Employee Perceptions of Their Workplaces as Learning Environments

Autor/in	Coetzer, Alan
Titel	Employee Perceptions of Their Workplaces as Learning Environments
Quelle	In: Journal of Workplace Learning, 19 (2007) 7, S.417-434 (18 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1366-5626
DOI	10.1108/13665620710819375
Schlagwörter	Employees; Informal Education; Tenure; Employee Attitudes; Manufacturing; Learning Processes; Educational Environment; Work Environment; Questionnaires; Foreign Countries; Reliability; On the Job Training; Workplace Literacy; Lifelong Learning; Administrators; New Zealand + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Employee; Arbeitnehmer; Beschäftigter; Informelle Bildung; Nichtformale Bildung; Amtszeit; Beschäftigungsdauer; Arbeitnehmerinteresse; Herstellung; Learning process; Lernprozess; Lernumgebung; Pädagogische Umwelt; Schulumwelt; Arbeitsmilieu; Fragebogen; Ausland; Reliabilität; Training-on-the-Job; Life-long learning; Lebenslanges Lernen; Neuseeland
Abstract	Purpose: The purpose of this article is to contribute to an understanding of how diverse groups of employees perceive their workplaces as learning environments, and to cast light on the learning processes of these diverse groups of employees. Design/methodology/approach: This study was designed to examine employee perceptions of: the extent to which their managers create conditions in the work environments favourable to learning and enact behaviours in one-on-one settings that are likely to foster learning; and their sources and methods of learning. Data were gathered from 464 employees in 31 small manufacturing firms through self-completion questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics and t-tests. Findings: Results for six demographic groups are presented to provide a comparative view of employee perceptions. The research found that the two comparison groups within three demographic variables (tenure, age, education) differed markedly in how they perceived their workplaces as learning environments. However, the various comparison groups seemed to agree that workmates and observational processes were central to learning. Research limitations/implications: The research reveals demographic variables that appear to be important in studies of employee learning in small firms. These variables are: tenure, education, and age. Future research should examine owner-managers' perceptions of the workplace learning environments and employee learning processes. Practical implications: Managers may need practical help in managing the learning of diverse groups of employees, and in understanding the potential differences in employee learning processes. Originality/value: Departs from small business research practice by providing an employee perspective and examining informal learning processes, as opposed to training practices. (Contains 6 tables.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10