The findings illustrate how digitalization can influence professional development by altering a variety of aspects related to workplace learning opportunities, such as job demands, the level of job control, task variety and complexity, and social support. In addition to illustrating how digitalization may change workplaces as learning environments, the findings show that whether digitalization supports or hinders professional development also relates to workers’ professional identities and how they practice their professional agency at work. Thus, overall, the findings indicate that to understand the role of digitalization in workers’ professional development a multidimensional approach is required that takes into account the interrelations among digitalization, workplace learning opportunities, professional identity and professional agency.
In addition to empirically exploring digitalization and professional development, Wallin’s dissertation also contributes to research on professional development by applying a novel data collection method (the method of empathy-based stories (MEBS)) that demonstrates the power of imagination and storytelling in exploring how individuals understand and perceive a phenomenon. In her dissertation, Wallin introduces the method, illustrates possible ways to design and conduct MEBS research, and discusses its methodological strengths, limitations and future prospects.
Link to publication: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-2401-8