Propiedades de las poliimidas aromáticas y de sus membranas

As was demonstrated in the former chapter, much of the existing work placement literature is quantitative, geared toward measuring facets of the placement experience by using statistical analyses and survey instruments. Consequently, little is known about the nature of the work placement experience, the meanings students construct as they experience it, and the process of learning it entails. Where research has looked beyond outcomes to explore some aspect of the qualitative experience of placements, it is largely descriptive, and as such is limited in its ability to theorise and explain how learning on placement actually happens. Though a limited number of studies have analysed the placement learning experience based upon theorised notions of learning, they are few and far between. It is my intention with this study therefore to contribute a theorised research project, focused in the area of work placements which not only describes, but explains the mechanisms underpinning the process of learning on placement. Given the fundamentally situated nature of work placements, and evidence from past research which has demonstrated the value of sociocultural theory for exploring placement participation, I would therefore argue the application of the sociocultural framework developed in this chapter is both necessary and valuable in facilitating an analysis of the psychological mechanisms underpinning placement learning.

With this research project I therefore aim to apply a sociocultural theoretical framework to the understanding of placement learning, whilst contributing new theory driven knowledge to the work placement literature.

Earlier it was argued that participation in practice fosters learning and identity development, and underpinning this process is the negotiation of meaning which entails both interpretation and action. It is not just the act of participation but the way it is subjectively interpreted that determines what

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meanings are formed from the experience: how a person comes to understand it, what value it is ascribed, what impact it has in shaping identity and how a person will choose to respond to it in terms of the actions they choose to take. It therefore follows that the ontological assumption underpinning the current research project is that learning and identity arise through participation within a socially and culturally constructed world, and it is through this participation that people form the meanings that construct their psychological reality. I would thus assert that in seeking to explain the psychological mechanisms underpinning the placement learning process it is necessary to focus on the meanings students form as they experience participation in the course of their placement. This will require a research approach from which I may gain insight into the experience of placement as it is subjectively perceived by students.

I therefore aim to explore students’ subjective understandings of their placement experience, paying particular attention to the attendant meanings that they form in response to their experience. Further, based upon the arguments outlined in Communities of Practice Theory, I would additionally argue that an examination into the process of placement learning also necessitates a focus on identity. Communities of Practice Theory places the negotiation of meaning at the core of human learning (as opposed to the simple acquisition of knowledge). And the process of becoming a certain person in a social context was demonstrated earlier to be a central drive for the negotiation of meaning, hence from this perspective learning and identity are inextricably linked. Identity therefore is a central concept of community of practice theory – it is a position from which learning cannot be separated from the becoming of the learner. Identity it was argued is shaped by and shapes community membership. Both participation and non-participation are contingent upon the extent to which someone identifies with a practice. And learning through participation offers new opportunities for meaningful identification, identity in turn engages and influences a persons’ propensity and ability to learn. The negotiation of identity entails a whole series of participatory experiences over time that contribute to the formation of trajectories of identity that exist both within and across communities. Identity therefore does not only encapsulate experience but also future aspirations. The identity trajectory of a student on placement will therefore mediate participation and thus learning. To fully understand the process of learning on placement then, also requires a focus on identity - both how it contributes to, and shifts as a consequence of, learning through placement participation.

Thus, with this research I also aim to analyse the impact of sandwich placement participation on the negotiation of identity and to analyse where issues of identity impact upon the process of learning from the placement experience.

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Participation is a central tenet of Communities of Practice Theory. To successfully participate in the practices of the community requires of a learner the ability to communicate in its common language, and to operate in accordance with its values and norms. It requires interaction not only with other people, but also with the artefacts and shared resources of the community in addition to access to opportunities to participate in legitimate practice. Operating within the valued practices of the community shapes the way in which members learn and this becomes a source of identity. Where participation in the valued practices is enabled, the member will have access to resources from which to build their understanding through their increasing involvement in the community. They will have opportunities to engage with others and exchange ideas and where beneficial shape new practice. When participation is disabled however the learner risks marginalisation. The practices which serve to enable or disable participation then, are also of key importance for understanding the psychological mechanisms that underpin the placement learning process.

Hence the final aim of the study is to explore the emergent practices which serve to enable or disable learning on placement.

In summary the aims of the study are as follows:

1. To apply a sociocultural theoretical framework to the understanding of placement learning, whilst contributing new theory driven knowledge to the work placement literature.

2. To explore students’ subjective understandings of their placement experience, paying particular attention to the attendant meanings that they form in response to their experience. 3. To analyse the impact of sandwich placement participation on the negotiation of identity and

to analyse where issues of identity impact upon the process of learning from the placement experience.

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