This thesis examines the workplace learning experiences of accountancy trainees. It provides an insight into how and what accountancy trainees learn during their training and also explores how individual experiences of learning within the same learning situation may differ. A qualitative life course approach is adopted and data were collected through a series of semi-structured interviews, with trainees in an Irish Big 4 firm. The interrelated concepts of legitimate peripheral participation and communities of practice are employed to consider how trainees learn through participating in the community of practice represented by their employing firm. As these concepts have not been developed in a way which enables diversity amongst individual experiences of learning to be explored, the metaphor of 'learning as becoming' is employed for this purpose. The findings of the study reveal how accountancy trainees develop technical and social competence through participating in the work of their community and draw attention to the extent to which trainees' learning is facilitated and influenced by work colleagues. In addition to relying on colleagues for guidance and advice, trainees also learn from observing and listening to them. The thesis shows how differences between individuals' experiences of learning within a community of practice may be understood to result from variations in how individuals interact with that community of practice. The thesis also provides an insight into the power a community of practice may wield over a participant's access to learning opportunities and demonstrates the reproductive nature of communities of practice, particularly in the field of accountancy training.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:577795 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | O'Brien Gately, Helen |
| Publisher | University of Sheffield |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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