TITLE Action Learning: A Strategy for Change.

Abstract

The National Staff Development Committee of the Vocational Education and Training Sector in Australia is promoting action learning as a preferred professional development strategy to support the implementation of key competencies. Action learning was piloted across five training areas within the Department of Employment, Training, and Further Education, South Australia. The project was evaluated through two semi-structured hour-long interviews conducted with participating staff (one at the beginning, the other at the end of the project) and the Stages of Concern Questionnaire and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The study found that the success of action learning as a change strategy depends on a number of factors, including the following: (1) preparation of staff to participate in the project; (2) selection and preparation of facilitators; (3) management support, funding, and feedback; (3) time constraints, workloads, and attendance; (4) needs and concerns of all the participants in the project; (5) setting clear goals around a common problem; (6) making team building and staff development a priority; and (7) employing the thinking, doing, evaluating, and reflecting cycle. (Contains 12 references.) (KC) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. cn