CWS WRIL presentation - Christine Wihak

Work-Related Informal Learning in Canada:

Implications for Research & Practice

Christine Wihak, Thompson Rivers University -- Open Learning, Principal ResearcherAlex Stephens, Coordinator Work & Learning Knowledge Centre (WLKC)Gail Hall, CAPLA Coordinator www.recognitionforlearning.ca

A contract completed for: Canadian Council on Learning’s

Work and Learning Knowledge Centre (WLKC)

by The Canadian Association for Prior

Learning Assessment (CAPLA)

The WLKC perspective

Why this work?

Research Method Synthesis research -- not original research Defined “work” as paid employment

Had Advisory Committee with representation from key Stakeholders

Literature Search Searched literature published after 2000 Limited search terms to “informal learning” and

“work” (and French equivalents) when searching academic databases and web

Also searched individual issues of journals listed on Work & Learning Network website (http://www.wln.ualberta.ca/resourcesJ.htm)

Stakeholder Consultation

Conducted to get stakeholder response to findings from literature review Not intended to be statistically valid survey

Five main Stakeholder groups Industry / Business Labour Unions Groups/Professional Associations (occupational groups,

professional associations, certification bodies) Facilitators (training companies and organizations, PLAR

practitioners, career/employment counsellors, immigrant serving agencies, etc.)

Researchers

Stakeholder Consultation

Questionnaire reviewed, approved by Advisory Committee

E-mail invitation to respond to on-line survey sent to over 100 contacts identified through CAPLA network, WLKC network, Advisory Committee members

Received 58 completed questionnaires Responses from all key Stakeholder groups Only 3 responses from Labour out of 17 contacts

Completed 9 telephone interviews with contacts who provided follow-up information

Work-Related Informal Learning

Major purpose of research was to try to find consensus on working definition Asked Stakeholders what terms they

use for “informal learning”

Informal Work-Related Learning

Stakeholder terms

Action learningExperiential learningHands-on learningIncidental learningIndependent studyIndustry trainingJob shadowingLifelong learningMentoringNon-formal learning

Observation On-the-job training (OJT)PartneringPeer learningProfessional developmentProject learningReflectionResearchingSelf-directed learningService learning

Definition of Work-Related Informal Learning

Usual trilogy of adult education and learning Formal Non-formal Informal

Informal learning often defined by what it is not

Looked in literature for academic definitions of “informal learning”

Continuum of Learning Researchers in England attempted to find consensus in

academic literature on definition of “informal learning” (Colley, Hodkinson, & Malcolm, 2003a; 2003a, b).

Reviewed 10 major theoretical definitions, including Eraut’s, Livingstone’s

Found no one definition that would have be credible across all sectors

Instead suggested, “The challenge is not to combineformal and informal learning, but to recognize that they are always combined, and to then understand the implications of their particular balance in any learning situation” (Colley et al., 2003b, p. 8).

Proposed practical tool to analyze where a particular learning situation fit on formality-informality continuum

Continuum of Learning

Process – how the learning process is controlled, supported and assessed.

Location and Setting – whether the environment is designed for learning, production or some other purpose such as socializing (e.g. water cooler).

Purpose – whether learning is a primary or secondary focus of activity and whether the purpose is controlled by the learner or an external authority.

Content – whether the learning outcomes are highly specified and involve abstract knowledge and advanced technical skill or whether the learning outcome is development of an everyday, practical skill.

Response to Continuum Approach

Favourable response in literature from academics such as Livingstone, Sawchuk Used effectively in Canadian study of labour

education (Gairey et al., 2006) Most Stakeholders thought it would be useful

or very useful Some concern about how to convey to non-

academic Stakeholders Participants in CAPLA conference found

Continuum approach easy to use to analyze learning of typical PLAR candidate

Additional Aspect of Informal Learning?

Consciousness -- possible fifth aspect of learning Idea of “tacit learning” suggested decades ago

by Polanyi: “We know more than we can say” Vast majority of human cognition is unconscious Experts have more difficulty articulating

knowledge than those with medium experience Implications for how to support, assess informal

learning

Participation in Informal Learning Canadian surveys of participation in work-related

informal learning: Survey of Self-Employment (Delage, 2002) National Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (Rubenson, Desjardin, &

Yoon, 2007) WALL (Work & Lifelong Learning) survey (Livingstone & Scholtz, 2006)

Estimates of participation ranged from 33% in past month to 93% in past year

Gender, age not strongly related to participation Possible indication that participation rate related to

education level, occupational status Higher levels associated with more involvement in informal

learning, use of more different strategies for informal learning

Case Study Research

Case study research reviewed in terms of major occupational groups used in WALL survey

Shows informal work-related learning can be rich and varied e.g. “work arounds” created by social service workers

(Boutilier, 2008) Commonalities in reasons for learning, approaches to

learning across occupational groups “Resistive” and/or “secretive” learning found in some,

but not all, workplaces with industrial and/or unionized workers Workplace labour relations and/or researchers’ framework

may influence findings

Other Features of WLKC report

Typology of informal learning based on Eraut (2004)

How do people learn? What do they learn? What factors affect the quality of learning?

Personal characteristics of learners Workplace learning environments

Relationship between informal learning and other learning in the workplace

Supportive practices

Knowledge and Information Gaps

Development of a shared vocabulary for informal learning

Greater recognition of the inter-related nature of all workplace learning

Better measurement of how people are learning informally at work, how much they are learning, and how useful their learning is

More information on effective informal learning strategies for specific types of workers

Knowledge and Information Gaps

More information on how learners’ personal characteristics affect informal work-related learning

More information on the relationship between work environments and informal learning

Tools for assessing informal learning and work environments

Addressing the question of how informal learning affects work satisfaction, worker retention, performance and productivity

Policy options for Canada that would facilitate the development of actual policy or policy framework

Knowledge Exchange Activities?

Recent research (Carliner et al., 2008) suggesting that workplace practitioners make little use of scholarly literature. How can findings from academic

research best be shared with Stakeholders? Employers, training community, unions

Final Report to come (Nov/08):

Watch for it on:www.RecognitionForLearning.ca (RFL)CAPLA’s pan-Canadian repository and knowledge exchange for PLA, and

www.wlkc-csamt.caWork and Learning Knowledge Centre

For further information contact:

Alex Stephens, WLKC Coordinator613 241-3222, ext/poste [email protected]

Gail Hall, Project Coordinator for CAPLA204 [email protected] or [email protected]

Christine Wihak, TRU, Principal Project [email protected]