Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore nursing specific processes associated with communities of practice (CoPs) in specialized acute care settings with a focus on their potential role in Registered Nurse (RN) integration and professional development. The following research questions were formulated to support the achievement of this purpose: (a) What are the key features, roles, and processes of a community of practice (CoP) in specialized acute care nursing practice settings?; (b) What are the social processes that are integral to the integration of RNs into their chosen specialized acute care nursing practice settings; (c) What role, if any, do CoPs serve in the integration process of RNs into their chosen specialized acute care nursing practice settings? Research Design: This research was conducted using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Sample/Setting: The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) has designated 20 areas as specialties, examples of which include Cardiovascular Nursing, Emergency Nursing, Neuroscience Nursing, Perinatal Nursing, Perioperative Nursing, and Oncology Nursing. From these 20 CNA designations, three specialized areas were chosen for this study. To safeguard the confidentiality of study participants, the units are identified only as A, B, and C. These nursing units were situated within the same urban tertiary institution in a mid-sized Western Canadian city. In total, 19 RNs employed in specialized care units participated in this research. Methods/Procedure: The study was conducted from March 2012 through September 2013 following ethical and operational approval from all required institutions. During this 18-month period, 19 RN participants were engaged in a total of 25 interviews and several participants were invited to submit personal reflective journals, with 8 sets of journals submitted and included as part of the study data. Following transcription, the interviews as well as the journal entries were entered into the ATLAS.ti software program to aid with organization of study coding. Data analysis was completed following the constructivist grounded theory approach of Charmaz (2006). Findings: Key findings from this research included the identification of competence in the specialized RN role as a main concern for participants. The achievement of competence was influenced by two Basic Social Processes (BSPs) relating to the transition and integration of new RNs into their specialized environments. For each of these BSPs, there are additional phases that further define the experience. Developing a Sense of Specialized RN Self (transition) included the phases Finding RN Fit, Sharing Passion and Community Values, and Embracing Life-Long Learning. Integrating into Specialized RN Practice (integration) included the phases Learning the Ropes and Settling In. The social context for this development was a CoP in each specialized unit and the particular aspects of these nursing community groups were also uncovered during the course of this research and are detailed in the study findings. Conclusions: These research results have highlighted the importance of delineating the fundamental differences in the processes of RN transition and integration. The findings have also provided a foundation for a newly emerging consideration of CoPs in nursing and their potential role in supporting the transition and integration of RNs. Knowing more about how CoPs function in their workplaces may allow RNs, either newly graduated or new to their specialty areas, to be more successful in their own transition and integration experiences.

There is a strong push in public health for multi-faceted partnerships to develop practice-relevant evidence that effectively address complex risk factors like tobacco use. Consequently, new partnership structures that cross-cut different social groups are emerging to harness their distinct knowledge and generate actionable breakthroughs. Little is known about these structures, particularly informal ones that hinge on voluntary group membership like Communities of Practice (CoPs). Specifically, little is known about the factors/processes that enable people representing different social groups to translate their knowledge across group boundaries and co-create knowledge that informs action in these informal structures. Calls to develop/test theories, frameworks, and models are made to enlighten these gaps. This study responded to these calls by developing and testing a conceptual framework. The framework asserts that a shared identity, member identification / sense of belonging, social capital and psychological safety contribute to diverse people cohering into a collective, which was deemed important to enable knowledge to translate across group boundaries. The study examined how each factor influenced and inter-related to influence the use of CoP-related knowledge and its different types (with an emphasis on conceptual and instrumental uses). The study also examined what factors contributed to or detracted from these relationships in the context of the Program Training and Consultation Centre’s tobacco control specific Learning through Evidence and Action Reflection Network (LEARN) Community of Practice (CoP) project. Following a pragmatist orientation, a two-phased quant-QUAL sequential, explanatory mixed-methods embedded case study design was employed. The LEARN CoP project formed the case study and two CoPs that comprised that project formed the embedded units. Phase I of the study involved a quantitative survey that was completed by 35 of 58 eligible LEARN CoP members. The Phase II dominant qualitative study involved ~90 minute audio-recorded telephone interviews of 14 LEARN CoP members (seven per embedded unit) who comprised a subset of Phase I survey respondents (nested sampling approach). CoP documents (meeting minutes, audio-recorded meetings, Community Charters and Learning Agendas, WebEx™ discussion posts) served as supplementary data sources. Phase I quantitative analyses examined whether each factor of interest predicted knowledge use using simple and multiple linear regression, tested an analytic model that proposed shared identity led to knowledge use via the mediators member identification, social capital and psychological safety using Baron & Kenny’s (1986) mediation approach and Goodman’s Test (1960) for confirmation. As a prelude to the Phase II qualitative study, descriptive statistics, t-tests and ANOVA were conducted to discern how the LEARN CoP and more specifically each of its embedded units (CoP A and CoP B) were developing with respect to the factors of interest and what differences existed between the two communities. Phase I findings loosely informed the focus of the Phase II qualitative study and data were coded and analysed using open, axial and selective coding procedures (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Phase I and Phase II data were compared and contrasted in the discussion, with greater emphasis placed on the qualitative findings. Overall findings revealed that in the LEARN CoP case, each factor in the conceptual framework influenced how members used knowledge gained in the CoP. These factors also inter-related in ways that helped diverse members to cohere in ways that influenced knowledge use. Shared identity, member identification / sense of belonging and psychological safety were related to conceptual types of knowledge use (increased awareness, learning as a result of CoP knowledge). Social capital was the only factor that was related to both conceptual and instrumental types of CoP knowledge use (e.g., knowledge gained from the CoP was used to inform decision making or applied in some fashion in practice). However, member identification / sense of belonging emerged as an important theme that motivated members to interact and build social capital which in turn led to instrumental types of knowledge use. A superordinate identity (shaped by a common and actionable purpose) helped members to jel together despite representing different social groups by serving as an anchor point for member identification / sense of belonging. The CoP’s ‘alignment’ with the philosophies, culture and priorities of important entity’s that shaped the CoP’s work (e.g., government and the organizations that members represented) also influenced the use of CoP knowledge. Other factors including relevant knowledge, leadership (including member roles), and a variety of mechanisms that enabled interaction (i.e., in-person meetings, WebEx, teleconferences, structured time for practice sharing, working groups) contributed to or detracted from the relationships found in the study. Solving complex problems like tobacco-related chronic diseases necessitates building multi-faceted partnership structures that connect different configurations of an existing or desired system and their respective knowledge. This is not an easy task because it requires bringing together people representing potentially different social identities that possess their own ways of thinking and doing, which can limit knowledge use. This study sought to understand how factors that help diverse people to cohere into a collective enhance knowledge use. The study highlights the need to understand identity-based issues at play when people from different social groups are brought together in partnership structures like the formally instituted, voluntary CoP examined. Cultivating a shared identity and sense of belonging can bridge silos and motivate people to engage in behaviours that build rich pools of social capital. These factors together can enhance the co-creation and use of evidence and collective action that can save lives.

Originally presented as the author's thesis: Universität Genf, 2006. / Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Antioch University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed October 7, 2009). Advisor: Elizabeth Holloway, Ph.D. "A dissertation submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership and Change program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy March, 2009."--from the title page. Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-268).

Thesis (M. S.)--Literature, Communication, and Culture, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Celia Pearce; Committee Member: Carl DiSalvo; Committee Member: Fox Harrell; Committee Member: Jay Bolter.

Originally presented as the author's thesis: Universitat Genf, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Syftet med föreliggande studie är att undersöka hur blivande speciallärare under påbyggnadsutbildning utvecklar sitt lärande i spänningsfältet mellan formellt utbildning och informellt lärande i praktiken. För att uppnå studiens syfte användes en trianguleringsmetod som tillvägagångssätt. Där 89 blivande speciallärare under påbyggnadsutbildning svarade på studiens enkät, samt att 8 blivande speciallärare, och 4 examinerade speciallärare blev intervjuade. Samtliga respondenter studerar eller studerade Speciallärarprogrammet på Stockholm universitet. Med avsikt att svara på studiens syfte leddes studien av fyra forskningsfrågor; (1) Hur beskriver de blivande speciallärarna att spänningsfältet mellan formellt lärande under utbildning och informellt lärande i praktiken påverkar deras lärande?; (2) Om det finns en skillnad mellan de blivande speciallärare som är tidiga vs. sena i sin påbyggnadsutbildning, hur utvecklas då lärandet över tid?; (3) Hur beskriver de blivande speciallärarna för sitt lärande i relation till olika personer omkring dem?; (4) Föregår den semiformella relationen ett semiformellt lärande? Studiens resultat analyseras med stöd av Communities of Practice. Resultatet visade att spänningsfältet mellan den formella utbildningen och det informella lärandet i praktiken gav de blivande speciallärarna förutsättningar för ett meningsskapande, då de menar att det bästa med utbildningen är att de kan kombinera de två olika arenorna. Vidare visar resultat och analys att tiden under påbyggnadsutbildningen har gjort att de blivande speciallärarna har förändrat sitt språk för att beskriva professionella problem, vilket ökar de blivande speciallärarnas gemenskap. Avslutningsvis visade studien att den semiformella relationen föregår ett semiformellt lärande, detta kunde härledas då de blivande speciallärarna i stor utsträckning använder sina kurskamrater för att utveckla sitt lärande. / The purpose of the present study is to examine how prospective special needs teachers develop their learning in the tension field between formal education and informal learning in practice. To reach a good quality understanding, the study uses triangulation as an approach, where 89 respondents answered the study survey, and 8 prospective and 4 graduate special needs teachers where interviewed. All the respondents either study or have studied the Special needs teacher program at Stockholm University. With the intention of answering the purpose of the study, the study was led by 4 research questions; (1) how does the prospective special needs teachers report that the tension between formal education and informal learning in practice affects their learning?; (2) If there is a difference between the respondents who are early vs. late in their special needs teacher’s education, how does their learning develop over time?; (3) How does the prospective special needs teachers describe their learning in relation to people around them?; (4) does a semiformal relationship precede a semiformal learning? The results of the study were analyzed using Communities of practice. The results showed that the tension field between formal education and informal learning in practice gave the prospective special needs teacher’s a sense of meaning, due to the fact that they could combine the two arenas. Furthermore, the results and its analysis showed that the time in further education had changed the prospective special needs teacher’s language to describe a professional problem, which increases the prospective special needs teacher’s sense of community. And finally, the study showed that the semiformal relationship precedes semiformal learning, which could be derived from the fact that the prospective special needs teachers, in a great extent, use their classmates to develop their learning.

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / This study set out to determine how trainers construct their professional identities in a changing work environment in a training academy of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the context of a police-university partnership. The study differentiates between three professional identities (academic, police and trainer) and builds on the notion that the construction of professional identity is a conscious and dynamic process, which is formed in social contexts and settings where individuals participate in communities of practice or act on affordances to participate in organisational activities. Following a constructivist methodological approach, the study involved face-to-face interviews with trainers of the SAPS Academy and an analysis of police documents in the Academy. The study portrays trainers’ professional identity construction as relational and ongoing. Trainers perceive their changing roles in the SAPS Academy as a form of progression in their professional identity where one aspires to become an academic as a form of achievement. While the SAPS Academy attempts toregulate the construction of professional identity through enforcement of policies, it strengthens police trainer identities rather than enabling the construction of the needed new academic identities. Trainers therefore have to navigate the tensions between the institutional culture and construction of professional identity. Trainers negotiate their professional identities when they become part of the trainer pool, where they join smaller communities of practice, and when they make use of affordances for learning and development. The practice of multi-skilling of trainers, an authoritarian institutional culture and challenges to academic freedom and autonomy hamper their attempts to construct academic identities at both institutional and disciplinary level. The study suggests that organisations need to understand how policies contribute to employees’ construction of professional identities, particularly when new and unfamiliar professional identities are to be constructed. Development of higher academic qualifications is not enough. Workplaces need to apply organisational policies consistently and without ambiguity. A holistic approach should be followed when organisations embark on the construction of professional academic identities as employees construct professional identities through their lived experiences. Finally, the study showed that workplaces should provide a suitable environment that would stimulate professional and academic identity construction.

Studiens syfte har varit att utveckla kunskap om hur informellt kunskapsutbyte mellan medarbetare i arbetslivet sker. Mer specifikt studeras vid vilka tillfällen och i vilket syfte medarbetare väljer att vända sig till en specifik kollega för att fråga om något, samt hur detta kunskapsutbyte går till. Följande frågeställningar har använts för att få svar på detta: På vilket sätt utbyter medarbetare kunskap med varandra? Vid vilka tillfällen tar medarbetare initiativ till att utbyta kunskap med varandra? Vad avgör vem medarbetare väljer att vända sig till? Utifrån syftet samt frågeställningarna har observationer samt semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts på ett universitetssjukhus. Resultatet visade att medarbetarna utbyter kunskap med varandra via snabba möten, genom att fråga en specifik kollega, via informella samtal om det vardagliga arbetet, genom mötessituationer och allmänt prat på raster. De tillfällen som medarbetarna utbyter kunskap sker då de inte kommer vidare i sitt arbete, när det övriga arbetet tillåter, när de ser någon som de tror kan svara, för att stötta en kollega som de tror behöver hjälp, för att hjälpa mindre erfarna kollegor samt via det vardagliga arbetet. Vidare så har det även undersökts vad som avgör vem medarbetarna väljer att vända sig till. Detta visade sig vara både erfarenhetsbaserat samt tillgänglighetsbaserat då det går snabbt att fråga någon som befinner sig nära.

This study explores the concept of "quality" in library cataloging and examines the perception of quality cataloging among catalogers who work in academic libraries. An examination of the concept of "quality cataloging" in library science literature revealed that even though there is some general agreement on how this concept is defined, the level of detail and focus of these definitions often vary. These various perceptions were dissected in order to develop a framework for evaluating quality cataloging definitions; this framework was used to evaluate study participants' definitions of quality cataloging. Studying cataloger perceptions of quality cataloging is important because it is catalogers (particularly original catalogers) who are largely responsible for what is included in bibliographic records. Survey participants (n = 296) provided their personal definition of quality cataloging as well as their opinions on their department's cataloging, their influence upon their department's policies and procedures, and the specific data that should be included in a quality bibliographic record. Interview participants (n = 20) provided insight on how their opinions of quality cataloging were formed and the influences that shaped these opinions.