Self-directed learning readiness and performance in the workplace

Deep and rapid changes in a high-tech society exceed the ability of formal educational systems to respond to new learning needs. Therefore, the future of post secondary education will increasingly include emphases on self-directed learning skills and activities. Despite recognition of such a trend, knowledge of self-directed learning and self-directed learners is in its infancy.This study of self-directed learning and performance was designed to determine the relationship of self-directed learning readiness and performance in an occupational setting. Business, government and industry are expected to depend heavily upon self-directed learning in the future. Because of the increasingly close relationship between education and these sectors of the economy, educators should have a keen interest in this kind of research.The sample included 753 individuals selected from the population of a large American utility company: 421 were managers and 318 were non-managers; 14 subjects did not define their occupational status. Subjects provided information on their management level, sex, age, education, race, job performance rating, creativity required on their jobs, problem-solving ability needed in their jobs and degree of change in their work. Nine hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance.Selected conclusions are as follows: (a) outstanding performers in jobs requiring a very high level of creativity had significantly higher SDLRS scores than others; (b) outstanding performers in jobs requiring a very high degree of problem-solving skill had significantly higher SDLRS scores than others; and (c) individuals who have completed higher levels of education tend to have higher SDLRS scores.     

Learning information and communications technology skills and the subject context of the learning

Abstract

There is a growing body of evidence which suggests that information and ccommunications technology (ICT) can support, enhance and extend learning potential. Yet this all presupposes that students are confident and competent users of technology based on assumptions that presume they are conversant with basic applications. This article seeks to explore the tensions of teaching ICT skills in ways that enable students to perceive the benefits and potential of using computers to support their work. It also considers how much direct instruction is needed in order for sufficient competence to be acquired which will subsequently enable students to learn to use other features of the application to maximise these benefits. ICT as a cognitive tool is described and the development and design of ICT resources and lessons are also considered.     

Challenges and strategies for assessing student workplace performance during work-integrated learning

This study explores the challenges of assessing student workplace performance during work-integrated learning. It highlights the need for, yet difficulties with, combining positivist and constructivist assessments where workplace supervisors make evaluative judgements on performance yet students are also agents in their own assessment. It examines the ratings awarded by 163 workplace supervisors for 213 business undergraduates completing a work placement as part of their degree program in Western Australia. Students were rated on 17 capabilities associated with employability and results indicate, in alignment with previous studies, a tendency among supervisors to assign inflated marks across capabilities. The mean capability rating awarded to each student was significantly higher than their weighted course average, suggesting workplace supervisors mark more highly than academics in coursework units. To identify solutions to manage leniency bias, the study examined variations in supervisor ratings for a range of personal and contextual variables such as gender, organisation size, work area and sector. Although supervisor ratings were inflated, they were consistent across the sample with variations recorded for only four capabilities in certain work areas. Reasons for leniency bias among workplace supervisors are explored in light of the findings and alternative approaches to evaluating student workplace performance are presented.     

From e‐learning space to e‐learning place

In this paper, it is argued that e‐learning environments are currently more like ‘buildings’, ie, learning spaces, rather than ‘schools’, ie, places for learning. The concepts originated from architecture and urban design, where they are used both to distinguish static spaces from inhabited places, and more importantly, as design objectives. The transformation from space to place is supported and enabled by social interactions between the (learning) community members. We argue that this distinction between the concepts explains some of the problems with current e‐learning systems and propose issues to consider when designing new systems. By acknowledging the importance and characteristics of a place, designers and researchers can justify the need and support for social interactions in learning space, consequently enabling social community building in e‐learning environments, and most importantly, supporting the development of a user‐friendly and motivating e‐learning place.     

The developmental progression of comprehension‐related skills in children learning EAL

Many children who speak English as an additional language (EAL) underachieve in areas of English literacy, especially in the primary years. These difficulties are often attributed to low levels of English language fluency as they enter the education system. In an effort to provide a greater understanding of this underachievement, the cognitive‐linguistic factors underlying literacy development in monolingual children and children learning EAL were examined in a three‐year longitudinal project. The project, conducted in schools in the north of England, followed the developmental progression of forty‐three children learning EAL and forty‐three monolingual children from school years Two to Four. Children were assessed on measures of reading accuracy, reading and listening comprehension, receptive and expressive vocabulary, and reception of grammar. Analysis revealed similarities between the two groups of children on reading accuracy, but children learning EAL had lower levels of vocabulary and comprehension at each point in time. Data are discussed in terms of the development of underlying language skills and the impact of these skills on both reading and listening comprehension. The implications of the findings for classroom practice are considered.     

Knowledge structures for integrating working and learning: A reflection on a decade of learning technology research for workplace learning

Designing intelligent services for workplace learning presents a special challenge for researchers and developers of learning technology. One of the reasons is that considering learning as a situated and social practice is nowhere so important than in the case where learning is tightly integrated with workplace practices. The current paper analyses the experience of more than 10 years of research intending to offer intelligent services through capturing and leveraging knowledge structures in workplace learning. The reflection looks at results of several European research projects that have promoted this view. From this analysis, I arrive at a dichotomy of guidance versus emergence that describes how the technologies foregrounded one or the other, and what the effects of these design choices have been. I derive conclusions for dealing with this design trade-off in terms of conceptual, technological and empirical research.     

The effect of electronic performance support systems on self-regulated learning skills

Electronic performance support systems (EPSSs) are the software programs commonly used in commercial environments since the early 1990s. These software programs are generally called performance-based systems and focus on the complete job rather than providing individual development. For that reason, the usage of these systems in learning environments has not been sufficiently investigated. In this empirical study, availability of using EPSS software for learning processes was investigated in order to contribute to the literature. An EPSS software was developed for undergraduate students to use in programming language courses and the effects of the software on students' self-regulation based learning skills were investigated. During the treatment process, while the experimental group was supported with EPSS, traditional teaching continued in the control group. The results of the study showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of motivational beliefs; however, there were significant differences in terms of cognitive, metacognitive, and resource management strategies.     

Group in‐course assessment promotes cooperative learning and increases performance

The authors describe and evaluate a method to motivate medical students to maximize the effectiveness of dissection opportunities by using In‐Course‐Assessments (ICAs) to encourage teamwork. A student's final mark was derived by combining the group dissection mark, group mark for questions, and their individual question mark. An analysis of the impact of the ICA was performed by comparing end of module practical summative marks in student cohorts who had, or had not, participated in the ICAs. Summative marks were compared by two‐way ANOVA followed by Dunnets test, or by repeated measures ANOVA, as appropriate. A cohort of medical students was selected that had experienced both practical classes without (year one) and with the new ICA structure (year two). Comparison of summative year one and year two marks illustrated an increased improvement in year two performance in this cohort. A significant increase was also noted when comparing this cohort with five preceding year two cohorts who had not experienced the ICAs (P <0.0001). To ensure that variation in the practical summative examination was not impacting on the data, a comparison was made between three cohorts who had performed the same summative examination. Results show that students who had undertook weekly ICAs showed significantly improved summative marks, compared with those who did not (P <0.0001). This approach to ICA promotes engagement with learning resources in an active, team‐based, cooperative learning environment. Anat Sci Educ 7: 224–233. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

A learner–centred approach to developing team skills through web–based learning and assessment

In traditional face–to–face classrooms, collaborative learning has been endorsed as an effective pedagogy that fosters skills of analysis, communication and higher order thinking. Increasingly, as online learning environments for tertiary learners make use of course support systems, there is greater recognition of the potential of communications technologies to foster dialogue, networking and team skills among learners. Such skills are now among the recognised core attributes that graduates are expected to develop. In face–to–face classroom students learn the skills of collaboration and teamwork by engaging in tasks defined and supervised by a teacher. In online environments teacher presence is often limited to task definition, management and feedback functions. Team skills and collaboration therefore need to be supported though different pedagogies and processes such as establishing a climate of trust and openness, communication protocols, resolution of conflict and group processes that provide sanctions and support. In this paper we describe an innovative approach to building the skills of decision–making and conflict resolution, leadership and clarity in goal setting and communication. A case study of tertiary learners illustrates how the essential aspects of task definition, resources to support group learning and integrated online assessment foster team skills.     

Going beyond competencies: An exploratory study in defining exemplary workplace learning and performance practitioners

This study was an exploratory investigation used to identify exemplary performance in four of the areas of expertise (AOEs) as described in the American Society for Training and Development's Mapping the Future: New Workplace Learning and Performance Competencies (2004). Qualitative data were collected from the following four AOEs: (1) delivering training, (2) designing learning, (3) improving human performance, and (4) measuring and evaluating. Research suggests that an exemplary performer could have productivity differences 12 times greater than performers at the bottom of the performance scale and 85% greater than an average performer (Hunter, Schmidt, & Judiesch, 1990). Critical incidents were collected from behavioral event interviews of 23 exemplary performers and 9 typical performers. An analysis of the findings suggests that an exemplary performer may hold at least four key behaviors: taking calculated risks, entrepreneurial and visionary planning, documented business performance to support and influence change, and political prudence and leadership savvy.     

Straining training: the epistemology of workplace learning

Learning in, and from, the workplace has moved centre‐stage. In this paper, arguments and insights from the humanities, in particular philosophical psychology, are developed to show that generic, higher‐order human qualities are demanded and cultivated by managerial work. What was traditionally regarded as a great epistemological divide between high‐status intrinsic education, and low‐status instrumental training (with work‐based knowledge in the latter area) is now dissolving. New workforce requirements of creativity and initiative are now regarded as essential to an evolving national and international enterprise culture. Close analysis of the psychology of decision‐making reveals both a paradox and a powerful metaphor for a more appropriate model of workplace knowledge.     

Examining teachers’ perceptions of K‐11 students’ 21st century skills and student performance

This study examined the relationship of teachers’ ratings of students’ 21st century skills (i.e., persistence, curiosity, externalizing and internalizing affect, and cognition) via the Human Behavior Rating Scale: Brief (HBRS: Brief; Eaves & Woods‐Groves, 2011) with student performance. Midwestern K‐11 teachers (n = 96) rated students (n = 1,689) via the HBRS: Brief and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997). Students’ academic (i.e., standardized tests) and behavioral (i.e., office discipline referrals [ODRs] and absences) performance was compared with HBRS: Brief ratings. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that teachers’ ratings of students’ 21st century skills were related to the following: (a) Persistence with SDQ conduct problems, academic performance, and absences; (b) curiosity with SDQ emotional symptoms; (c) externalizing affect with SDQ conduct problems, academic performance, and ODRs; (d) internalizing affect with SDQ emotional symptoms and academic performance, and (e) cognition with academics.