This paper draws on the work of Mikhail Bakhtin and Norman Fairclough to show how dialogue is central to the construction of identity in networked management learning. The paper is based on a case study of a networked management learning course in higher education and attempts to illustrate how participants negotiate issues of difference,…

This paper discusses research premised on the view that new employees' necessary learning actions may be said to constitute a socio-cultural constructivist epistemology of necessity. It examines the work and learning activities of three new employees during their first months at a wholesale fruit and vegetable company. It proposes that what new…

A distinction between interpersonal and content interaction was identified in the literature, and applied in research undertaken on a selection of 36 courses. These courses differed in both the kinds of interaction offered and its integration in the teaching and assessment. They included different combinations and use of conferencing, email,…

This article focuses on the kinds of work that language does in contemporary workplaces, the discursive resources that are available to workers, and the challenges that they face, as they learn to build on established language practices, and develop new language practices, in order to do their work. In particular, we are interested in the ways in…

This paper focuses on learners' experiences of text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) as a means of self-expression, dialogue and debate. A detailed case study narrative and a reflective commentary are presented, drawn from a personal, practice-based inquiry into the design and facilitation of a professional development course for which…

This paper reports on a case study on the implementation of "language games" as a pedagogical tool for analyzing, assessing and promoting the quality and the level of collaborative knowledge building in online learning dialogues. Part of the overall objective is to explore the use, strength, weaknesses, and limitations of using the method in the…

Gender plays a significant role in the experiences of workers within organizations. This is particularly true for women in non-traditional roles as they constantly struggle with gender barriers that are so ensconced in certain organizations and in society as to be accepted without question. Using an autoethnographical account, I explore the…

This research arose from our involvements in adults and community education, adult literacy, youth issues, and in researching the new movement in Australia for the inclusion of "generic skills" in education and training curriculum. We recruited twenty-two practitioners in Adult and Community Education (ACE) in a participatory action research…

This paper focuses on dualities in both the process and outcomes of participation in work. First, the process of participation in work activities and interactions draws on contributions of both individuals and the social world in ways that are variably interdependent, that is, relational. The affordances of workplaces shape the array of…

Against a background of declining union significance and falling membership, this article reviews the recent development of trade union workplace learning in Britain. It is argued that the dominant framework within which this learning is currently undertaken is one of "employability". Instead of an employability framework, it is suggested that an…

This study investigated supervisees' perceptions of the learning processes and outcomes of professional supervision. Two hundred and sixty-four psychology graduates involved in the process of professional supervision for registration responded to a mail survey regarding their supervisor's approach to supervision, their own approach to supervision…

In this article, I will argue that learning organizations that claim certain emancipatory promises in principle continue to ignore issues of gender, which, in practice are a distinctive and defining feature of our workplace contexts. Applying a feminist?Foucauldian interpretive framework, I intend to demonstrate and analyse the material workings…

The subjectivity of workers, articulated in terms of the personal attributes required in ongoing conditions of economic change, has been at the forefront of current discussions of generic skills in Australia. This article explores the discursive construction and reconstruction of the "competent" learner-worker from its initial elaboration in the…

The themes of collaboration and partnership lie at the heart of the vision of a range of UK initiatives designed to tackle social exclusion. However, the benefits are extolled and the costs to community groups are minimized. Some of the problems and possibilities for the involvement of community groups in partnerships are considered. Partnerships…

"Recognition of Prior Learning" (RPL) is usually associated with assessment processes prior to entry into an educational programme. This paper considers the recognition of prior learning in post-entry pedagogy (referred to here as "rpl" lower case). The focus is on informal learning or experience in courses in Labour Law at two universities in…