Communities Of Practice Theory Research Articles

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Online Collaborative Learning in Germany

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the cross-cultural perspectives on online collaborative learning in Germany.
 Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries.
 Findings: In Germany, online collaborative learning prioritizes structured environments and asynchronous communication to accommodate diverse schedules. Emphasis is placed on clear communication, punctuality, and achieving consensus through respectful dialogue. Educators stress the development of intercultural competence alongside disciplinary knowledge for effective cross-cultural engagement.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory, social identity theory & communities of practice theory may be used to anchor future studies on the cross-cultural perspectives on online collaborative learning in Germany. Establish professional development programs that offer continuous training and support for educators to enhance their cultural competence and pedagogical skills in facilitating online collaborative learning. Advocate for the integration of cross-cultural competency standards into teacher education programs and accreditation requirements to ensure that educators are adequately prepared to address the needs of culturally diverse student populations in online collaborative learning environments.

The CoP Theory in Reading Enhancement Programme(REP) from Pragmatic Lens of Language Development

The Community of Practice (CoP) theory is principally anchored on active involvement of members of the community with one common shared purpose. They foster camaraderie and preform a common practice. In applied linguistics, CoP is a less explored area of language learning. By highlighting the benefits of CoP, school administrators will be able to solicit active involvement from stakeholders. A phenomenological approach was adopted to investigate the independent and dependent variables under qualitative research design. One hundred five L2 learners and 2 teacher participants served as a bridge to offer philosophical findings to the framed RQs. Features such as consultation conferences, orientation to the internal and external stakeholders and commitment to the school-based intervention are the essential features of CoP and REP. Presence of parents, donation of instructional materials, reading follow-up at home, financial support of LGU & NGO as well as close monitoring of school administrator paved the way for the increase in the academic performances. Researcher concludes that CoP theory has been found efficient in implementing REP incorporating principles of pragmatism to language development.

Building a community of practice through a doctoral research group

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the role an intentional and cohesive research group for doctoral researchers and supervisors can play in surfacing and de-mystifying many of the implicit doctoral literacy practices involved in doctoral study. Design/methodology/approach This participatory, collaborative project, involving 11 doctoral researchers and three supervisors, was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, doctoral researchers and supervisors engaged in a discussion which resulted in a shared concept map. The concept map was then used as a prompt for stimulated recall interviews in which the participants reflected on the connections and peer learning afforded by the research group. Findings Drawing on ideas from Communities of Practice theory, the data revealed that the research group, including both supervisors and doctoral students, developed knowledge, relational connections and an awareness of a range of doctoral literacies. Practical implications This paper makes suggestions for how those in doctoral education can develop and embed research groups into institutional practices. Originality/value This study demonstrates the significant role a research group which is structured, intentional and guided plays in supervisors’ and doctoral students’ development of doctoral literacies and the fundamental intellectual and relational connections afforded by participating in such communities.

Global Ordering and the Interaction of Communities of Practice: A Framework for Analysis

Abstract Several new frameworks for the study of the differentiation of and relations between global orders have recently been introduced to International Relations. This article demonstrates how the communities of practice (COP) framework provides complementary as well as novel answers to processes of global ordering. COP theory has become a thriving research framework and has led to substantial innovative work on the internal logics of international institutions, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union, and various professions, such as diplomats. Surprisingly, researchers have so far not appreciated the potential of the approach as a more general theory of global order. We argue that lifting this potential implies focusing on the interaction of and spaces between communities as well as going beyond the study of the internal logics of a discrete community. We propose a framework for the study of this interaction with a focus on its spatial and agential dimensions. We then show how this leads to an innovative research framework, drawing on an illustration from the case of global ocean governance.

Impact of Geographical Factors on Vietnamese Teachers’ Satisfaction with “Teacher Activity Groups” Project

This study examines how geographic location affects the satisfaction of English language teachers participating in the innovative Teacher Activity Groups project. The project represents a pioneering example of technology-enhanced, cross-cultural collaboration between a Welsh institution, where English is the native language, and Vietnam, where English is taught as a foreign language. The six-month project was conducted entirely online, using digital platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet for interaction, fostering cooperative learning and problem-solving among 147 K-12 teachers. Employing a theoretical framework that draws upon the adult learning theory, the community of practice theory, and the zone of proximal development theory, this study offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Teacher Activity Groups project, focusing on five key levels of analysis: participants’ reactions, participants’ learning, organisation support and change, participants’ use of new knowledge and skills, and student learning outcomes. The questionnaire’s quantitative findings reveal notable differences in teacher satisfaction across urban, suburban and rural areas. Notably, suburban teachers expressed greater satisfaction in almost all measured categories. This disparity across different geographical areas highlights the importance of considering context-specific factors in the design and implementation of professional development initiatives like the Teacher Activity Groups project. Through its analysis, this study underscores the potential of cross-cultural, online collaborative projects in fostering professional development and suggests areas of focus for enhancing English language teaching and learning in different socio-educational contexts.

Learning programming for mathematical investigations: an instrumental and community of practice approach

ABSTRACT In this article, we seek to understand how university students learn to use programming for mathematical investigations; our precise focus is on how the analysis of social elements in operational knowledge elucidates this learning. We propose a framework coordinating the instrumental approach and communities of practice (CoP) theory. We apply it in the context of project-based university courses (MICA courses), where the CoP of mathematicians using programming for their research is a reference. We investigate the schemes associated with the programming language and its environment developed by students along trajectories of legitimate peripheral participation. We focus on the scheme developed for the goal “validating the programmed mathematics.” Our results indicate that for the same goal, common rules-of-action are developed by students, but differences can appear concerning theorems-in-action. This study also suggests theoretical developments linked with the coordination of the instrumental approach and CoP theory.

Moving into communities of practice: experiences of psychology students in their internship

Internships that are carried out as part of an education program are a way of preparing students for their professional entry. Internships can be seen as an introduction to communities of practice (CoP) that students are to act in. The aim of the present study is to investigate the experience of psychology master students in Denmark during their internship and how this experience may reflect their moving into a community of practice. Eighty-seven psychology master students described a total of 495 experienced challenges in the beginning and at the end of their ten-month part-time internship as part of a reflective teaching task. Content analysis identified ten themes. CoP theory and its three common process denominators community, practice and identity were used as theoretical lens. The “Practice” domain included the themes Skills to solve concrete tasks, task delineations and directives, and relational competencies. “Practice community” encompassed Interns’ position for participation, Internship supervisor as a community gatekeeper, Community stressors, and Disagreement in the professional community; and “identity” included experiences related to professional identity, personal impact of work, and personal characteristics. Psychological professionalism emerged as an overarching concept across these domains. Future studies and educational planning should focus on supporting students in handling not only challenges related to concrete work practice and interaction in the community of practitioners, but also identity and the idea of learning as personal transformation as part of moving into practice.

Cross-community enactive research: a relational practice-based approach to academic engagement

ABSTRACT To respond to the call for broader ways to understand academic engagement in sustainable tourism, I conceptualized a relational practice-based approach, termed cross-community enactive research. Relying on central ideas from the enactive research approach by entrepreneurship scholar Bengt Johannisson, which draws on autoethnography and action research, and the communities of practice theory by educationalist Etienne Wenger, this approach involves researchers playing the temporary role of practitioners, with other practitioners. I applied such approach to an exploratory case concerning my participation in a collaborative, sustainable tourism project. The case discussion highlighted the non-linearity and mutuality of deep academic engagement. Such engagement has evolved over time as a growing web of relationships and roles, along which the processes relative to identity (being/becoming a sustainability-engaged person), knowledge (thinking sustainability) and action (doing sustainability) occur across diverse practices, sectors, and contexts. The case showed the potential of the elaborated approach for real-world impact, especially on the involved practitioners and destinations, and highlighted challenges about researchers’ multiple roles, the formalization of their engagement in non-academic activities, and the research impact’ predictability and novelty.

Perceived network bridging influences the career commitment decisions of early career teachers

BackgroundRetaining highly qualified science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers is imperative for meeting demands of the twenty-first century STEM workforce. While multiple studies have revealed several factors that influence teacher retention, little work has examined how these factors interact with one another. This study explored the relationship between two critical factors that relate to teachers’ decisions to remain in the profession: teacher identity and communities of practice (CoP) networks.ResultsDrawing upon scholarship on science teacher identity, CoP, and social network theory, we demonstrate a quantitative relationship between perceived network bridging roles and career commitment, which is mediated through teacher identity.ConclusionsThe findings from this study have both implications for scholarship in teacher retention and science teacher identity development. Potential solutions for improving novice teachers’ self-image through providing opportunities to grow their professional networks both locally and regionally/nationally are suggested.

Becoming a podiatrist: an exploration of the practices and processes which underpin the acquisition of a professional identity

BackgroundUndergraduate podiatry degrees are designed to enable students to become professional podiatrists. To be successful students must manage academic and practical activity to ultimately acquire a professional identity. Little is known about the practices and processes which underpin the acquisition of a professional podiatry identity. It is the aim of this paper to begin to address this absence of knowledge. Community of Practice theory, arguably the dominant contemporary learning theory, represents identity shift as an interaction of imagination, engagement and alignment which enables students to successfully participate in higher education, and ultimately, the professional context. This success is underpinned through assisting students to develop an enabling identity in their learning and doing.MethodsHere we present findings that emerged from a yearlong ethnography in a successful higher education podiatry department. The project followed students and staff in the classroom and the clinic and explored their experiences through interviews.ResultsThe findings suggest that the journey to professional identity is facilitated through meaningful learning relationships between staff and students and clarity around professional practices. Here we discuss how those relationships form and enable undergraduates to become podiatrists.ConclusionsOur findings offer a model for the transition from student to professional and highlight the importance of relationship and experience in becoming a podiatrist. There is a paucity of research around not only podiatry but also other allied health professions around this topic and given the increasing emphasis around employability skills in HE, more research in a range of contexts is needed.

Community of Practice in the Context of the Rapid Transition to Online Learning at a Rural University in South Africa: Successes and Pitfalls

The purpose of this reflective paper is to give an account of how we managed to navigate online learning and teaching amid the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance students’ learning at a rural university in South Africa. The aim is to share our experiences on how we used community of practice as a theory to support ourselves as lecturers in designing, accessing, and engaging with online content amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the paper details the successes and pitfalls encountered in trying to adjust to the online mode of delivery. The paper makes use of qualitative self-reflexive personal narrative inquiry. Community of practice theory and connectivist theory guide our reflections. We succeeded not only in helping each other navigate the e-learning platform but our working relationships also improved as well as our skills. Through use of community of practice and connectivism, we managed, not without difficulties, to migrate content online, to engage meaningfully with our students, and to network with other lecturers. We recommend adoption of community of practice by lecturers even beyond the pandemic since it promotes knowledge- and skill-sharing, and networking, thereby easing lecturers’ burden and fears. Furthermore, community of practice encourages scholars to share their work in the form of scholarship of teaching and learning.

Boundary Transitions Within, Across, and Beyond a Set of Digital Resources: Brokering in College Algebra

We address a problem of promoting instructional transformation in early undergraduate mathematics courses, via an intervention incorporating novel digital resources (“techtivities”), in conjunction with a faculty learning community (FLC). The techtivities can serve as boundary objects, in order to bridge different communities to which instructors belong. Appealing to Etienne Wenger’s Communities of Practice theory, we theorise a role of the instructor as a broker, facilitating “boundary transitions” within, across, and beyond a set of digital resources. By “boundary transition”, we mean a transition that is also a brokering move; instructors connect different communities as they draw links between items in their instruction. To ground our argument, we provide empirical evidence from an instructor, Rachel, whose boundary transitions served three functions: (1) to position the techtivities as something that count in the classroom community and connect to topics valued by the broader mathematics community; (2) to communicate to students that their reasoning matters more than whether they provide a correct answer, a practice promoted in the FLC; (3) to connect students’ responses to mathematical ideas discussed in the FLC, in which graphs represent a relationship between variables. Instructors’ boundary transitions can serve to legitimise novel digital resources within an existing course and thereby challenge the status quo in courses where skills and procedures may take precedence over reasoning and sense-making.

Resituating situated learning within racialized and colonial social relations

ABSTRACT This conceptual paper makes a theoretical intervention into situated learning and communities of practice theories, arguing that they must account for social relations of racialization and colonialism. I contend that the epistemologies and ontologies of a community of practice are embedded in social relations; therefore, neglecting power dynamics dilutes theorizations of learning, participation, resistance, and identity. I draw on vignettes from an environmentalist community of practice to demonstrate possible gaps in the ways situated learning theory is mobilized. I argue that the field of situated learning needs more robust tools to theorize the practices of both privilege and resistance to understand learning in multiracial, multigendered, settler-colonial communities of practice.

University as a Site to Learn Citizenship from the Perspectives of Students in the UK

The role of universities in preparing students to be active citizens within civil society has gained increasing attention. However, only limited research has been conducted on students’ views of universities as sites to learn representative democracy. To address the research gap, this article conducts eight semi-structured interviews with staff, student leaders and students without any positions in a case university. The students are undergraduate and post-graduate from different academic majors. Community of practice theory is employed to help understand students’ views of their experiences of representative democracy at the university. After analysing the interview data, the article finds that student leaders regard their role as mainly representing students and that all students in the study realise the importance of such democratic representation through participation. Importantly, through participation in representative democracy, students, especially student leaders, gain knowledge and skills on voting and elections. Interestingly, students’ sense of belonging is a result of participation in student union, society and club activities, which very likely includes voting and engagement with elections. Learning and belongingness are likely to make students participate more in future democratic representation activities. Although students give credit to the university’s role in promoting representative democracy, there are challenges. Specifically, the university is supposed to promote more participation in voting and elections for first-year students, and there is also concern that the short-term nature of positions in the student union may not allow real changes to be made. The findings shed some light on how students learn representative democracy in universities in neoliberal countries.

Becoming a member of a nursing community of practice: negotiating performance competence and identity

ABSTRACT The challenge faced by newly graduated nurses from undergraduate study to practice is a persistent theme in nursing practice literatures. However, there is a lack of understanding about how this transition happens. This focused ethnographic study explored how newly graduated nurses (novices) interacted with experienced nurses and learnt in a hospital ward in Singapore. Using the ‘Trajectory of identification framework’ developed from Wenger’s Community of Practice theory, data was collected through observation and focused group discussions. This research revealed the participating rules as the sociocultural characteristics of the nursing community, and how these characteristics are ongoingly negotiated among the nurses. The nurses’ changing performative competence and identity in different situations are conceptualised as the ‘Participation Space’. This study also showed how concepts of Community of Practice theory can be analytically applied and further developed in empirical study. Specifically, a conceptual ‘Participation Matrix’ is theorised which adds an additional tool to understand the nurses’ dynamic participation and negotiation of membership in a Community of Practice. Novices’ transition should be viewed as an ongoing dynamic workplace learning, through which negotiation of performative competence and identity among members take place. The soon to be novices and workplaces should be prepared with this understanding.

Professional Values, Gatekeeping, and Motivations for Seeking the MSW Degree

ABSTRACT This research examines professional values and individuals’ decisions to pursue social work education, with gatekeeping as a mediator of this relationship. Motivations are derived from Community of Practice theory: community, domain, practice, and skills. MSW students (N=528) were recruited across the U.S. Structural equation modeling was used to test associations among motivation and values factors. The latent variable values consisted of the Professional Opinion scale, the Humanitarian–Egalitarian scale, and the Social Change Mission scale. The four latent motivation factors come from the PSWCOP scale. Mixed results were obtained based on the four hypotheses tied to each motivation type. Implications for education, research, and practice are explored, particularly in the context of how different perspectives on gatekeeping affect decisions based on endorsement of professional values.

MANCHESTER CLINICAL PLACEMENT INDEX (MCPI) AS CLINICAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT ASSESSMENT TOOL: ADAPTATION INTO INDONESIAN LANGUAGE

Background: Clinical Learning Environment (CLE) involves many active dynamics, perceptions construction, learners' experiences, and behavior while learning. It includes every human resource working and learning together, a health system, and communities. Standard assessment of CLE is essential to evaluate CLE. The Manchester Clinical Placement Index (MCPI) assesses the CLE based on Community of Practice Theory, emphasizing learning according to experience-based learning. Translation of the MCPI into the Indonesian language will be valuable to assess the CLE. This research intends to translate and adapt MCPI into the Indonesian language. Therefore, MCPI can be used to assess the CLE in Indonesian medical schools.Methods: An expert panel translated the MCPI into the Indonesian language (I-MCPI), and a language learning center validated the translation. Participants who were final year students (N: 155) filled up the online I-MCPI after the informed consent. To assess the I-MCPI validity, we performed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and item discrimination. To seek reliability, we utilized internal consistency reliability showing as the Cronbach's alpha coefficient.Results: The factor analysis and item discrimination showed the I-MCPI's validity. We found two subscales similar to the original MCPI. Leadership, reception, people, facilities, and organization have similar correlation strength to Subscale Learning Environment (0.60-0.71). Instruction and observation have similar correlation strength to Subscale Training (0.86-0.89). Subscale feedback correlates less than 0.60 for both subscales; thus, we concluded that feedback went to the subscale Training as the original MCPI. Reliability of the I-MCPI showed an excellent internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha of 0.87.Conclusion: I-MCPI is a valid and reliable tool to assess the CLE. Further research with broader cohorts of medical schools will be valuable for advancing medical education in Indonesia.

‘Fail early and fail fast’: the value of group supervision for doctoral candidates

ABSTRACT This part-reflective, part-conceptual article focuses on the issue of supervision models and the need to move away from the dominance of the traditional master-apprentice model which continues to persist in many social sciences and humanities contexts. Drawing on communities of practice theory, I critically reflect on my own PhD supervision experience in Australia in relation to my current South African context in order to highlight how varying forms of a group model of supervision can enhance the doctoral experience by creating more opportunities for PhD candidates to engage in social learning. Furthermore, the article discusses some of the challenges associated with maintaining group coherence in a community of practice due to the fundamentally social nature of knowledge and the associated contestations around the legitimacy of knowledge and ways of knowing and the effect this has on a community. The article concludes with a suggestion of how this challenge can be mitigated through the creation of smaller, theory-based research ‘clusters’ within larger doctoral programmes.

Exploring English Novice Teachers’ Identity Transformation Influenced by Community of Practice

Research studies have acknowledged the roles of constructing teachers’ identity in early stage for novice teachers. Before entering the real context, novice teachers have formed their professional identity based on their experiences. However, due to the reality shock and different cultural context, transforming into professional identity stage can pose enormous challenge. The challenge has become more serious as the efforts are not supported by sufficient studies and references focusing on the contribution of Community of Practice (CoP) to their identity transformation in Indonesia. Thus, this study aims to explore the English novice teachers’ identity transformation and contribution of CoP to their identity transformation. This research employed a qualitative study. Imagined and practiced identity transformation theory and CoP theory were used to gather the data by conducting interview to three English novice teachers having been teaching for less than two years. The researcher employed selective coding in analyzing the data. It was found that the three participants transformed their imagined identity into practiced identity and CoP contributed to their identity transformation. Thus, teacher education program should prepare student teachers by exposing them to the real context. Further, the schools are urged to set regulations and habits to facilitate novice teachers to adapt with the new social context.

The theoretical basis of enterprise architecture: A critical review and taxonomy of relevant theories

Enterprise architecture is a collection of artifacts describing various aspects of an organization from an integrated business and IT perspective. Practicing enterprise architecture in organizations implies using these artifacts to facilitate information systems planning and improve business and IT alignment. Despite its long history, the enterprise architecture discipline still remains largely atheoretical and lacks a solid theoretical basis. Based on our previous empirical studies of the practical usage of enterprise architecture artifacts in multiple organizations and broad literature analysis, this conceptual article identifies and discusses in detail 10 theories that can be considered key for understanding how an enterprise architecture practice works: actor-network theory, boundary objects theory, cognitive fit theory, communities of practice theory, decision-making theories, information processing theory, knowledge management theory, management fashion theory, media richness theory, and uncertainty principle. Taken together, these theories offer a comprehensive theoretical view of an enterprise architecture practice explaining the role of enterprise architecture artifacts, their usability, and participation of stakeholders and, therefore, may constitute a theoretical basis of the entire enterprise architecture discipline. Although this article does not elaborate on any of these theories, it brings these theories to light, establishes their critical importance for comprehending an enterprise architecture practice, and positions them as central to the enterprise architecture discourse. Each of these theories can be leveraged by enterprise architecture scholars in their future studies for analyzing enterprise architecture practices through respective theoretical lenses. This article intends to provide fresh theoretical insights on enterprise architecture, spark new waves of theoretical enterprise architecture research, and contribute to the development of a sound theoretical foundation for the enterprise architecture discipline.