ERIC Number: EJ1433289
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1366-5626
EISSN: EISSN-1758-7859
Action Learning in Public Administration Education: Learning (Evidence) from an Action Research Case Study
Karen Venturini; Guido Capaldo; Federica Palazzi; Chiara Amatori; Amos Capicchioni
Journal of Workplace Learning, v36 n6 p443-459 2024
Purpose: This study aims to explore the effectiveness of action learning (AL) in PA education through the action research (AR). Public administration (PA) requires training paths for its officials aimed at developing managerial skills. Training designers must construct pathways that identify goals and results to be obtained. Most importantly, they should adopt techniques that engage all stakeholders and measure training performance. This study uses the action research (AR) method to explore the effectiveness of action learning (AL) in PA education. It shows how a training project for officials of the PA can be designed and managed in a participatory and engaging manner. Design/methodology/approach: The AR approach is particularly suited to long-term training interventions in PA because it offers a means of taking shared responsibility. AR aids in building a bridge between academia and practice and solving real problems with stakeholders, students and end-clients through cyclical interactions of construction, intervention and evaluation. It focuses on AL as an innovative educational tool that links knowledge and action and theory and practice. Findings: The involvement of different stakeholders, such as teachers, students, administrators and politicians, in the design, management and evaluation process facilitates the identification of educational objectives and monitoring of outcomes in a changing public organizational context. AL is effective because it involves students as individuals and as a team, often as an organization, while trying to solve real problems. Originality/value: AL through the AR approach has not been widely used in education, especially in PA, where teaching legal and administrative content combines traditional teaching methods. The case study shows the innovative potential of AL in a traditional context such as the PA.
Descriptors: Experiential Learning, Public Administration Education, Action Research, Training, Program Effectiveness, Workplace Learning
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A