The flow of ideas that emerges from educational programs, particularly those that explicitly encourage interactions with community members, holds under-appreciated potential for knowledge flow to contribute to development at a community level. This study examines a single case, the PSA program in Colombia, to explore the patterns and potential of educational knowledge-sharing for community development. Using the lenses of network theory and communities of practice, it draws from social network data, interviews, and participant observation to capture the knowledge-sharing practices of students and their contributions to community development. Findings suggest that through formally-assigned activities and those that emerge from student initiative, students enrich their existing networks of community with additional information, recommendations for practice, and discussions of fundamental values and concepts. At the same time, they extend those networks to include new individuals and promote sharing that shapes practice within communities of practice.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-02032011-221746 |
Date | 04 February 2011 |
Creators | Lample, Emily Jazab |
Contributors | Dr. Kimberly Bess, Dr. James Fraser |
Publisher | VANDERBILT |
Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Type | text |
Format | application/pdf |
Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-02032011-221746/ |
Rights | restricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
Page generated in 0.0022 seconds