Inom ramen för en alltmer konkurrensutsatt arbetsmarknad inom IT, där kraven på individuell kompetens ökar i takt med specifika förväntningar från kunderna på att IT-konsultföretag ska tillhandahålla specialiserad expertis och en allmänt intensifierad konkurrenssituation mellan IT-konsultföretag, står företagen inför utmaningen av en osäker framtid och påtaglig stress för att säkerställa sin överlevnad. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka och analysera metoder och strategier för kompetensutveckling inom IT-konsultbranschen. Dessutom syftade studien till att undersöka hur IT-konsultföretag identifierar och möter behov och utmaningar genom kompetensutveckling och hur detta bidrar till både individuell tillväxt och organisationsframgång. För att uppnå studiens syfte användes en kvalitativ metod. Datainsamlingen består av detaljerade intervjuer med elva anställda i åtta företag inom IT-konsultbranschen. Det insamlade materialet analyserades tematiskt. Informanterna bidrog med stor insikt och expertis inom ämnet, vilket starkt underlättade genomförandet av studien. Genom en detaljerad analys av intervjuer med informanter från flera IT-konsultföretag framkom en bild av en mångsidig och strategisk läroansats som fokuserar på både individens initiativ och företagets stöd. Användningen av modellen 70-20-10 understryker vikten av praktik, interaktion och formell utbildning i processen för kompetensutveckling, vilket inte bara främjar individuell tillväxt utan även organisatorisk framgång. Utmaningar som tidsbegränsningar och balans mellan kundengagemang och personlig utveckling hanteras genom företagens flexibla strategier som möjliggör kontinuerlig utveckling. Betydelsen av informell kompetensutveckling betonas också och skapar en kultur av öppet kunskapsflöde och kontinuerligt lärande. Uppföljning och certifieringar lyfts fram som nyckelkomponenter för att säkerställa effektiva utvecklingsinsatser, medan framtiden pekar på ett större fokus på att anpassa sig till nya teknologier som AI samt att utveckla mjuka färdigheter. Sammanfattningsvis identifierar studien kompetensutveckling som en kärnkomponent i att bygga långsiktig konkurrenskraft och framgång för IT-konsultföretag, vars framtid kräver kontinuerlig anpassning och innovation i en föränderlig bransch. / In the backdrop of a fiercely competitive IT labor market marked by escalating demands on individual competence and heightened client expectations, IT consulting firms confront an uncertain future, necessitating proactive measures to ensure survival. This study aimed to scrutinize competence development methods and strategies within the IT consulting sector, probing how firms address challenges and cater to evolving needs. Employing qualitative methodology, detailed interviews with eleven employees across eight IT consulting companies were conducted and thematically analyzed. Insights gleaned from informants underscored a strategic learning paradigm encompassing both individual initiative and organizational support. Emphasizing the 70-20-10 model, the study highlighted the significance of practice, interaction, and formal education in fostering talent retention and growth. Flexible strategies were identified to tackle challenges like time constraints, enabling continuous personal and professional development. Informal skills enhancement emerged as pivotal, fostering a culture of perpetual learning and knowledge exchange. Notably, follow-up mechanisms and certifications were underscored as essential for effective development initiatives, while the future outlook pointed towards a heightened focus on adapting to emerging technologies like AI and honing soft skills. In essence, the research underscores skills development as a linchpin for the long-term competitiveness and success of IT consulting firms, necessitating ongoing adaptation and innovation in the face of an evolving industry.

Learning readiness is deficient in many first time school-going children. Learning readiness depends on a well-functioning neural network. Research has shown that movement as an early learning experience is necessary for optimal neural development. Presumably it is movement that activates the neural wiring in the brain. It influences neural organisation and stimulates the specific neurological systems required for optimal functioning and development of the brain. Some children are faced with motor proficiency deficits which may influence their learning and their readiness to learn. This study aimed at determining whether movement programmes are a means to promote and achieve learning readiness. A selected group of Grade two learners who participated in a specifically designed movement programme for ten weeks showed improvement in their levels of learning readiness based on their movement proficiency and academic level. Based on these findings, recommendations were made for the inclusion of movement in the school curriculum. / Educational Studies / M Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

Learning readiness is deficient in many first time school-going children. Learning readiness depends on a well-functioning neural network. Research has shown that movement as an early learning experience is necessary for optimal neural development. Presumably it is movement that activates the neural wiring in the brain. It influences neural organisation and stimulates the specific neurological systems required for optimal functioning and development of the brain. Some children are faced with motor proficiency deficits which may influence their learning and their readiness to learn. This study aimed at determining whether movement programmes are a means to promote and achieve learning readiness. A selected group of Grade two learners who participated in a specifically designed movement programme for ten weeks showed improvement in their levels of learning readiness based on their movement proficiency and academic level. Based on these findings, recommendations were made for the inclusion of movement in the school curriculum. / Educational Studies / M Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

Self-directed learning (SDL) readiness skills and the command and/or retention of content knowledge have been identified as key factors for success in post-secondary settings. The Government of Jamaica (GOJ) has stated that two in three Jamaican secondary school graduates lack the requisite content knowledge and self-directed learning skills needed for advancement in the work space and in postsecondary education (Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan, 2009). This dissertation examined the efficacy of project-based learning (PBL) as a method of instruction for improving SDL readiness skills and content knowledge retention. More specifically, the phenomenon was explored within the context of a developing country – in this case – Jamaica. The difference in SDL readiness skills and content knowledge retention was investigated among 8th grade students in an urban high school under PBL conditions (N = 30) and under Traditional Direct Instruction (N=35) using a quasi-experimental design. Data on students’ SDL readiness skills, knowledge comprehension and content knowledge retention were collected using validated instruments. Scores on all three measures were recorded pre-intervention and post-intervention with a follow-up on content knowledge retention. One way repeated measures mixed ANOVAs were run. Results showed that on SDL readiness skills, the difference over time for the PBL group was significantly different from the difference over time for the TDI/control group (pp

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Jacqueline D. Spears / The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between demographic and educational variables, epistemological beliefs as measured by Schommer’s Epistemological Questionnaire (SEQ), and learner perception of selfdirectedness as measured by Guglielmino’s Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS). Participants in this study were undergraduate adult students at a private university in the Midwest region of the United States (N=394). The instruments were administered online during regularly scheduled courses. Data were analyzed at the p<.05 level of significance using Pearson product-moment correlations, factor analysis, stepwise multiple regression, and other statistical techniques. Results of this research included several significant correlations between demographic and educational variables, SEQ factors, and SDLRS total and factor scores. The educational variables of class standing, exposure to the humanities, and exposure to the social sciences significantly correlated with five SDLRS and SEQ total and factor scores. The greatest number of correlations occurred between SEQ factor 2, thinking for yourself is a waste of time, and the SDLRS factors of openness to learning opportunities, view of self as an effective and independent learner, independence and initiative in learning, responsibility for learning, and creativity. Other significant correlations with SEQ factors and SDLRS total and factor scores included age, gender, race, marital status, mother’s and father’s education level, credit earned through independent studies, cohort or non-cohort program type, grade point average, and exposure to learning contracts. Significant findings from the correlations of demographic and educational variables (p<.002) and SEQ factors (p<.05) with SDLRS total scores were entered into a stepwise multiple regression. One educational variable and three SEQ factors accounted for 25.7% of the variance in SDLRS total scores. Several suggestions for the development of expanded empirical and theoretical research initiatives and the improvement of practice were offered. This research provided a clear and compelling rationale for the establishment of adult degree programs which are grounded in the liberal arts, include both career and personal development activities, and allow for increased opportunities for learner self-direction to occur. These elements are necessary to build what Kegan (1994) called a developmental bridge for adult learners.

Résumé : Cette recherche aborde la problématique de la relation à la formation dans un processus d’autoformation en ligne. Elle pose la question du rapport au pouvoir dans ce type de situation d’apprentissage. La médiation pédagogique humaine et la médiatisation technologique y sont au centre des préoccupations. Il s’agit d’aborder, au travers de la conception même des instruments d’investigation, les concepts: de contrôle, d’autodirection, d’autonomie, d’efficacité, de compétence, d’autodétermination en relation avec la notion de motif d’engagement. Les dispositions et les prédispositions liées à l'autoformation sont également observées. On se propose de comprendre les orientations motivationnelles et les motifs qui éclairent l’engagement au regard de la perception de soi dans un contexte d’autoformation. Nos réflexions portent également sur le concept d'alterdidaxie par opposition aux démarches autodidactes dans un contexte d'autoformation./ Summary: This research approaches the problems in relation to training in the process of e-learning. It raises the question of the self-directed learning’s power in this type of training situation. The human teaching mediation and the technological mediatization are both in the center of the concerns. This research is an approach, through the design even of instruments of investigation, to the concepts : control, autodirection, autonomy, effectiveness, competence, self-determination in relation with the engagement. Competences and readiness scales related to the adults’ self-training are also observed. One proposes to observe motivational directions and the engagement’s reasons in relation with the perception of oneself as self-directed learners in a context of self-training. Our reflections also relate to the concept of Alterdidacticism in opposition to the self-educated steps, to the Autodidacticism in a context of adults’ self-training.

Cette recherche aborde la problématique de la relation à la formation dans un processus d’autoformation en ligne. Elle pose la question du rapport au pouvoir dans ce type de situation d’apprentissage. La médiation pédagogique humaine et la médiatisation technologique y sont au centre des préoccupations. Il s’agit d’aborder, au travers de la conception même des instruments d’investigation, les concepts: de contrôle, d’autodirection, d’autonomie, d’efficacité, de compétence, d’autodétermination en relation avec la notion de motif d’engagement. Les dispositions et les prédispositions liées à l'autoformation sont également observées. On se propose de comprendre les orientations motivationnelles et les motifs qui éclairent l’engagement au regard de la perception de soi dans un contexte d’autoformation. Nos réflexions portent également sur le concept d'alterdidaxie par opposition aux démarches autodidactes dans un contexte d'autoformation./<p><p>This research approaches the problems in relation to training in the process of e-learning. It raises the question of the self-directed learning’s power in this type of training situation. The human teaching mediation and the technological mediatization are both in the center of the concerns. This research is an approach, through the design even of instruments of investigation, to the concepts :control, autodirection, autonomy, effectiveness, competence, self-determination in relation with the engagement. Competences and readiness scales related to the adults’ self-training are also observed. One proposes to observe motivational directions and the engagement’s reasons in relation with the perception of oneself as self-directed learners in a context of self-training. Our reflections also relate to the concept of Alterdidacticism in opposition to the self-educated steps, to the Autodidacticism in a context of adults’ self-training.<p><p> / Doctorat en Sciences Psychologiques et de l'éducation / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished