Informal learning in workplace: a narrative inquiry

Purpose The objective of the research is to examine the experience in professional practice of social workers and in particular to explore their informal learning at work. Definition of learning - From this point of view, informal learning is every individual practice or activity that is able to produce continuous learning. The tool used for the data collection was the narrative interview. The analysis of the contents and the narrative structure was facilitated by the scientific software ATLAS.ti. Design/Methodology/approach- This study used a qualitative research method, according to specific epistemologies as the Grounded Theory, and the inquiry into Narrative. The tool used for the data collection has been the narrative interview. The analysis of the contents and the narrative structure has been facilitated by the scientific software ATLAS.ti. Results - The data classified throughout the analysis allow to observe and explain possible interpretations of the informal learning of the social workers. Research limitation - The analysis of the data has been carried out through individual interviews and a series of interviews. A serious limitation of this procedure is that what the actors say they have done or learned does not necessarily correspond to their actual learning: there are in fact actions, experiences, conditions that may result in learning that the actor is unaware of. Conclusions – The research offers some useful suggestions about the methodological contribution for the retrieval and the analysis of narrative data, the elaboration of a network among all the elements analyzed in each interview, defining some characteristics and contents of informal learning in the workplace.