Disillusioned by Experience: An Examination of the Role of Conceptual Change Frameworks in Workplace Learning Resistance

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of individual conceptual frameworks on engagement and resistance in learning contexts. That is, we were interested in the conceptual structures that teachers held prior to entering a training situation, and the role those pre-existing structures might play with regard to their reaction to the content, the trainer, and the overall program. In the following pages there will be some information indicating that many school teachers do not like their required in-service training, which is probably not surprising to anyone familiar with research on teachers. The reader should keep in mind that these findings are not the point we are intending to make, nor was it the impetus of this study. The intention of this study from its inception, was to examine the effects of individual conceptual frameworks, on engagement and resistance in learning contexts.