Megan Tones

Patterns of Engagement in Workplace Learning:: Employees from Local Government and Private Healthcare Organisations Megan Tones

This thesis investigated the issue of continuous work related learning from a lifespan development psychology perspective. The study integrated three theoretical frameworks to develop a comprehensive survey to measure patterns of worker engagement in learning and development in relation to opportunities and constraints for learning and development at work. The findings indicated that individuals irrespective of age shared a positive relationship with opportunities to learn via training and development when there is a positive learning climate and complex work tasks. These enabling conditions influence whether and how individuals engage or disengage with learning in the workplace. The findings also suggest that knowledge based occupations are better positioned to optimise learning opportunities in the workplace than others. The study makes an important contribution to HR planning and the design of learning in the workplace.