Context Of Work Research Articles

ONE CRISIS WITHIN ANOTHER: COPING WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Although Covid-19 has aggravated and initiated mental health concerns to domestic violence (DV) victims, there is a worrying lack of measures meant to DV victims in the context of a pandemic. This study aims to (a) identify and understand the types of domestic violence experienced by women during the pandemic, as well as the consequences in social and work contexts, (b) assess the coping strategies of abuse victims, and (c) identify the gap in government and organizational support for DV victims. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to conduct in-depth interviews with 19 Malaysian women. NVIVO 8 was utilised for thematic analysis. The qualitative findings suggest that there was an increase in gender-based violence in Malaysia during the lockdown, with psychological abuse appearing to be the most prevalent. Despite the difficulties, the majority of victims who were exploited during the lockdown did not report the abuse and instead employed avoidance-based coping mechanisms. Negative passive-avoidance and negative active-avoidance were the most prevalent coping mechanisms. The findings also indicate that eradicating domestic violence would necessitate a broader, more coordinated, and integrated system of government and organizational support. This is the first study to evaluate the serious impact of domestic violence on working Malaysian women in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis. As a result, it provides a wealth of information and could serve as a firm basis for designing effective psychological interventions for women in countries with similar cultural and societal norms to Malaysia.

Determinanten für ein günstiges Sitzund Bewegungsverhalten in der Präsenzarbeit im Büro und im Homeoffice

Determinants of favourable sitting and movement behaviour when working in the office and at home – results of an interview study (SITFLEX-2) Objective: Office workers spend about 70 % of their working time seated. Sitting for more than 8h per day is associated with health problems such as hypertension and type II diabetes mellitus. This study aims to reveal what office workers, in interview, consider to be the facilitators and barriers to breaking up sitting time in the office and when working remotely, and to make recommendations based on their insights. Methods: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 employees performing sedentary work in an international company. The analysis was carried out using Mayring’s content analysis on the basis of the COM-B model of behaviour (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behaviour). The modified model of possible determinants of sedentary behaviour in the work context was used to identify preliminary guidance for enabling healthier sedentary behaviour at work. Results: The interviews indicate that awareness of the importance of sitting breaks and movement, and their association with health, was a prerequisite for promoting healthy behaviour. In addition to spatial and social incentives, work task organisation that allows employees to take a break from sitting is perceived as beneficial. Spatial and social incentives are often particularly lacking when working from home. Regardless of the working environment, a work culture that supports and encourages sitting breaks and movement is important. There are several barriers to this. Sitting at a desk for long periods of time, for instance, is perceived to be associated with higher productivity, while time pressure masks physical sensations so that sitting breaks are often forgotten. Conclusions: Due to the increasing prevalence of working from home, there is a clear need for appropriate procedures and a working culture that promote breaks from sitting and movement during remote work. Keywords: sedentary behaviour – sitting interruptions – movement promotion – qualitative research – interviews

Start of the Season in a Seasonal Work Context: A Better Understanding of the Difficulties Experienced by Seasonal Workers in the Food Processing Industry for the Prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders.

The specific period of the start of a new working season and a return to work after the off-season seems to be a critical moment for the musculoskeletal health of seasonal workers. This study aims to identify the difficulties and working conditions encountered by seasonal workers in this particular period of the working season which may increase the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). An in-depth ergonomic work activity study, combined with a multiple case study of eight seasonal workers from a meat processing facility, was conducted. Various interviews (n = 24) and observations of work activity, organization, and production (n = 96 h) were held at different moments (off-season, return to work at the start of the season, and during the season). Critical work situations exposing workers to WMSD risks emerged and highlighted a diversity of difficulties, such as accomplishing work activity involving strong physical strain and a significant and underestimated mental load, and having to rapidly develop new skills or re-learn working strategies after a long off-period. The study findings have implications for developing actions to prevent WMSDs that target working conditions and support a return to work for returning seasonal workers and a start of work for new seasonal workers, and to address work disability in this context.

Home and away: personal autonomy limitation in the liminal work context of fly-in-fly-out camps and psychological distress

ABSTRACT Fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) camps are liminal work environments in which work and personal life are blended. In such context, an important characteristic is the limitation to one’s freedom to carry out actions that usually occur outside of work contexts (e.g., choosing when to eat dinner), which we refer to as ‘personal autonomy limitation’. The role of personal autonomy limitation for FIFO workers’ mental health has not been systematically investigated at a larger scale. We test whether personal autonomy limitation predicts workers’ psychological distress and their psychological work detachment while they are at their residential home. We also investigate the moderating role of roster ratios (i.e., the ratio of days workers spend on site and at home) on these hypothesized associations. Online survey data from 1547 Australian resources sector FIFO workers showed that higher levels of perceived personal autonomy limitation in FIFO camps predicted greater psychological distress, with this effect partially mediated by lower detachment from work whilst at home. Roster ratio did not moderate the direct or mediated relationships between personal autonomy limitation in FIFO camps and worker psychological distress. The findings identify personal autonomy limitation as a work design characteristic that is relevant to FIFO and other workers’ mental health.

How effective is immersive VR for vocational education? Analyzing knowledge gains and motivational effects

While Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) technology has been predominantly employed in technical and medical academic education, it also holds significant potential for Vocational Education and Training (VET). IVR's unique properties, such as high immersion could be especially beneficial in VET, where action-oriented skills, domain-specific knowledge, and their application in new work contexts are crucial. This study investigates the effectiveness of IVR in vocational education, focusing on (1) objective knowledge acquisition, (2) subjectively perceived knowledge acquisition, and (3) motivational effects in the domain of warehouse logistics. Through a randomized controlled trial with 72 vocational students, we compared IVR-based learning to traditional paper-based methods. Results show that IVR did not improve immediate declarative knowledge acquisition; in fact, the paper-pencil group outperformed the IVR group on an objective post-test. However, IVR significantly enhanced students' perceived knowledge gains. The study also confirms higher motivation and immersion in IVR settings compared to paper-based learning environments. The identified discrepancy between perceived and actual learning may help explain the unclear state of research regarding knowledge acquisition in IVR studies, based on the measures used. Moreover, the findings underscore the necessity for a nuanced approach to IVR implementation in VET education. While IVR can be recommended for enhancing short-term learner engagement, traditional methods or a blend of IVR and non-immersive techniques may be more effective for fostering declarative knowledge in the short term.

Labor unions, work contexts, and workers’ access to work–family policies

Abstract Unions serve as primary labor market institutions that improve employees’ working conditions, yet existing literature offers mixed results of their influence on workers’ access to work–family policies. This may be partially due to the extant literature having not considered possible variation across work contexts. In this study, I ask whether union coverage can increase workers’ access to work–family policies and examine how family-friendly work contexts—public sector organizations and female-dominated occupations—can modify these union effects in the United States. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 97 (2000–2017) and individual-fixed effect models, I analyze the impact of transitioning from a nonunion worker to a union-represented worker on the worker’s access to three work–family policies: paid parental leave, schedule control, and paid sick/vacation days. Results show that changing from a nonunion position to a union-represented one increases workers’ access to paid parental leave and paid sick/vacation days but decreases access to schedule control. The findings also show that workers in public sector organizations and female-dominated occupations tend to experience outsized benefits of union coverage on access to longer paid sick/vacation days. These findings suggest that the advantages of union coverage in workers’ access to work–family policies may be influenced by gendered work contexts.

Crystal clear: How leaders and coworkers together shape role clarity and well‐being for employees in social care

AbstractWorking in social care is fraught with challenges fueled by changing policies, funding structures, societal expectations, and high relational demands, leaving employees in this sector particularly vulnerable to poor well‐being. In this study, we focus on the importance of a supportive work context—specifically coworker instrumental support and leaders' role clarity—in enabling employee role clarity, and how this can foster better mental health and reduce fatigue from ongoing changes in the sector. We ran a multilevel moderated mediation model on a sample of 270 social care employees matched with 47 leaders across two disability care organizations in Australia. Results showed that coworker instrumental support promotes role clarity, which in turn is associated with lower psychological distress and change fatigue, and higher job satisfaction. The positive relationship between coworker instrumental support and role clarity, and the subsequent relationships with well‐being, were stronger when employees had leaders who themselves had role clarity. Our findings highlight the importance of a supportive work context and role clarity as malleable levers in enabling a sustainable social care workforce and provide new theoretical and practical insights for human resource management in the social care sector.

Memory recall can increase authenticity and engagement: understanding the role of work context and memory function in autobiographical memories

Authenticity is positively associated with important psychological outcomes in the workplace, such as well-being and engagement, and is reliant on having a coherent sense of self. This coherent self is maintained by recalling autobiographical memories (AM). But the specific relationships between authenticity and memory functions are unclear. This study aims to first, identify differences in memory function and content in the recall of authentic and inauthentic moments and second, address how these AM functions are related to authenticity, engagement and well-being. Participants completed measures of authenticity, engagement and well-being before and after a memory recall task. For the recall task, they were randomly assigned to recall either an authentic, inauthentic, or control memory. Recall narratives were coded for memory functions (self-identity, social, directive) and for physical/social context features. Authentic moments, inauthentic moments and controls differed in terms of social and physical contexts. Authentic moments were most likely to involve being alone while inauthentic moments were most likely to happen at work. Authentic or inauthentic moments were both more likely than controls to involve work colleagues, with inauthentic moments also involving more distant acquaintances such as bosses or customers. In addition, recalling a memory, no matter what type, increased engagement and authentic self-awareness. While there was no difference between authentic or inauthentic moments in influencing these outcomes, individuals’ pre-recall levels of engagement and authenticity influenced the memory functions used. This taxonomy of (in)authentic moment recall can guide future research in authenticity and memory function. In addition, these findings begin to address the interactive role that authenticity plays in memory recall and its influence on other psychological outcomes.

Jasmina Musabegović’s Anthology Within the Framework of the Recording History and Motive Register of Bosniaks Lullabies

The Bosnian and Bosniak writer Jasmina Musabegović (1941-2023) is known to the cultural public of Bosnia and Herzegovina for her novels, essays, and translations from the French language. It is less known, however, that a small collection of lullabies in the Bosnian language is also attributed to Musabegović's research and writing work. The aforementioned collection was published by BZK „Preporod“(Bosniaks' Cultural Society „Preporod“) in 1997 in Sarajevo, with the editorial supervision of literary historian and folklorist Munib Maglajlić. In this paper, the aforementioned collection of writer Jasmina Musabegović will be presented through a thematic analysis of selected poems on a literary-poetic level, and then it will go into the broader context of the overall work of the collected folk lullabies among the Bosniaks so far. The most frequent themes and motifs also will be reviewed within the entire corpus related to that material. With this approach, we tried to draw attention to Musabegović's cultural contribution, which, apart from her literary work, was also reflected in her collection of folk wisdom.

‘A web of connections’: A thematic analysis of the learning from a period of coaching that enables sustained change

The Coaching Psychology literature suggests that coaching is effective and associated with a range of positive gains. Outcome research, however, is largely quantitative and assesses short-term gains with coachees who are managers receiving coaching in work contexts. This qualitative study provides new insight into the learning gained from coaching that enables sustained change. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather narratives from nine participants who had finished a period of coaching, applied across work and life domains, after a delay. Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022) was used to analyse participant responses to a set of novel questions designed to assess learning in the months following coaching. Four non-linear interconnected themes were created reflecting that the enablers of sustained change were a changed relationship with: self, action, others and coaching. Profound internalised deep learnings worked together to sustain change. A model suggests the presence of an ‘inner coach’ as a sustainer of lasting change and continued development. The implications for the development of evaluation tools, return on investment (ROI) and ethical conversations about coaching impact are discussed. The study provides a new lens through which to explore coaching as a tool for sustainable change.

Why people work past retirement age: The continuity of routines, future imaginaries, and practical evaluation

ABSTRACT In this article, we synthesise existing qualitative evidence published in English, aiming to comprehend why workers keep working past retirement age and to link human agency and social structures in the decision-making process behind such occupational choices. The study was prompted by the growing attention that later-life working has been garnering from policymakers and academics in the context of aging societies. Drawing upon agency and meaningful work theories, we disaggregate the iterational, projective, and practical-evaluative orientations of agency, and argue that practical evaluation leads to more reflexive and satisfying choices between working and retiring. Here, actors consider their contribution, self-development, and financial benefits achieved through work in light of their ageing and capacity to adjust work contexts to their needs. Beginning a process of practical evaluation is contingent upon work relations that facilitate meaningful work experiences. However, such meaningfulness, characterised by autonomy, recognition, and dignity, is unevenly distributed across populations, leaving some without access or experiencing it as fleeting. This study enriches understandings of the dynamics behind the decision to work beyond retirement age. Its insights have the potential to shape policies aimed at age-friendly workplaces that promote meaningful work. Overall, this can contribute to the well-being of older workers and society as a whole.

Creativity and Emotional Exhaustion in Virtual Work Environments: The Ambiguous Role of Work Autonomy.

To analyze the relationship between creativity and emotional exhaustion, along with the role assumed by work autonomy in this link, in an online work context. The sample was formed of 448 employees with university studies. The statistical analysis was conducted through a simple moderation process. Creativity and work autonomy mitigate emotional exhaustion. In fact, work autonomy plays a moderating role regarding the relationship between creativity and emotional exhaustion. Control over work surely reduces the impact of work-related stressors, and this safety climate promotes adaptive and original responses that improve employees' emotional health. However, when creative demands coincide with an autonomy that extends working hours, instead of establishing limits, this supposed benefit becomes a demand that prevents employees from disconnecting, until emotionally exhausting them. A virtual work environment is an ideal habitat for creativity and self-management to improve employees' emotional health, as long as work autonomy acts as a resource.

Recruiting mid-qualified workers in product-innovating firms: Which personality traits matter?

Change in the work context is an important characteristic of product-innovating firms, and the innovation's profitability often depends on the workers’ adaptive capability to cope with change. Personality traits shape the individual adaptive capability. Nevertheless, the current economic recruitment literature does not discuss personality trait-oriented recruitment in product-innovating firms. We investigate whether recruiters in product-innovating firms prefer mid-qualified job applicants with certain Big Five personality traits. We conduct a discrete choice experiment among 799 firms in Germany and use mixed logit models to estimate the heterogeneous personality preferences of recruiters by distinguishing between firms performing i) radical and ii) incremental product innovations. We find that recruiters prefer more emotionally stable workers regardless of the firm's innovation type. However, recruiters from firms engaging in radical innovations also prefer more conscientious applicants. Our findings have practical implications for firms, applicants and policy makers designing training curricula, because we show that recruiters from product-innovating firms consider personality trait-oriented recruitment not only for high-qualified workers but also for mid-qualified workers.

THE INTERSECTION OF ESG PRINCIPLES AND CORPORATE PERFORMANCE: INSIGHTS FROM EXISTING RESEARCH

Purpose: To understand how ESG (environmental, social, and governance) practices influence staff involvement and company performance. The study seeks to provide a complete knowledge of the impact of ESG principles on many aspects of organizational performance, as well as recognize gaps in the existing literature and propose future research topics. Design/Methodology: It conducts a comprehensive literature review to investigate the impact of ethical business practices on organizational performance. The study summarizes previous research and provides theoretical frameworks to support the relation between ESG practices and company success. Furthermore, the study investigates the effects of ESG activities on employee involvement, particularly in hybrid workplaces, as well as the link between behaviour at work, sustainability principles, and psychological characteristics such as motivation and engagement. Findings: The report emphasizes the importance of ESG practices for boosting organizational performance, employee loyalty, and company reputation. It demonstrates that, while plenty of study has focused on financial results, there is still a need to investigate the exact processes via which ESG enhances worker engagement and performance. The findings demonstrate that ESG activities have a beneficial impact on staff engagement, especially in hybrid work contexts, and highlight the vital role of sustainability ideals in improving job behaviour and motivation. Practical Implications: The study offers useful information for companies looking to develop effective ESG initiatives. Companies may build more targeted and effective ESG programs if they understand the variables that drive staff engagement and organizational performance. This, in turn, can lead to greater employee dedication, improved organizational performance, and a more solid business reputation. Originality Value: This study covers a significant gap in the literature by examining the particular mechanisms and long-term consequences of ethical business practices on staff loyalty and organizational performance. It provides conceptual frameworks and concrete insights that add to the growing corpus of research on the link between ESG practices and business performance, laying the groundwork for future investigations. Paper Type: Literature Review KEY WORDS: Employment Engagement, Organizational Performance, ESG

A Persian validation of the burnout assessment tool

BackgroundBurnout is an increasing public health concern. Its prevalence has extended across diverse professions globally, posing significant challenges to individuals, organizations, and society. This phenomenon has undermined employee well-being, productivity, and organizational effectiveness, making it a critical concern in contemporary work environments. The present study aimed to examine the adaptation and assess the validity of the Persian version of the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT).MethodsThe adaptation process included the translation and back-translation of the BAT. Data were collected on a sample of 580 teachers using the convenience sampling. The BAT-Persian and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale were administered to collect the data. The reliability, factorial structure of the BAT-C and BAT-S, and the convergent and discriminant validity of BAT-C and work engagement were explored.ResultsConfirmatory factor analysis supported a four-factor structure for the core dimensions (BAT-C; exhaustion, mental distance, emotional impairment, cognitive impairment), and a two-factor structure for the secondary dimensions (BAT-S; psychological distress, psychosomatic complaints). In the second-order model, the item loadings on the four factors of BAT-C ranged from 0.35 to 0.85, and on two factors of BAT-S ranged from 0.63 to 0.89. The Persian versions of the BAT-C and BAT-S showed good internal consistency (respectively, α = 0.95 and 0.90). Additional evidence supports the convergent and discriminant validity of the BAT-GR. the BAT‐C and its scales were negatively correlated with work engagement and dimensions (i.e., vigor, dedication, and absorption). Moreover, the BAT‐S and its scales negatively correlated with work engagement and dimensions.ConclusionsThis study provided evidence that the Iranian version of BAT represents a reliable and valid tool for measuring burnout in the work context. A reliable and valid tool for assessing burnout in the Iranian workplace enables early detection of employee distress, allowing for timely intervention and support. This means that identifying the signs and symptoms of burnout in the early stages can prevent more severe consequences such as absenteeism, reduced productivity, or turnover.

Factors Related to the Recurrence of Sickness Absence Due to Common Mental Health Disorders: A Systematic Review.

Employees who experience sickness absence (SA) due to common mental disorders (CMD) are at increased risk of recurrent sickness absence (RSA). This systematic literature review examines the factors at different levels in the work and non-work context that increase or decrease the likelihood of RSA due to CMD. The resulting knowledge enables more accurate identification of employees at risk of RSA. We conducted a search in June 2023 using the following databases: PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (Cinahl), Embase and Business Source Ultimate (BSU). Inclusion criteria were as follows: (self-)employees, CMD, related factors, RSA. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). The Individual, Group, Leader, Organisation and Overarching/social context (IGLOO) model were used to cluster the found factors and these factors were graded by evidence grading. Nineteen quantitative and one qualitative studies of mainly high and some moderate quality were included in this review. A total of 78 factors were found. These factors were grouped according to the IGLOO levels and merged in 17 key factors. After evidence grading, we found that mainly low socioeconomic status (SES) and the type of previous SA (short-term SA and SA due to CMD) are predictors of an increased risk of RSA. Having a low SES and previous experience of SA (short term, or due to CMD) are factors that predict the chance of RSA, implying the need for prolonged support from occupational health professionals after the employee has returned to work.

The role of professional calling and student cyberbullying on teachers’ presenteeism and productivity loss

The teaching profession has always been recognized as one that requires a greater vocational calling. However, education professionals have had to adapt to and manage phenomenons which have arisen due to more demanding work contexts that require them to participate in work, even when they are ill (presenteeism), and to a global-wide digital transformation. Such phenomenons include cyberbullying, which has proliferated in school environments. It is crucial to understand the impact this type of phenomenon can have on these professionals. Accordingly, the main objective of this study was to identify the needs felt by teachers to deal effectively with incidents of cyberbullying and its potential impact on and reduce presenteeism. Two studies were developed, with the intention that the hypotheses posed by the quantitative study could be enriched with the inferences drawn from the qualitative study. A sample of 542 middle school teachers responded to questionnaires and 63 participated in interviews. The results showed that teachers’ professional calling led to a lower loss of productivity, due to a lower frequency of presenteeism. This effect was more pronounced in the presence of cyberbullying observation. This study provides a contribution to the calling and presenteeism literature since it focuses on the impact of observing cyberbullying on sickness presence. It is relevant because by knowing the demands that teachers feel and the resources they lack, it is possible to implement tailored intervention and prevention programs to help professionals deal with cyberbullying.

Work-life balance and the psychosocial work environment in Finnish working life: The case of gender and family life stages.

Work-life balance is associated with many positive effects at multiple levels and demands increased research attention. In the international literature on work-life balance, the term "gendered life-course" has been used to describe the differences between men and women in work biographies. However, whether this term applies to the Nordic work context remains underexplored. This study examined Finnish men's and women's subjective experience of the association between work-life balance and the psychosocial work environment (work demands and social support at work) across the life course, devoting special attention to family life stages encompassing the care of (young) children. Data from the Quality of Work Life Survey 2018 were utilized to conduct binary logistic regression analyses (N = 3790). Separate analyses were conducted for men and women. A significant association between family life stage and high work-life balance was found for women but not for men in the Finnish working life. Women in family life stages involving the care of young, dependent children reported the lowest odds of high work-life balance. For both men and women, a positive association between social support at work and high work-life balance was found, while a negative association was found between work demands and high work-life balance. These findings highlight the importance of psychosocial factors in both the work and family settings for work-life balance. Further, the findings call for an expanded focus on gender equality, also including issues in unpaid work in addition to issues in paid work.

Testing a novel haptic tram master controller technology via virtual reality: feasibility and user acceptance considerations

PurposeVirtual reality (VR) has been explored as a training and testing environment in a range of work contexts, and increasingly so in transport. There is, however, a lack of research exploring the role of VR in the training of tram drivers, and in providing an environment in which advances in tram technology can be tested safely. This study aimed to test a novel haptic tram master controller within a tram-based Virtual environment (VE).Design/methodology/approachThe master controller is the primary mechanism for operating a tram, and its effective manipulation can significantly influence the comfort and well-being of passengers, as well as the overall safety of the tram system. Here, the authors tested a haptically enhanced master controller that provides additional sensory information with 16 tram drivers. The feasibility and user acceptance of the novel technology were determined through surveys.FindingsThe results indicate that the haptic master controller is seen as beneficial to the drivers suggesting that it could enhance their driving and demonstrate good acceptance. The VE has provided a potential training environment that was accepted by the drivers and did not cause adverse effects (e.g. sickness).Research limitations/implicationsAlthough this study involved actual tram drivers from a local tram company, the authors acknowledge that the sample size was small, and additional research is needed to broaden perspectives and gather more user feedback. Furthermore, while this study focused on subjective feedback to gauge user acceptance of the new haptic technology, the authors agree that future evaluations should incorporate additional objective measures.Practical implicationsThe insights gained from this VE-based research can contribute to future training scenarios and inform the development of technology used in real-world tram operations.Originality/valueThrough this investigation, the authors showed the broader possibilities of haptics in enhancing the functionality and user experience of various technological devices, while also contributing to the advancement of tram systems for safer and more efficient urban mobility.

An open door to the job market? Music therapy students’ reflections on practice placement in Norway

This study explores the transition between learning at university and learning in a work context through practice placement. It was conducted at the University of Bergen (UiB), which offers a five-year programme in music therapy. Practice placement is integrated at all levels of the programme, starting with observation of music therapy, to a placement where students work more autonomously. The aim of this study was to learn from the experiences of students participating in the programme, as their insights are crucial for informing the programme’s content. Our question was: How do students from the UiB five-year integrated music therapy programme reflect on their internship experiences, and how can we understand their reflections from a work-based learning perspective? To investigate this, we conducted two focus groups, each with five students. Following a thematic analysis of the data, three main themes and six sub-themes were developed: 1. Developing an identity as a music therapist (1.1. Gaining a professional identity, 1.2. Finding a voice in interdisciplinary meetings); 2. An open door to the job market (2.1. Learning from experience, 2.2. Developing new networks); and 3. Challenges with the music therapy practice placement (3.1. Feeling side-lined, 3.2. Lack of a broader teaching model). The themes, grounded in the empirical findings, are discussed from a sociocultural perspective, drawing on concepts such as apprenticeship learning, community of practice, and weak ties. This article concludes with implications for practice and suggestions for further research.