Catherine Delgoulet

Age differences in learning maintenance skills: a field study.

The effects of age and previous relevant experience on learning anxiety, strategies, and performance were studied in 43 workers aged 25 to 49 during a 1-week maintenance vocational training course. The results showed that increased age was associated with higher training-related anxiety as measured at the beginning of the course. However, no age difference could be found in the level of knowledge assessed after 3 days of training. This was confirmed by another problem-solving-type test that took place on the last day. Previous experience had no effect on anxiety, and it did enable us to predict higher scores for the first test but not for the second one. Analysis of behavior strategies revealed that older trainees consulted and annotated the course material more often than the younger ones during the learning process. The results are discussed in relation to those obtained in previous laboratory and field studies on the same subject.

Are online discussions enough to constitute communities of practice in professional domain? A case study of ergonomics' practice in France

The goal of our research is to characterise how online discussions may provide support to the construction of a Virtual Community of Practice, as a way to develop a profession. To do so, we investigate the functions (sharing information, resources or experience) and the nature of knowledge (e.g. methodology and trends of ergonomics) exchanged on Ergoliste, a French-speaking online mailing list dedicated to ergonomics, as well as the status of participants. Our results reveal that the list has both informative and formative functions as it deals with sharing/seeking information, resources and experience, mainly between experts and novices in ergonomics, exchanging about situated and circumstantiated aspects of practices. Finally, these results are complemented by interviews with list participants which on the one hand confirm the main functions of the list and, on the other hand, reveal divergence in the perception that list participants belonging to a “community” structured only around this list. This research opens some prospects for more longitudinal investigations of the contents of the list, to analyse more deeply how the list can be viewed as an efficient tool to co-elaborate knowledge about ergonomics and its development.

Ergonomic analysis on work activity and training.

It is an honor and a great pleasure for us to present this special issue for WORK. This selection of papers is an outcome of our symposium organized during the IEA congress 2009 (Beijing, China) that followed up previous IEA symposia. Ever since the IEA Conference in Paris (1991), and at each of the subsequent triennial IEA conferences (Toronto, 1994; Tampere, 1997; San Diego 2000; Seoul 2003; Maastricht 2006), a highly active scientific committee (chaired alternately by M. Bellemare, C. Chatigny, M. Lacomblez, S. Montreuil, and C. Teiger) has taken the task to organize a multiple session symposium on “Ergonomic Work Analysis and Training”. Initially, such a scientific event aimed to develop and promote the ergonomic approach of work analysis in the field of vocational training. Within this framework, “Activity” has been used as a central concept to understand work specificities. Hence, Daniellou and Rabardel [2] synthesized some major theoretical contributions defining Activity as being:

Interactions in an online community in ergonomics: from sharing information to comparing practices?

The goal of our research is to characterize practices shared in an online community dedicated to ergonomics in order to understand how these online discussions are a means to construct co-elaborated knowledge about ergonomics and its practices. This communication presents a preliminary study of the nature (purpose of interactions, topics) and structure (relations between participants, purposes and topics) of exchanges on Ergoliste, a French speaking online mailing list dedicated to ergonomics. We show that the mailing list is mostly dominated by ergonomists (consultants, ergonomists working in private companies, institutions, students) seeking and sharing resources: information about jobs and resources (documentation, literature, etc.) and experiences about various topics (methodology, trades of ergonomics, specific tools or work settings...). It also opens some prospects for more longitudinal investigations of the contents of the list, to analyze more deeply how the list can be viewed as an efficient tool to co-elaborate knowledge about ergonomics and its development.

How Holistic Approaches of Activity Analysis in Ergonomics Renew Training Design

This communication presents the benefit of holistic approaches of work analysis in ergonomics and professional didactics in the field of occupational training. The research-intervention processes discussed have the originality aiming to conduct jointly learning questions, conditions of training and prevention of occupational risks. Its specificities are presented from three research-interventions in the field of aeronautics industry, agriculture and education. We stress questions that are emerging, such as the design of digital tools for training, the importance of subjective commitment at work and the identity transformations and we precise how the holistic approach advocated, based on a model of operator development that articulates mastery of tasks and work and the construction of health and safety over the long term, may be used to treat these questions.

An Exploratory Study of the Issues of a Professionalization to the Industrial Safety in a French Railway Company

This communication aims to explore the leverages and impediments of a professionalization to an integrated safety culture. The two objectives of the study are: (1) to understand the way the strategic actors perceive the safety model and the role of the managerial line and, the operational staff, and (2) to identify the professionalization initiatives. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with HOF (Human and Organizational Factors), safety, and training experts. The thematic analysis was conducted with MAXQDA® software for qualitative data processing. The results show that the safety model is mainly perceived as “rule-based” and professionalization refers for the most part to training systems. This model affects the forms of professionalization of the operational staff, the missions assigned to the managerial line and the operational staff, as well as the professionalization initiatives via compliance with the prescriptions (procedures, standards). These results underline the gap to be filled between the company’s desire to establish an integrated safety culture and the current experts’ perception of its operationalization in the field.

The Role and Positioning of Observation in Ergonomics Approaches: A Research and Design Project

Observation methods historically form a significant part of the identity of activity-oriented approaches to ergonomics, while playing a central role in the holistic approach to work activity. This paper introduces the issue of the role and positioning of observation in ergonomics approaches, and presents a current research and design project. Started two years ago, the project promotes research and practice exchanges, involving reflections on and teaching of observation methods and techniques. Its objectives are threefold: (1) design an open and stable tool for in-situ observation, (2) contribute to the research about observation and human activities, and (3) promote teaching of observation methods and techniques. The paper concludes with an outline of the next steps for research and practice.

Learning New Maintenance Skills by Young and Older Workers

This study is about the training of workers whose age was 25 and 49 years. It focused more especially on: learning anxiety, behavioral strategies and learning performance. It resulted that older trainees succeeded as well as their younger counterparts, but showed higher learning anxiety. Their learning behavior also differed in several ways. Such differences must be taken into account in designing training courses.