In this chapter, I described the main characteristics of the PFN, and how the model is used with different purposes in different countries. Five major elements of the model were defined: a) Europen, the global coordination centre; b) the Central Offices, local coordination centres; c) the Pfus, the operational units of the model; d) the PFN market, that is, people and other units of Practice Firms which trade in the model; and e) the Business Partners, real organisations that support and advise each specific Pfu. I then provided some information about the use of the model in Brazil, since the focus of the research is on the Brazilian experience of the model.
The description provided in this chapter was based on information that was available about the model on the Internet, in promotional material produced by the promoters of the model, and in private conversations with members of the staff. It does not
constitute, however, a review of the literature about the model; this will be carried out in Chapter Seven. Before that, I aim to place my research in a wider context and begin to insert the discussion of the PFN model into a theoretical framework about
education and learning experiences. This will shed light on the approach I wish to take, and make clear my perspective.
Section Two – The Literature Review
The PFN as a Learning Experience in Management Education
Section Two is dedicated to a review of the literature. Perry (1998) claims that the aim of the literature review is to ground the work within a “theoretical foundation”.
According to Perry, the literature review should be based on “the relevant literature to identify research issues which are worth researching because they are controversial and have not been answered by previous researchers” (p. 72). I would argue in my case that, because of the exploratory and descriptive nature of my research and the lack of literature about the concept of the PFN model, I initially need to locate my object of study into a broad discussion about education and learning.
This section comprises five chapters. The rationale behind the scope and the sequence of the chapters is as follows: in Chapter Three I began with a holistic perspective, situating this work into a model called the 3 P Model of Teaching and Learning. A brief history of the 3 P Model is provided, then I discuss the model from the “constitutionalist” (Prosser and Trigwell, 1999) perspective.
Chapter Four is dedicated to the exploration of the concepts of education and of learning. I found it important to understand the main paradigms of these concepts in society, as they provide background to the learning experience. These concepts are generally taken for granted in educational institutions, although different approaches to the concepts lead to different commitments to the learning process.
Chapter Five reviews the concept of management education, its nature, different perspectives and the many problems that this concept faces. It is included to stress the challenges that management education meets and the fundamental premise that, as Hounsell et al. (2005) have found, different disciplines need different WTP (Ways of
Thinking and Practising). The final part considers the introduction of management education concepts at early stages of the educational process.
In Chapter Six, I turn to the concept of the learning environment. I explore the characteristics of learning environments in general, and of particular learning
environments such as lectures and simulations. I also look at what have recently been described in the literature as ‘powerful learning environments’ (Merrienboer and Paas, 2003). Additionally, I explore how the literature has described students’ approaches to, and their views about, these learning environments. These topics are important because they involve concepts directly linked to that of the PFN model.
Finally, in Chapter Seven, I present the theoretical literature about the concept of the PFN model. The literature is scarce; I could retrieve only four relevant theoretical works in the English language from academic books, journals and conferences. However it is important to locate the model within a broad perspective of education and learning. My literature review revealed important gaps that need to be considered in order to develop the model. The specific issues on which this research focuses are based on the description and categorisation of the PFN model from the students’ perspective.
3
Chapter Three
The Learning Experience
3.1
Introduction
The experience of learning has been extensively researched from a variety of
perspectives. In this chapter, I will situate my phenomenon of study (the PFN) into a holistic and relational model for the study of the learning experience. This model originated from Mitzel’s concepts in the 1960s, and is called the 3 P Model of teaching and learning.
More recently, Prosser and Trigwell (1999) suggested that the model could be seen in a constitutionalist perspective. According to Prosser and Trigwell, in a
constitutionalist perspective, knowledge about the following three elements and their relationships is important to understand a learning experience: teachers (and their concepts of, and approaches to, teaching); students (and their concepts of, and approaches to, learning); and the context in which the learning occurs.
Each of these three elements of the model has been discussed extensively in the literature. Before I outline the literature regarding the elements of the model, however, I present a brief description of how the 3 P Model has evolved. I then discuss the many ways that teachers conceptualise and approach the learning experience. After that, I move into the discussion of the research that has looked at students’ concepts of, and approaches to, learning and learning environments.
Finally, I delineate how the constitutionalist approach of the 3 P Model of teaching and learning can be adapted to my purposes within this research. A modified version of the model is proposed which is then used to inform the development of my
literature review.