The Transfer of Learning : Participants' Perspectives of Adult Education and Training

This book addresses a crucial issue for all involved in education and training: the transfer of learning to new and different contexts. Educators, employers and learners face the problem of ensuring that what is learnt in the classroom is able to be adapted and used in the workplace. The book focuses on adult learners in professional and vocational contexts. The authors aim to provide an accessible book on the transfer of learning which draws on multi-disciplinary perspectives from education, psychology and management. The book is intended to be useful both for postgraduate students and for practitioners wanting to deepen their understanding of transfer and for those interested in practical applications. It combines theory and practice from international research and the authors' own case studies of transfer involving learners engaged in professional development and study towards qualifications. Theories of adult learning, change and lifelong learning are discussed in relation to the transfer of learning. The purpose of this book is to emphasise to tertiary educators and trainers the importance of transfer and in doing so highlight the participants' voices as central foci in coming to an understanding of the process. By doing this, it will balance the literature which has to date emphasized transfer from a trainer's and/or organization's perspective. There has been little if any substantive material on tertiary transfer issues and yet demands are increasing for tertiary education providers to be more accountable and more focused on developing students' ability to use their learning in everyday work situations. The book is unique in that it adopts a phenomenological perspective and underscores the significance of the participants' voices in understanding issues. Contents......Page 6 List of Figures......Page 8 List of Tables......Page 10 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgements......Page 14 What is Transfer of Learning?......Page 16 Why is Transfer of Learning Important?......Page 17 Overview of Different Levels and Types of Transfer......Page 19 The Transfer Context......Page 20 Summary......Page 21 Formal Disciplines Approach......Page 24 Behavioural Approach......Page 26 Generalisation Approach and Gestalt Theory......Page 27 Cognitive Approaches to Transfer......Page 28 Schema Theory and Transfer......Page 29 Cognitive Apprenticeships......Page 30 Selected Approaches to Transfer......Page 31 Work-based Approaches to Transfer......Page 32 Preparation for Future Learning......Page 42 A General Theory of Transfer......Page 43 Summary......Page 45 Adult Learners......Page 52 Professional Development......Page 55 Change Theories......Page 57 Approaches to Adult Learning......Page 59 Summary......Page 69 Context and Overview......Page 76 Findings......Page 78 Implications for Management......Page 82 Implications for Professional Practice......Page 83 Summary......Page 85 Context and Overview......Page 88 Findings......Page 90 A Transfer of Training Model......Page 99 Summary......Page 101 Context and Overview......Page 104 Findings......Page 107 Implications for Course Design and Delivery......Page 111 Summary......Page 112 Learner Characteristics......Page 114 Course Design......Page 117 Workplace Characteristics......Page 121 Summary......Page 122 Personal and Professional Development......Page 124 Support......Page 127 Preparation for Future Transfer......Page 131 Conclusions......Page 134 Epilogue......Page 135 Appendix: Further Research......Page 138 C......Page 142 E......Page 143 O......Page 144 T......Page 145 W......Page 146 The book addresses a crucial issue for all involved in education and training: the transfer of learning to new and different contexts. Educators, employers and learners face the problem of ensuring that what is learnt in the classroom is able to be adapted and used in the workplace. It focuses on adult learners in professional and vocational contexts. The authors provide an accessible book on the transfer of learning which draws on multi-disciplinary perspectives from education, psychology and management. The Transfer of Learning will be useful both for postgraduate students and for practitioners wanting to deepen their understanding of transfer and for those interested in practical applications. It combines theory and practice from international research and the authors'own case studies of transfer involving learners engaged in professional development and study towards qualifications. Theories of adult learning, change and lifelong learning are discussed in relation to the transfer of learning. The purpose of this book is to emphasise to tertiary educators and trainers the importance of transfer and in doing so highlight the participants'voices as central foci in coming to an understanding of the process. By doing this it balances the literature which has to date emphasized transfer from a trainer's and/or organization's perspective. There has been little if any substantive material on tertiary transfer issues and yet demands are increasing for tertiary education providers to be more accountable and more focused on developing students'ability to use their learning in everyday work situations. The book is unique in that it adopts a phenomenological perspective and underscores the significance of the participants'voices in understanding issues. The book addresses a crucial issue for all involved in education and the transfer of learning to new and different contexts. Educators, employers and learners face the problem of ensuring that what is learnt in the classroom is able to be adapted and used in the workplace. It focuses on adult learners in professional and vocational contexts. The authors provide an accessible book on the transfer of learning which draws on multi-disciplinary perspectives from education, psychology and management. The Transfer of Learning will be useful both for postgraduate students and for practitioners wanting to deepen their understanding of transfer and for those interested in practical applications. It combines theory and practice from international research and the authors' own case studies of transfer involving learners engaged in professional development and study towards qualifications. Theories of adult learning, change and lifelong learning are discussed in relation to the transfer of learning. The purpose of this book is to emphasise to tertiary educators and trainers the importance of transfer and in doing so highlight the participants' voices as central foci in coming to an understanding of the process. By doing this it balances the literature which has to date emphasized transfer from a trainer's and/or organization's perspective. There has been little if any substantive material on tertiary transfer issues and yet demands are increasing for tertiary education providers to be more accountable and more focused on developing students' ability to use their learning in everyday work situations. The book is unique in that it adopts a phenomenological perspective and underscores the significance of the participants' voices in understanding issues. Addresses a crucial issue for all involved in education and training: the transfer of learning to new and different contexts. This book focuses on adult learners in professional and vocational contexts. It aims to provide a book on the transfer of learning which draws on multi-disciplinary perspectives from education, psychology and management. This book addresses a crucial issue for all involved in education and training: the transfer of learning to new and different contexts. Educators, employers and learners face the problem of ensuring that what is learnt in the classroom is able to be adapted and used in the workplace. The book focuses on adult learners in professional and vocational contexts. The authors aim to provide an accessible book on the transfer of learning which draws on multi-disciplinary perspectives from education, psychology and management. The book is intended to be useful both for postgraduate students and for practitioners wanting to deepen their understanding of transfer and for those interested in practical applications. It combines theory and practice from international research and the authors' own case studies of transfer involving learners engaged in professional development and study towards qualifications. Theories of adult learning, change and lifelong learning are discussed in relation to the transfer of learning "The book is intended to be useful both for postgraduate students and for practitioners wanting to deepen their understanding of transfer and for those interested in practical applications. It combines theory and practice from international research and the authors' own case studies of transfer involving learners engaged in professional development and study towards qualifications. Theories of adult learning, change and lifelong learning are discussed in relation to the transfer of learning."--Jacket This book is about the transfer of learning and how it applies in a number of different contexts.