| This qualitative study sought to explore the perceived learning experiences of 22 purposively selected Master's students who participated as set members in university-based, joint project style, Action Learning programs conducted in the Spring of 2003 at Virginia Commonwealth University and Georgia State University respectively. This study employed a semi-structured interview process to determine whether these individuals would report learning anything, and if they did would they discover where their learning originated, how their learning occurred, whether they would report having applied their new knowledge on the project, on their job, or for their personal development, and what types of learning they experienced.; This study produced several key findings including evidence that individual set members reportedly experienced many instances of learning during the Action Learning process; that the reported learning in Action Learning appears to be systemic and process dependent; that the majority of reported learning appears to derive from questioning insight; that the majority of reported learning was applied; that Action Learners reportedly experienced learning at lower and higher levels; and that a high percentage of set members reportedly experienced meta-learning (learning how to learn).; The data revealed tentative evidence that hybrid sets may add value to the Action Learning process, that Action Learning sets may be more effective when comprised of persons who are unfamiliar with the client's problem, that some individuals may be more suited to Action Learning than others, that stress, anxiety and frustration may be important factors in the participant's learning experience, and that a breakthrough learning moment is common and perhaps critical to the experience of the individual in the Action Learning process.; This study provided considerable insight into the learning experiences of individual learners in Action Learning. It also incidentally exposed some of the strengths and shortcomings of Action Learning as a tool for personal and organizational development. |
