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“I don’t think I am a learner”: acts of naming learners at work

David Boud (David Boud is a Professor of Adult Education, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia. He is also a member of the Organisational, Vocational and Adult Learning Research Centre at that institution.)
Nicky Solomon (Nicky Solomon is a Senior Lecturer, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia. He is also a member of the Organisational, Vocational and Adult Learning Research Centre at that institution.)

Journal of Workplace Learning

ISSN: 1366-5626

Article publication date: 1 December 2003

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Abstract

The terms “learning” and “learner” are used in discussions of workplace learning as if they were unproblematic and as if workers, organisations and researchers had a common, shared view about what these terms mean. A study of four different workgroups within an organisation in which the discourse of learning was pervasive suggests that having an identity as a learner may not be compatible with being regarded as a competent worker. The politics of naming oneself as a learner are considered and the power of naming learning and learners are discussed. The broader implications for research on workplace learning of such a discursive approach are noted.

Keywords

Citation

Boud, D. and Solomon, N. (2003), "“I don’t think I am a learner”: acts of naming learners at work", Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 15 No. 7/8, pp. 326-331. https://doi.org/10.1108/13665620310504800

Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited

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