Culture is a predominant force in people’s lives that impacts learning and thus culture influences learning transfer. Because working across nations has become the norm and every year billions of ...dollars are spent on professional learning around the world, it is crucial for organisations to understand the role culture plays in the learning transfer process. Using a multidimensional model of learning transfer and the six dimensions of national culture model as conceptual frameworks, this qualitative study used a case study approach to examine the impact of culture on learning transfer in Burkina Faso and Ghana, West Africa. Interviews were conducted with 20 principals who attended leadership professional learning in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Data collection also included observations and document analysis. Findings indicated that several cultural factors influenced learning transfer in these two nations in the areas of pretraining and follow-up. Based on these findings, the author offers recommendations.
Organizations interested in raising their performance and results spend large sums of money on training their employees, but unless the resultant learning is transferred to the work situation that ...investment will not yield a return. This study's initial premise is that national cultures may play a part in the transfer process. The study’s purpose is to identify national cultural factors which may influence training and learning transfer. Leadership training among school leaders in Ghana and Burkina Faso, West Africa was observed and recorded using Hofstede et al. Six Cultural Dimensions model as a framework of analysis. Some cultural factors, which may have influenced transfer, are identified and the author provides a practical checklist that training organizers can use to ensure that they account for cultural factors before, during and after training.
The goal of professional learning is to be able to use and apply the newly acquired knowledge and skills to the workplace. Although learning transfer has been studied in management, human resource ...development, training, adult learning, and psychology, to date there are a limited number of empirical field studies. There are also few learning transfer models that consider local cultures as a factor impacting the transfer process. Recent learning transfer models have outlined the importance of organizational culture, but none have outlined the central influence of local cultures on learning. Given that adult learning is a social endeavour that is influenced by cultural factors, local cultures affect how adults learn and whether they apply the new knowledge to their workplaces. In this paper, I share a Multidimensional Model of Learning Transfer that is grounded in culture. In today's global economy, people regularly work across nations and local cultures. As a result, it is essential that human resources administrators understand the role local culture plays on the entire learning transfer process, from pretraining to follow-up, if they aspire to obtain a return on their financial, time, and human investments.
Every year, billions of dollars are spent on development aid and training around the world. However, only 10% of this training results in the transfer of knowledge, skills, or behaviors learned in ...the training to the work place. Ideally, learning transfer produces effective and continued application by learners of the knowledge and skills they gained through their learning activities. Currently, there is a limited body of research examining the factors that hinder and promote learning transfer in professional development, particularly the professional development of school leaders in developing countries. This qualitative exploratory study sought to address the gap in the literature by examining six schools: three in Burkina Faso and three in Ghana, West Africa. This investigation explored what promoted and hindered learning transfer in both countries. The sample consisted of 13 West-African school leaders (6 in Burkina Faso and 7 in Ghana) who attended a 3-day leadership training workshop. Data collection included in-depth interviews, document analysis, post-training site visits, and text messages to ascertain whether this mobile technology intervention enhanced learning transfer. The findings demonstrated that learning transfer occurred in both countries in all six schools. Data indicated that most of the transfer of learning happened in areas not requiring mindset and behavioral changes. Data suggested that the facilities in which the trainings took place, the facilitators’ dispositions and knowledge, the adequacy of the materials as well as the testimonials and certificate of completions enhanced the transfer of learning. Participants also indicated some inhibitors to the transfer of learning, such as financial, cultural, and human behavior constraints. This study helps increase our understanding of what promotes and inhibits learning transfer in educational settings in Burkina Faso and Ghana and provides suggestions for trainers and teachers who facilitate trainings.
Leaders set the tone and the culture for their schools. The purpose of this phenomenology study is to examine how the increase in racial diversity among urban middle school teachers impacts the ...school's culture. The author utilized the Invitational Education model as a conceptual framework. The researcher conducted a total of 28 interviews with teachers, leaders, and students. Findings indicated that students were mostly the ones benefiting from the increase in racial diversity among teachers. Challenges pertained to the educators’ lack of cultural proficiency which negatively affected the school culture. This study contributes to the leadership literature and offers recommendations to leaders and policy makers.
This study explores the opportunities and challenges of women who own low-fee private schools in three West African nations. With the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000 ...and the Sustainable Development Goals in 2016, it has become obvious to policymakers that school leadership needs to be a policy priority around the world. Increased school autonomy and a greater focus on schooling and school results have made it essential to understand and support the role of school leaders. Few countries however have strong and systematic initiatives to professionalize school leadership and to nurture and support current school leaders. This becomes even more complex for governments given the rise of private schooling in low and middle-income countries worldwide; thus, it is crucial for governments to understand the importance of leadership at the school level and how to nurture and professionalize it. In this study, the authors examine the roles of women school leaders in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Liberia within the context of MDG 3: promote gender equality and empower women. Because of the many challenges in the public sector in education in low and middle-income countries, the private sector has responded by creating thousands of small businesses. Since a large and growing number of women are leading these private schools, this study presents the findings on the nature of the leadership of these women entrepreneurs. Fourteen school proprietors participated in face-to face interviews about their reasons for founding a school as well as the supports and challenges they face. Findings discuss the limited professional learning opportunities for school leaders in these nations. The study describes the school leaders’ desires to help build their nations, and the unique cultural and contextual factors in each country.
This teaching case study aims at encouraging meaningful conversations about discipline. The case illustrates the increasing need for school leaders to adopt discipline approaches that foster support, ...equity, inclusion, and advocacy for cultural differences rather than punishment and the exclusion of marginalized students. This scenario takes place in an urban middle school that is representative of many other American schools. In particular, I examine the challenges educational leaders commonly face with discipline, leading to unsatisfactory student learning outcomes and well-being. The hope is to expose school leaders to a holistic discipline approach that is grounded in support, care, love, and respect for cultural diversity. To promote reflection, I pose questions designed to prepare prospective and current educational leaders facing similar discipline situations.
The National Staff Development Council recommends that principals devote 10% of the school budget and 25% of teacher time to professional development (PD). While PD requires time, it is crucial that ...the time be organized, carefully structured, and purposefully led to avoid the waste of human and financial resources. Despite the millions of dollars spent on professional development nationally, student learning outcomes continue to stagnate or dwindle, discipline issues continue to skyrocket, and teacher moral plummets. This may be due, in part, to leaders paying little attention to learning transfer. Culture plays a key role in one’s ability to learn because learning is a social endeavor. Because our schools worldwide are more and more diverse, professional development that is grounded in culture is paramount for educators whose goal is to improve learning outcomes for all students. Because attending professional development does not necessarily equate to the implementation of knowledge or skills, this conceptual paper proposes a Culturally Proficient Professional Development (CPPD) framework that includes a Multidimensional Model of Learning Transfer (MMLT). The MMLT and its rubrics aim to be culturally responsive tools that school leaders in PK-12 schools can use to organize, deliver, and assess professional development offerings while also enhancing learning transfer and improve educators’ cultural proficiency. Considering culture as the main enhancer or inhibitor to transfer is innovative and useful because schools spend large amounts of money and resources on PD, yet the money invested does not often produce the desired outcomes.
This teaching case study illustrates the increasing need for school leaders to offer and foster adult social emotional learning (SEL) in schools, particularly in the context of crises. This scenario ...takes place in an urban high school that is representative of many other American schools. In particular, I examine the challenges educational leaders commonly face when they do not take SEL for adults into consideration prior to implementing SEL for students. This teaching case study aims at encouraging meaningful conversations about adult SEL, equity, and leadership in times of crisis. The hope is to better understand how school leaders can lead and embrace adult SEL during crises. I also pose questions designed to prepare prospective and current educational leaders for similar situations.
Every year billions of dollars are spent on development aid and training around the world. Little attention is paid, however, to the sustainability of the various interventions. Some studies suggest ...that technology usage can serve as an effective post-learning intervention to enhance the transfer of learning. Currently, there is a limited body of research examining how best to follow up after an educational professional development program in Africa. This qualitative exploratory study sought to address the gap in education development policy by examining three schools in Ghana, West Africa. This study helps increase our understanding of how technology can promote learning transfer in marginalized communities. It also provides suggestions for trainers and practitioners and offers a tentative model of learning transfer. Findings indicate that the use of group texting via WhatsApp helped training participants implement new knowledge in their schools. Participants reported that the mobile technology intervention assisted peer learning, increased participants’ motivation, reminded them of the training content and allowed them to network.
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