The rise and rise of learning careers: a Foucauldian genealogy

Goodlad, Cate

doi:10.1080/13596740601155520

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 20 publications

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“…In the foreground, sociomateriality (Leonardi, 2013;Orlikowski & Scott, 2008) and selfdirected learning (Lounsbury, Levy, Park, Gibson, & Smith, 2009) are used as lenses to gain insight into what graduates actually 'do', as they navigate their unique situational factors in their early careers. The research then employs the concept of learning careers (Goodlad, 2007) to situate graduates' early careers as an archetypal 'episode' to show how learning practices can be pivotal throughout one's careers. This theoretical frame is utilised in responding to the research question, "How do fresh graduates establish and engage in learning practices in the early stages of their practitioner careers?…”

Section: Practices For Learning In Early Careers Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Practices for Learning in Early Careers

Loon

2021

AMLE

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Against a backdrop of competitive labour markets, employers have questioned business schools' ability to prepare fresh graduates to 'hit the ground running'. This empirical study explores the research question, "How do fresh graduates prepare themselves for the early stages of their careers through the use of learning practices?" The findings show a gap between students' espoused and enacted learning practices, as graduates transition from the scaffolds of university learning to an autonomous practice-based way of learning. Espoused learning practices engage a top-down causal approach involving goal-setting and identifying resources, while enacted learning practices involves a bottom-up effectuation process that is about discovery, improvisation and reflexivity. For the first contribution, I offer a more nuanced view of learning practices in the form of practices for learning that is about 'doing to learn'. The second provides insight from the coalescence between sociomateriality and self-directed learning to shape bespoke practices for learning in support of early-career success. Third, I offer more granularity to the notion of learning careers. I argue that distinctive practices for learning that emerge over time helps with overcoming challenges associated with important episodes in graduates' careers, such as in their early careers and career change.

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