Learning informally on the job : reflections from the coalface : a case study of a municipal water reticulation depot in the City of Cape Town

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dc.contributor.authorVan Niekerk, Sandra Elizabethen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-11-08T05:13:55Z
dc.date.available2015-11-08T05:13:55Z
dc.date.issued2010en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 89-95).en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation explores questions relating to informal learning by workers in a municipal workplace. It aims to understand what knowledge workers have about their work, how they have learnt what they know, the context within which learning happens and how power relations impact on the learning process. The study seeks to foreground the knowledge of workers in a context where such knowledge is generally ignored or devalued. The study draws on the literature on workplace learning that recognizes learning as a socially situated process. It makes use of the conceptual framework of situated learning, but draws on various critiques of this conceptual framework as a way of deepening the analysis. The research adopted a case study methodology as I was interested in exploring detail and depth in a specific context. Data collection involved mainly observations of workers at work and informal interviews in the field, and these were supplemented by semi-structured interviews. The findings indicated that much informal learning about work takes place amongst workers in a work team, largely through modelling, but that this learning is shaped by power relations between workers. The findings show also that workers' learning, and their perceptions of their learning, have been impacted on by moves towards the formalization of learning. In the context of the pervasive emphasis on formal training and qualifications, studies which focus on workers' informal learning are an important counter-balance in the workplace learning research field.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationVan Niekerk, S. E. (2010). <i>Learning informally on the job : reflections from the coalface : a case study of a municipal water reticulation depot in the City of Cape Town</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14755en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationVan Niekerk, Sandra Elizabeth. <i>"Learning informally on the job : reflections from the coalface : a case study of a municipal water reticulation depot in the City of Cape Town."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14755en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationVan Niekerk, S. 2010. Learning informally on the job : reflections from the coalface : a case study of a municipal water reticulation depot in the City of Cape Town. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Van Niekerk, Sandra Elizabeth AB - This dissertation explores questions relating to informal learning by workers in a municipal workplace. It aims to understand what knowledge workers have about their work, how they have learnt what they know, the context within which learning happens and how power relations impact on the learning process. The study seeks to foreground the knowledge of workers in a context where such knowledge is generally ignored or devalued. The study draws on the literature on workplace learning that recognizes learning as a socially situated process. It makes use of the conceptual framework of situated learning, but draws on various critiques of this conceptual framework as a way of deepening the analysis. The research adopted a case study methodology as I was interested in exploring detail and depth in a specific context. Data collection involved mainly observations of workers at work and informal interviews in the field, and these were supplemented by semi-structured interviews. The findings indicated that much informal learning about work takes place amongst workers in a work team, largely through modelling, but that this learning is shaped by power relations between workers. The findings show also that workers' learning, and their perceptions of their learning, have been impacted on by moves towards the formalization of learning. In the context of the pervasive emphasis on formal training and qualifications, studies which focus on workers' informal learning are an important counter-balance in the workplace learning research field. DA - 2010 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2010 T1 - Learning informally on the job : reflections from the coalface : a case study of a municipal water reticulation depot in the City of Cape Town TI - Learning informally on the job : reflections from the coalface : a case study of a municipal water reticulation depot in the City of Cape Town UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14755 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/14755
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationVan Niekerk SE. Learning informally on the job : reflections from the coalface : a case study of a municipal water reticulation depot in the City of Cape Town. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education, 2010 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14755en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentSchool of Educationen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherInformal Educationen_ZA
dc.titleLearning informally on the job : reflections from the coalface : a case study of a municipal water reticulation depot in the City of Cape Townen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMPhilen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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