Defining the literature review

Originally posted to eBridge, 24 February 2013

 

I've been using the questions given by Newby (2010, p.217) to further define my literature review:

• Why is this an issue/problem? With the on-going economic instability, organisations are looking for more cost-effective ways of training their staff. Managers are reluctant to release employees for extensive and off-site training, so learning technologies are becoming an area of great interest for ways of training staff remotely and more efficiently. Barriers to adoption of informal learning tools and methods arise because these are not seen as being immediately productive. However, they will become increasingly important for successful cooperation in the era of networked business (Jarche, 2013), and they do not always appear spontaneously, because the existing pressures prevent them from being realised as beneficial. Research to outline benefits of using technologies that support social learning could help to provide a much-needed theoretical basis for convincing stakeholders to adopt them, along with the benefit of self-education for practitioners.

• Is there a political dimension? Potentially, this could have a political dimension. Recent events (Garner, 2011; Orr, 2011) have brought intense political interest in the operations of exam boards. Whilst anti-bribery compliance training has been designed, developed and implemented in-house, this is subject to critical approval and auditing by government and regulatory authorities. My personal interest is in maintaining freedom in how to implement training, and ensure that it is truly successful. Jennings (2012) has questioned the general effectiveness of compliance training, as it focuses largely on 'checking boxes' and doesn't really affect behaviour in the long term. Online communities have the potential to radically alter the way in which training takes place, and ensure that real behavioural changes are achieved. Providing research data on how communities can be of benefit will help to ensure that such initiatives are not dismissed as either ineffective or unnecessary.

• When did this issue first arise? Online communities have been a point of interest for me as a practitioner since beginning my own formal learning using these methods. The concept of communities of practice has been periodically mentioned amongst colleagues, and there is a wider interest in engaging with customers using social media platforms. Online communities could provide an important practice ground for this.

• Who has an interest in the topic? All learning & development (or training) departments have an interest in the evolution of learning technologies, and the alternative methods for achieving learning outcomes that become feasible. See for instance Epic's Social Learning Debate, with interest from many high profile names in the field.

My initial thought is that this literature review should be conducted in a qualitative manner, to allow it to grow inductively. Using the principles outline by Ke & Hoadley (2009) should allow for systematic design along with a self-education aspect.

 

References:

Garner, R. (2011). Profit motive has created corrupt education system, say teachers. The Independent [online] 9 December. Available at: <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/profit-motive-has-created-corrupt-education-system-say-teachers-6274531.html> [Accessed 5 August 2012]

Jarche, H. [2013]. Perpetual Beta is the new reality. Life in Perpetual Beta [blog] 1 March. Available at: http://www.jarche.com/2013/03/perpetual-beta-is-the-new-reality/ [Accessed March 2013]

Jennings, C. (2012). Compliance Training: does it really work? Performance. Learning. Productivity. [blog] 15 August. Available at: <http://charles-jennings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/compliance-training-does-it-really-work.html> [Accessed 18 December 2012]

Ke, F. and Hoadley, C. (2009). Evaluating Online Learning Communities. Educational Technology Research and Development, 57(4), pp.487-510.

Newby, P. (2010). Research Methods for Education. Pearson Education Limited.

Orr, J. (2011). Exam boards: examiners suspended in 'corrupt practices' row. The Telegraph (online) 8 December. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/secondaryeducation/8943300/Exam-boards-examiners-suspended-in-corrupt-practices-row.html> [Accessed 5 August 2012]