. 5.1). It’s main purpose is to study the dynamic interplay between actors and institutional structures influencing and inducing institutional change. This chapter furthermore provides a further operationalization of the TSEI analytical framework for analysing shifts in power dynamics (Sect. 5.2), by investigating a series or cluster of closely related action situations and mapping how power dynamics change. An example of TSEI-framework application is provided in Sect. 6.6. Finally, Sect. 5.3 provides a framework for analysing different levels of collective learning, which is considered as one of the key variables for studying the outputs of TSEI. Finally, this chapter highlights some important insights on collaborative action research and related methods (Sect. 5.4).
This open access book states that the endemic societal faultlines of our times are deeply intertwined and that they confront us with challenges affecting the security and sustainability of our societies. It states that new ways of inhabiting and cultivating our planet are needed to keep it healthy for future generations. This requires a fundamental shift from the current anthropocentric and economic growth-oriented social contract to a more ecocentric and regenerative natural social contract. The author posits that in a natural social contract, society cannot rely on the market or state alone for solutions to grand societal challenges, nor leave them to individual responsibility. Rather, these problems need to be solved through transformative social-ecological innovation (TSEI), which involves systemic changes that affect sustainability, health and justice. The TSEI framework presented in this book helps to diagnose and advance innovation and change across sectors and disciplines, and at different levels of governance. It identifies intervention points and helps formulate sustainable solutions for policymakers, administrators, concerned citizens and professionals in moving towards a more just and equitable society.
Tutkimuksessa analysoidaan aikuiskasvatustoimijoiden mielikuvia tutkimuksen ja politiikanteon suhteesta ja vuorovaikutuksesta. Aiempi tutkimus on osoittanut ongelmalliseksi suhteen määrittelyn tutkimuksen tuottaman näytön vaikuttavuutena politiikantekoon. Suomalaisten aikuiskasvatustoimijoiden mielikuvia tutkimuksen ja politiikanteon suhteesta ja vuorovaikutuksesta avaa aineisto, joka sisältää 11 avainhenkilöhaastattelua ja kahdeksan ryhmäkeskustelua. Analyysissa sovelletaan toimijaverkkoteorian keskeisiä käsitteitä analyyttisina työkaluina. Löydökset valaisevat aikuiskasvatustoimijoiden mielikuvia tutkimuksen ja politiikanteon suhteesta ja vuorovaikutukseen kohdistuvista intresseistä. Toimijat mielsivät, että vuorovaikutusta edistää institutionaaliset ja hybridit välittäjät sekä jaettua ymmärrystä lisäävien käännösten teko. Mielikuvien avaaminen yhdessä muun tutkimuskirjallisuuden kanssa johtaa pohtimaan aikuiskasvatukselle ominaisia vuorovaikutuksen keinoja ja suuntia.
Olemme yksin oppimisen maailmassa. Oppimisen oletetaan lähtevän yksilöstä ja palaavan yksilöön. Mutta olisiko aikuiskasvatustieteessä täyskäännöksen paikka? Teoreettis-analyyttisesti oppiminen voidaan toki paikantaa ihmisen mieleen ja ajatteluun, identiteetin rakentuminen hänen sisimpäänsä. Arjen monimuotoisissa käytännöissä – tiede, taide, uskonto, talous, politiikka – oppiminen näyttäytyy kuitenkin vuorovaikutuksellisena osallisuutena ja toimintana historiallis-kulttuuris-sosiaalisesti rakentuneissa ja määrittyneissä käytännöissä.
Quality and safety improvement is a relatively novel discipline in healthcare practice and research that solidified in the early 21st century. Since then, various systems have been installed to collect information on various types of adverse outcomes, such as adverse events, incidents and patient complaints. Data from these systems can be used to evaluate care delivered to individual cases as well as to study aggregated data for patterns, trends and other insights. More research is warranted to assess whether these systems actually meet the objective of continuous, systemwide learning and improvement. It was expected that existing practices could benefit from individual optimization as well as better integration, because most of this intelligence is currently stored and used in isolation. The research in this PhD thesis focused on how we can learn most effectively from various types of adverse outcomes in healthcare, in order to continuously improve the care delivered to patients. Specific research questions included how we can learn from: i) case discussions at morbidity and mortality conferences ; ii) integrating available information sources (e.g., incidents, patient experiences); iii) the context of everyday practice that produces both adverse and desired outcomes.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between students’ patterns of reflective thinking and their performance in solving design problems. Reflective thinking is a critical element in the process of solving ill-defined design problems. Many educators are dedicated to finding ways to promote students’ reflection. Yet few empirical studies attempt to explore the relationship between reflective thinking and design performance. 44 students enrolled in a Biomedical Microelectromechanical Systems and Medical Devices course participated in this study. Through a self-assessed questionnaire, students’ reflection patterns were collected in three areas: timing of reflection, objects of reflection, and levels of reflection. Also, students’ performance scores on their team project in biomedical device design were collected. The results revealed a general pattern of student designers’ reflection behaviors and a number of significant different reflection patterns between high-performing and low-performing students as they approached a design problem-solving task. Implications for supporting students’ reflective thinking and enhancing their problem-solving abilities in design tasks were discussed. © 2018, Association for Educational Communications and Technology.
The number of nontraditional students enrolled in higher education is rising, but retention of these students is a challenge. This study used a qualitative framework to examine the experiences of nontraditional undergraduate students in a university setting. Nine participants completed open-ended questionnaires, and we transcribed and coded the responses for themes. When discussing their experiences, participants spoke of five overarching themes: motivations to return, academic challenges, generation gap, support systems, and benefits of being a nontraditional student. This study contributes to the literature, providing insight to the overall collegiate experience of degree-seeking, nontraditional students.
Neighbourhood Houses in Victoria are significant sites of formal and informal education for adult learners. Intrinsically connected to local communities they play an important role in decreasing social isolation and building social inclusion. The focus of this research is on adult learners and adult learning that engages with ‘second chance’ learners who participate in adult learning programs in the Barwon and South West regions of Victoria. The greater Geelong region is characterised by declining car automotive and textile manufacturing industries and emerging new industries such as hospitality and tourism. The data from the research participants in the study includes career changers, long term and recently unemployed, newly arrived and migrant communities, young people and older adults. This paper focuses on the learning practices of second chance learners who frequently have negative perception of themselves as unsuccessful learners, but are transformed through their learning experiences in Neighbourhood Houses. We argue the unique social space of the Neighbourhood House, the support and guidance offered by staff and teachers, the unique pedagogy and small group learning experiences allow adult learners to reconstruct a new identity of themselves as successful learners.
Neighbourhood Houses in Victoria are significant sites of formal and informal education for adult learners. Intrinsically connected to local communities they play an important role in decreasing social isolation and building social inclusion. The focus of this research is on adult learners and adult learning that engages with ‘second chance’ learners who participate in adult learning programs in the Barwon and South West regions of Victoria. The greater Geelong region is characterised by declining car automotive and textile manufacturing industries and emerging new industries such as hospitality and tourism. The data from the research participants in the study include career changers, long term and recently unemployed, newly arrived and migrant communities, young people and older adults. This paper focuses on the learning practices of second chance learners who frequently have negative perceptions of themselves as unsuccessful learners, but are transformed through their learning experiences in Neighbourhood Houses. We argue the unique social space of the Neighbourhood House, the support and guidance offered by staff and teachers, the unique pedagogy and small group learning experiences, allows adult learners to reconstruct a new identity of themselves as successful learners.
This article compares the family business, and its reciprocal institution, the business family, to a one-sided band known as the “Möbius strip.” After explaining the rationale for this comparison, the conceptualization is enriched and then enlarged to accommodate the diverse range of firms identifying themselves as family businesses. Next, a process model is presented to explain the emergence, existence, and decline of the familybusiness interface. The article concludes with a discussion of several research-related implications arising from this comparison.
Looking at what we do as workers can be taxing and threatening. We have to take a step back, get in touch with our feelings, thoughts and actions, and try to make sense of experiences. These are not easy things to do and what we find is not always welcome. In the same way, sharing work with others can often seem like a risky business. On the one hand we may learn and develop from the experience; on the other, we may look fools or failures.
The origins of action research lay back in the 1940s when Kurt Lewin, a social psychologist with an interest in group dynamics, devised with colleagues a research methodology which sought to generate practical solutions to social problems (Lewin, 1948). This methodology attempted to enable groups, with the support of external consultants, to explore their problems objectively with a view to effecting change. Central to the success of this process was the use of an ‘action cycle’, which included elements of analysis, fact finding, conceptualisation, planning, implementation and evaluation of action (McKernan, 1991; Naish, 1996).
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