Abstracts - Earli

I 330 August 2007 14:30 - 16:30Room: 0.87 MarxSIG Invited SymposiumWork learning and subjectivityChair: Frank Achtenhagen, University of Göttingen, GermanyChair: Anneli Eteläpelto, University of Jyvaska, FinlandOrganiser: Frank Achtenhagen, University of Göttingen, GermanyOrganiser: Anneli Eteläpelto, University of Jyväskylä, FinlandDiscussant: Karin Jensen, University of Oslo, NorwayChallenges in the fields of economy and policy are changing workplace conditions. These changescause heavy consequences for the individual worker and employee and their perception of thesechallenges, their attributions as consequences and their resulting actions and behaviour. Thecontributions to this symposium highlight different important aspects of acting and learning at theworkplace. Collin and colleagues start with the hypothesis that consequences of these"megatrends" lead to constraints and restrictions on learning at work. They identify by differentempirical studies lacks of time and human resources and not sufficiently communicatedorganisational reforms as main factors restricting learning itself. These results mark starting pointsfor changes of workplace learning. The work of Weber and Arends can be related to thesechallenges and their consequences at work. If these conditions are perceived as restricted workersand employees should be able to "adjust" to these changed working conditions. They discuss themodel of Selective Optimization with Compensation as a major means to overcome limits of thedevelopment of identity and vocational self-competence. Billett tries to unfold subjectivities atwork by identifying individual dispositions as interest, preferences and values. He hypothesisesthat such dispositions influence definitively thinking, acting, and learning. By an integration ofethnographic-type and problem-solving studies he tries to explain the interdependence betweenpersonal preconditions and social impact at the workplace. Like the other projects he also focuseson the importance of ongoing accumulative developmental processes. Gruber and colleaguesinvestigate factors which might influence learning at the workplace. They identify the quality ofinformal feedback as one decisive predictor for initiating workplace learning processes. Allcontributions to this symposium focus on the interplay of personal factors and subjectivelyperceived (changing) conditions for the workplace and give first hints for viable solutions withregard to overcoming its constraints.Constraints and challenges of learning and construction of vocational and professional identitiesat workKaija Collin, University of Jyväskylä, FinlandSusanne Paloniemi, University of Jyväskylä, FinlandAnne Virtanen, University of Jyväskylä, FinlandAnneli Eteläpelto, University of Jyväskylä, FinlandAlthough the importance of analysing workplace learning from various perspectives has beenwidely recognised, the constraints and restrictions of learning at work have not so far beeninvestigated in detail. This paper analyses and discusses different constraints and restrictions ofworkplace learning and vocational development in various workplace learning contexts. Thequestion of how the construction of vocational identity may be challenged by these constraints is– 478 –