Reviewing European Research on 'Work Process Knowledge', 'Informal Learning' and 'Knowledge Maturing' in the Era of Web 2.0

Author(s):

Pekka Ilmari Kamarainen(presenting / submitting)Joanna Burchert Lars Heinemann

Conference:

ECER 2013

Network:

02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

02 SES 02 A, Review of VET Research and Theory Construction in VET

Paper Session

Time:

2013-09-10

15:15-16:45

Room:

A-101

Chair:

Philipp Gonon

Contribution

The paper arises from the conceptual background research that is carried out for the EU FP7 project Learning Layers (LL). The project has the task to analyse tho role of ICT- and Web-support for informal workplace learning in two occupational clusters (healthcare and construction cluster). Alongside the research tasks that focus on workplace learning the project has developmental tasks that cover system solutions, software solutions, scaffolding and piloting. Based upon the pilot experiences the project shall develop approaches for wider user-engagement and scaling up of the pilot activities.

For the research partners that focus on the construction cluster (coordinated by ITB) it is essential to prepare a review of prior research on workplace learning, knowledge processes and professional development in this cluster. At the first phase of the review process the following three lines of inquiry are examined as intellectual "root approaches" to the current project:

Research on 'work process knowledge' has mainly been carried out by the EU-funded Work Process Knowledge network involving researchers from several European countries. The focus was on making transparent the shared 'work process knowledge' in different industrial and service organisations. (Results have been reported in book publications in 2000 - 2004.)
Research on 'informal learning' has mainly become known via the work of professor Michael Eraut and his associates in England which gained broad Europe-wide attention (Results have been reported in books and articles between 1994 and 2004.)
Research on 'knowledge maturing' referes to the earlier EU FP7 project Mature-IP (Continuos Social Learning in Knowledge Networks) that studied knowledge processes mainly in occupations that were perceived as "knowledge work" and in which networking was considered as key to success. (Results have been reported in books and articles between 2008 and 2012.)

The aim of the review is to find out,

to what extent the initial empirical findings of the LL project (interview material and Focus Group material) can be (re)conceptualised with the help of the said approaches and
to what extent the approaches complement each other when used to examine the data collected from interviews and focus group meetings in the construction sector.

This phase of work paves the way for further analyses on prior research that focuses more closely on the construction sector, on participative design-oriented work research and on studies on cluster development as means to promote innovation in working life.

Method

Each of the authors is responsible for reviewing one line of inquiry based on a common catalogue of questions. The initial results are discussed by the three authors. In the next step a conceptual map is created to make transparent the conceptual strengths, specific findings and conceptual weaknesses when compared with each other. In a further step each approach is used for conceptual reinterpretation of the initial data from construction sector (collected in the beginning of 2013). With this phase the authors demonstrate the complementary relations between the approaches and the potentials of the said approaches to support the development-oriented phase of the project.

Expected Outcomes

The proposal is based on work in progress at a relatively early phase of the project. However, already at this phase of the work it is possible to present a working hypothesis that the three 'root approaches' have much in common but also significant differences due to which they can complement each other. Due to the deliberately 'naive' research strategy in collecting initial data from the construction sector, it is possible to follow different lines of inquiry in interpreting specific learning instances, key features of working and learning cultures and of innovation potentials (regarding the domain-specific use of ICT and Web).

References

Boreham, N., Samurcay, R., Fischer, M. (eds.): Work Process Knowledge. London: Routledge, 2002 Boreham, N.: Collective Competence and Work Process Knowledge.European Conference on Educational Research, University of Crete, Greece 2004. Boreham, N.: Orienting the work-based curriculum towards work process knowledge: a rationale and a German case study. Studies in Continuing Education, Vol. 26, No. 2, July 2004 Fischer; M., Boreham, N., Nyhan, B. (eds.): European Perspectives on Learning at Work: The Acquisition of Work Process Knowledge. Cedefop Reference Series. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications for the European Communities, 2004 Fischer, M.: Von der Arbeitserfahrung zum Arbeitsprozeßwissen. Rechnergestützte Facharbeit im Kontext beruflichen Lernens. Opladen: Leske + Budrich, 2000 Fischer, M., Röben, P.: Arbeitsprozesswissen im Fokus von individuellem und organisationalem Lernen. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, Heft 2, Weinheim: Beltz, 2004. Eraut, M.: Non-formal learning and tacit knowledge in professional work.British Journal of Educational Psychology (2000), 70, 113–136 Eraut, M. & Hirsch, W.:The Significance of Workplace Learning for Individuals, Groups and Organisations. Oxford & Cardiff Universities. SKOPE 9. 2004. Schmidt, A., Hinkelmann, K., Lindstaedt, S., Ley, T., Maier, R., Riss, U.: Conceptual Foundations for a Service-Oriented Knowledge & Learning Architecture: Supporting Content, Process, and Ontology Maturing. In: 8th International Conference on Knowledge Management (I-KNOW 08), Graz, 2008 Martin, A.& Brun, R.: Applying Organizational Learning to Enterprise Knowledge Maturing. In: 9th International Conference on Knowledge Management (I-KNOW '09), Graz, Austria, 2009, pp. 39-50 Maier, R. & Thalmann, S.: Using Personas for Designing Knowledge and Learning Services - Results of an Ethnographically Informed Study. International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning (IJTEL), vol. 2, no. 1/2, 2010, pp. 58-74 Maier, R.& Trögl, M.: Active Documents Supporting Knowledge Sharing in Knowledge-intensive Cooperation. In: Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI) vol. 182, Köllen, 2011, pp. 231–240

Author Information

Pekka Ilmari Kamarainen (presenting / submitting)

University of Bremen

Institut Technik & Bildung (ITB)

Bremen

Joanna Burchert

University of Bremen, Germany

Lars Heinemann