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“You realize that it’s not always as it seems”: What Adults Learn about Management when Writing their own Management Cases
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Closson, Rosemary B. Stokes, Carmeda |
| Copyright Year | 2009 |
| Abstract | The purpose of this study was to understand student’s perceived learning outcomes in a program management course employing the seldom used process of “learner case writing” as a teaching-learning technique. Experiential learning, cognitive scaffolding and narrative as a means to extend consciousness (Sheckly & Bell, 2006) serve as primary lenses for understanding our learner case writing technique (LCW). We frame the technique within the broad and amorphous arena of experiential learning. Implied in the constructivist model of experiential learning (Fenwick, 2000) is the capacity to narrate and reflect on one’s life experiences. LCW and related forms rely on learner narratives that seem to be unexamined except by Carter (1999) and Merrill (2004). Case study is one of seven (Barrows, 1986) PBL approaches that could be arranged on a continuum of learner-centeredness. On one end of the continuum the learner is most active and the problem is least structured—action learning might be an example and on the opposite end might be the case study technique—a circumstance where the learner’s involvement is limited to analyzing the case, primarily a passive activity (Lohman, 2002). Learner case writing (LCW) falls somewhere near the middle. Learner Case Writing Literature Review Learner case writing is related but different from case study. Case study typically means that learners analyze a pre-written case; in case writing learners research and write about a critical management incident from their own work history or an incident in their own organization. We found three studies that researched LCW, two from undergraduate programs (56 teacher preparation students; a business school human relations course of 165 students). The third study described research with physicians in continuing medical education (CME). A similarity across the outcomes of the three studies’ was an increase in the learner’s ability to tie theory to practice. According to the researchers, pre-service teachers moved from “naive generalizations to sophisticated, theory-based explanations” (Hammerness, Darling-Hammond & Shulman, 2002, p. 219) which the researchers attribute to numerous cognitive scaffolding techniques embedded in the course. Undergraduate business students also reported they were better able to apply course concepts as a result of the activity giving it a mean rating of 4.12 on a 5-point scale (Bailey, Sass, Swiercz, Seales and Kayes, 2005). Business students agreed that writing a case drawn from personal experience better enabled them to apply course concepts to “realistic situations” rating this item 4.24 (Bailey et al., 2005). Ryan and Marlow (2004) used learner generated cases with family and general practice physicians in CME. Their goal was to enhance learner engagement with content and also to reflect “the contextual nuances of individual and collective practices” (p. 117). Similar to Bailey et al. the physicians used their experience (professional practice) to collectively build a case during the program. Research findings indicated that reflective dialogue during the case building process was the primary benefit to attendees. Cognitive scaffolding and coaching were not consistently cited as parts of the case writing activities described but it is clear that multiple drafts, peer-reading (Hammerness et al., 2002) and |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://newprairiepress.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3763&context=aerc&httpsredir=1&referer= |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
