Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2021
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
PhD
College
College of Education and Human Services
Department
Learning Sciences and Human Development
Committee Chair
Malayna Bernstein
Committee Member
John Oughton
Committee Member
Jiangmei Yuan
Committee Member
M Cecil Smith
Abstract
This study utilized autoethnography to generate new understandings about learning and workplace transitions. I journaled the first 90 days in a new job, writing about the notable learning events that occurred and collecting work artifacts to create a rich storyboard of the transition scene. Qualitative analysis of the storyboard revealed four broader dimensions of learning that must be considered: 1) knowledge growth and development, 2) cognition, 3) situational context, and 4) emotion. The results of the study illuminated key inflection points that happened during the transition process, conceptualized how my learning changed over time, and showed how I processed and refined specific knowledge in route towards constructing novel thoughts and ideas. The study makes theoretical contributions by describing the cognitive, situational, and emotional characteristics of “workers in transition” (WIT) learning. The study makes practical contributions by extending findings into design considerations for WIT learning spaces, through demonstrating the affordances of reflective writing, and by offering a unique combination of methodological instruments.
Recommended Citation
Burgazzoli, Jeffrey Jr, "Learning and Workers in Transition (WIT)" (2021). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 8255.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/8255