TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the ways in which organisational context and individual agency interact (co-participate) to shape the workplace learning of graduate trainee accountants, and to examine the role of firm size in conditioning this interaction.Design/methodology/approach A qualitative, comparative approach was used, involving interviews with 20 respondents across two large and three small accountancy firms in England.Findings Differences in individual learner biographies and trajectories generate divergent dispositions with regard to workplace learning. In turn, these dispositions influence the extent to which the generally less formal learning environment of the small firm is interpreted either positively or negatively.Research limitations/implications Further research is needed on processes of agency/context interaction across a wider range of organisational and professional environments.Practical implications Individual dispositions play an important role in determining the optimal approach towards professional development in practice.Originality/value The paper offers a novel insight into how variations in both context and agency – and the relationship between them – can generate significant divergences in the professional learning process.
VL  - 59
IS  - 5
SN  - 0040-0912
DO  - 10.1108/ET-07-2016-0129
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-07-2016-0129
AU  - Bishop Daniel
PY  - 2017
Y1  - 2017/01/01
TI  - Context, agency and professional workplace learning: Trainee accountants in large and small practices
T2  - Education + Training
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 516
EP  - 533
Y2  - 2024/04/27
ER  -