A new publication in the journal "Human Resource Development Quarterly" (IF = 3.3) by Dr. Julian Decius and Dr. Julia Wegenka (née Hein) from University of Mannheim investigated the relationship between lecturers' goals in their teaching and informal learning activities. Lecturers can have different goals related to their teaching, e.g., to continuously improve their competencies (learning approach goals) or not to teach worse than their colleagues (normative avoidance goals). The results of the study, which is based on surveys with more than 500 lecturers from Germany and Austria, indicate: Learning approach goals are positively related to self-based informal learning such as trying out one's own solutions or reflection, whereas normative avoidance goals are positively related to social-based informal learning such as seeking feedback or learning from a model. These tendencies appear to be relatively stable across different semester situations (before, during, and after the teaching period). The results can be found here.

IF = Impact Factor