Self-regulated learning in the workplace: strategies and factors in the attainment of learning goals

Abstract

The research reported here is an exploratory qualitative study aimed at identifying professionals' self-regulatory strategies underpinning the planning and attainment of learning goals in the workplace and showing how a number of organizational factors affect these strategies. The rationale for the study is that existing research tells us little about how professionals regulate their learning, largely because much of the literature on the self-regulation of learning has been conducted with pupils and students in schools and universities rather than with professionals. Data were obtained through 29 semi-structured interviews with professional employees in a company in the energy sector -including engineers, scientists and managers of various kinds -in 12 countries. Findings suggest that self-regulatory learning practices in, from and for work are iterative and fluid rather than delineated into discrete stages as suggested by phase models of self-regulation. There was little deliberate, systematic self-reflection on learning in the workplaces studied. Learning goals were driven by short-term work tasks and individuals' longer term development needs. Professionals draw extensively upon supervisors, mentors and colleagues when planning and attaining their learning goals. Formation of learning goals was constrained by individuals' perceptions of their career development potential and of how their progression potential is viewed by the organization in which they work.

Systematic literature review on self-regulated learning in massive open online courses

“…While social cognitive models of SRL have been mainly used in regular online courses, SRL models based on varied constructs (e.g., Pintrich, 2000;Zimmerman, 2000a) have been adopted in the selected studies. In addition, as SRL in the workplace has been increasingly emphasised (Margaryan, Littlejohn, & Milligan, 2013), professionals' motivational regulation strategies in MOOC environments have actively been investigated. MOOC practitioners and researchers could promote the forethought and planning phase for MOOC learning by considering self-efficacy and task value.…”

Making an HRD domain: identity work in an online professional community

“…Buscher (2014: 224) talks of a nomadic workforce 'trapped in mobility whether they are high earning professionals with bulimic work patterns or part of a new "precariat"' of low skilled manual and service jobs. The precariousness of employment among professional and knowledge workers places a premium on learning in complex problem situations (Margaryan, Littlejohn and Milligan, 2013) and the generation of novel and creative solutions (Sloep, 2014). This emphasis on complex and creative problem solving by professionals highlights the importance of inter-disciplinary working (Giarini and Malitza, 2015) which further exacerbates the ambiguous and weakened identity and status of the HRD profession (Gold and Bratton, 2014;Ruona, 2016).…”

Patrones de participación y logro en un MOOC de Saberes Digitales para Docentes en servicio de México

“…Es más, si se considera ese indicador a partir de quienes realizaron la primera actividad el porcentaje sube a 53%. Quienes tienen interés y poseen capacidad autogestiva son quienes más se benefician de esta modalidad (R. Kizilcec y Halawa, 2015;Margaryan, Littlejohn, y Milligan, 2013). Los resultados obtenidos en este estudio indican desempeños diferenciados entre las distintas distribuciones etarias y nivel de estudios.…”