Article,
A Model of Work-Based Learning
Organization Science, (November 1997)
Abstract
A comprehensive model of work-based learning is illustrated
combining explicit and tacit forms of knowing and theory and
practice modes of learning at both individual and collective levels.
The model is designed to bring together epistemic contributions
which are typically studied in isolation. The learning
types produced from the mode! represent processes the intersection
of which can contribute to the development of a comprehensive
theory for integrating learning and work.
At the individual level, work-based learning might start with
conceptualization which provides practitioners with a mean.s to
challenge the assumptions underlying their practice. In experimentation.
they engage their conceptual knowledge in such a
way that it becomes contextualized or grounded. However,
within the world of practice, in applying theoretical criteria or
advanced analytical techniques, one confronts technical, cultural,
moral, and personal idiosyncrasies which defy categorization.
Hence, experience is required to reinforce the tacit
knowledge acquired in experimentation. In fact, learning acquired
through experience, often referred to as implicit learning,
is the foundation for tacit knowledge and can be used to solve
problems as well as make reasonable decisions about novel situations.
Nevertheless, reflection is required to bring the inherent
tacit knowledge of experience to the .surface. It thus contributes
to the reconstruction of meaning.
At the collective level, conceptualization again makes a contribution
in informing spontaneous inquiry but is now embedded
within the more formal methods of applied science. Scientists
seek to describe and explain social reality through the
manipulation of theoretical propositions using the rules of
hypothetico-deductive logic. The theories of applied science are
often not helpful to practitioners, however, unless they are incorporated
into practice. This is the purview of action learning
wherein real-time experience, especially problems occurring
within one's own work setting, constitutes the primary subject
matter. As practitioners come together by being involved with
one another in action, they may become a community of practice
wherein they learn to construct shared understanding amidst
confusing and conflicting data. Hence, community of practice
returns knowledge back into its context such that groups learn
to observe and experiment with their own collective tacit processes
in action. Action science is called upon to bring the individuals'
and group's mental models, often untested and unexamined,
into consciousness. It is a form of "reflection-in-action"
which attempts to discover how what one did contributed to an
unexpected or expected outcome, taking into account the interplay
between theory and practice.
Application.s of the model can spur conceptual and practical
developments that might lead to a comprehensive theory of
work-based learning. The discussion takes up such issues as
transition links between learning types, their segmentation by
function or process, and implications for epistemology. A sample
program, incorporating many of the learning types in the
model, is demonstrated. The paper argues that all eight types
of learning need to be brought into consideration if learners are
to achieve proficiency and become critical while learning at
work.
