Work in Progress
Thinking beyond numbers: Learning numeracy for the future workplace
Summary
- Item:
- 10360
- Title:
- Thinking beyond numbers: Learning numeracy for the future workplace
- Type:
- Managed research project
- Project no:
- NR5L02
- Status:
- Finished
- Date commenced:
- 23 November 2005
- Contact:
- Jan Hagston
- phone: +61 3 9210 1963
- email: jhagston@swin.edu.au
Purpose
This research seeks to build knowledge about how numeracy is conceptualised in workplaces, and the relevance of industry's definitions and concepts to current and future needs. It also aims to examine acquisition, enhancement and transference of workplace numeracy skills and to identify models (training, work processes and practice, work documentation, etc) that support their improvement.
Approach
Interviews and Case Studies
Research questions
1. How is numeracy conceptualised and used in workplace settings? (as opposed to the classroom and other domains of social and economic life)
2. Are the definitions of numeracy and the concepts that define numeracy in the workplace relevant to industry's workplace needs, particularly in relation to OH&S, workplace skills development and acquiring the numeracy skills to support workplace innovation?
3. What are the implications of these definitions and concepts for the acquisition and enhancement of workplace numeracy skills?
4. What numeracy skills do workers use in the workplace and how do they acquire these skills?
5. What models (of staff development, training, work organisation, etc) would best support the acquisition, enhancement and transferability of workplace numeracy skills?
Methodology
A semi-ethnographic methodology (e.g. Fetterman, 1998) will be used with the primary data gathering activities being desktop research, semi-structured interviews (e.g. Miles 1994) with industry representatives and case studies (e.g., Stake, 2000) of three worksites. The methodology will draw on industry instructional design methods such as task analysis and training needs analysis (e.g. Morrison, Ross & Kemp, 2004). Since numeracy skills are integral, in some aspects, to all industries, it is not feasible to cover the full range of industry workplaces in any one study. This research proposes to focus on two industries at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of technology and employee profiles: (1) aged care/health and community care with a substantially female workforce over 40 years of age and minimal computer skills, and (2) engineering (high tech) with a predominately male workforce who increasingly use sophisticated technology. The third case study will be in one of these industries but will be a small business. Both these industry areas are, and, in the near future, will remain, in high demand in Australia. To ensure the project is manageable, only case studies from Victoria will be included in the study. Swinburne's Workplace Skills Access has extensive industry networks and these will be utilised to identify appropriate case study sites.
The proposed methodology is designed to:
* explore what can be learned from the existing data and associated research
* 'drill down' to examine three specific worksites in more detail through semi- structured interviews, observations and qualitative analysis (case studies)
* glean information to address both employer and employee perspectives
* explore what numeracy is used in the workplaces and how the numeracy skills were acquired
* identify any common characteristics found in the examples and models that could be used to inform future practice and directions related to the development, enhancement and transference of numeracy skills in the workplace.
In addition the methodology offers value-for-money because it offers the combined strength of a research team with expertise in numeracy, research and workplace skills development and allows team members to learn from each other, and supports the development of research skills of those working in the VET sector.
Organisations
Swinburne University of Technology and RMIT University are both large, intersectoral, multi-disciplinary universities. Swinburne has a long history of working closely with industry, partnering with organisations to design, develop and deliver innovative and outcomes-driven research, learning, training and assessment services. Workplace Skills Access, situated in the TAFE division of Swinburne, has extensive experience in delivering quality workplace training, resource development and research related to English language, literacy and numeracy. The Post Compulsory Education and Training Research Centre (PCET) at RMIT has provided post-graduate VET teacher qualifications since 1994. The team of researchers from the PCET Centre draw on a broad range of experience in research, practice and teacher development in adult literacy and numeracy education and VET and workplace training throughout Australia and overseas.
