These are the preliminary results from the project, "Professional Learning in a Changing Society" (ProLEARN), which looks at how teachers, nurses, accountants, and computer engineers keep themselves up to date on developments in their field.

One challenge is that an increasing amount of knowledge development in these fields is made available through periodicals, Internet sites, technological tools, and the like.  This means that, in our modern knowledge society, learning is also linked to a more abstract and mediated form.  The project emphasises how the various professions experience these challenges.

Individual Responsibility
All the occupational groups experience their work as replete with learning opportunities.  With the exception of the accountants who receive systematic training in order to achieve/maintain their certification, all the fields in the study emphasise individual responsibility for further learning.  Even so, the nurses report more structured training than the teachers.  The computer engineers, to a large degree, assume this responsibility themselves and their learning is an integral part of their workday, but is most often linked to concrete problem solving.

A Desire to Learn More
The professionals in all the groups expressed a desire to learn more.  On commonality is that they are all driven by the desire to do a good job.  They have a “traditional” motivation linked to feelings of obligation and community responsibility.  Even in a time generally characterised by individualisation and extreme changeability, this is an important foundation for professional practices.

At the same time, motivation for learning can be linked to a wealth of opportunities, tools, and models for good professional practices that promote expectations and inspire to further exploration.  Such circumstances are present in all four professions, in varying degrees.  All the groups show a drive for knowledge but, in one way or another, they also lack tools and support structures to navigate the complex field of knowledge.

Differing Knowledge Cultures
The four groups represent differing knowledge cultures when it comes to strategies for updating and using knowledge sources.  Sharing knowledge with colleagues is considered important in all groups and comprises an important learning resource in their daily work.  But what about theoretical and research-based knowledge that can link professional practices to the front lines of knowledge in the field?  Here, there are differences between the professions when it comes to how they use and access the knowledge resources developed especially for their profession.

The nurses and the accountants use field-specific knowledge resources that have been developed to align knowledge development in the field with professional practices.  These resources are, however, often procedures to be used on concrete problems or in specific situations.

The computer engineers often come in contact with global resources and knowledge sources that are directly applicable to job completion, but are also open for further exploration and adaptation.  These resources are available in various technological market arenas, and are seldom developed or controlled by the profession itself.

The teachers use field-specific knowledge resources to a lesser degree.  Rather, this group emphasises personal experience, reading up on topics to be taught, as well as sharing experience with colleagues.

Still, teachers often want answers to complex questions, for example:  How can one include all students in a teaching situation?  How can one encourage the students’ personal development?  They receive little support for handling these kinds of questions in their work.  In contrast to the other groups, the teachers’ questions are often unbounded and it is hard to find clear answers.

Consequences and Visions of the Future
Even though all the occupational groups seem to have taken current rhetoric about lifelong learning to heart, none of them have fully mastered the transition into a new epoch.  Everyone encounters obstacles to the realisation of their expectations.  This is partially linked to the complex landscape of knowledge and learning opportunities.

One common trait is that encounters with knowledge resources are often linked to short-term, concrete problem solving.  Seeking knowledge is, to a large extent, part of the concluding phases of a task and connected to broader, more in-depth competence development to a limited degree.  At the same time, the practitioners have a drive for further learning that is not fully exploited.

Article by: Siw Jakobsen