A collaborative perspective on learning transfer

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue that it is important to focus on the apprentices' collaborative learning processes when addressing issues of learning transfer.

Design/methodology/approach

The claims about the importance of addressing processes of collaborative activities and learning in relation to learning transfer are based on the study following the completion of questionnaires by 243 apprentices and interviews in which 19 baker apprentices participated.

Findings

The research results prove that it is important to pay attention to collaborative activities among learners in order to ensure learning transfer.

Research limitations/implications

One limitation of the study is that it does not elaborate on reasons that some apprentices are motivated to integrate what they were taught at vocational college in a workplace setting while others are not motivated to do so.

Practical implications

Educators will become more aware of individual and collective initiatives to cross the boundaries between vocational school and workplace practice.

Originality/value

The study adds to the discussion of learning transfer through an investigation of learning transfer from a collaborative perspective. Most transfer studies have focused on the nature of knowledge or the structural barriers between college and workplace practice, while this study emphasizes the collaborative nature of learning transfer.

Citation

Nielsen, K. (2009), "A collaborative perspective on learning transfer", Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 58-70. https://doi.org/10.1108/13665620910924916