Abstract:
This exploratory descriptive study described what 20 care providers in 5 long-term care
facilities perceived to aid or hinder their learning in a work-sponsored learning
experience. A Critical Incident Technique (Woolsey, 1986) was the catalyst for the
interviews with the culturally and professionally diverse participants.
Through data analysis, as described by Moustakas (1994), I found that (a)
humour, (b) the learning environment, (c) specific characteristics of the presenter such as
moderate pacing, speaking slowly and with simple words, (d) decision-making authority,
(e) relevance to practice, and (f) practical applications best met the study participants'
learning needs. Conversely, other factors could hinder learning based on the participants'
perceptions. These were: (a) other presenter characteristics such as a program that was
delivered quickly or spoken at a level above the participants' comprehension, (b) no
perceived relevance to practice, (c), other environmental situations, and (d) the timing of
the learning session.
One of my intentions was to identify the emic view among cultural groups and
professional/vocational affiliations. A surprising finding of this study was that neither
impacted noticeably on the perceived learning needs of the participants. Further research
with a revised research design to facilitate inclusion of more diverse participants will aid
in determining if the lack of a difference was unique to this sample or more generalizable
on a case-to-case transfer basis to the study population.
