‘More than anything else, I have a fondness for everyday life’

A pragmatist perspective on learning at work

Abstract

In this article, a qualitative case study provides the basis for an exploration of workplace learning and the following research question: What characterizes situations at work where learning can take place? The article is a proposal for a development of a theoretical framing for the development of learning at work. We do so inspired by philosophical pragmatism by analyzing an empirical study about young people’ work and learning in a major retail company. The article engages with a tradition within research on learning at work that explores, and analyses workplace learning based on the practice and organizing of work. This is illustrated under two headlines: You have to have a fondness for everyday life and Now I’m just stuck, so I’m not really learning any more. We show how it is possible through these statements to point towards microtensions between responsibility for own learning and the standardized steps of goals for development of knowledge and skills of the enterprise as possibilities for learning. The article applies a pragmatist philosophical perspective on workplace learning that applies situations, inquiry, and habitual practices to develop new theoretical understandings of the possibilities for learning at work. We propose that a pragmatist philosophical approach revitalizes a critical perspective on learning at work that embraces the dynamism and complexity of learning.