Informal Learning Questionnaire

Please answer all of the questions below. The entire questionnaire will take around 10-15 minutes to complete. Please click the “submit” button at the end of this page when you are finished. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact the researchers, Shelley Berg (ShelleyBerg@boisestate.edu) or Dr. Yonnie Chyung (ychyung@boisestate.edu). Thank you!

Section I: About Yourself

1. Age:              years old      2. Gender:                 

3. Ethnic background:






4. Educational background (checkmark the highest degree that you currently hold):






 

Section II: About Your Job (If you are not currently employed, please reflect on your previous job.)

1. Job title:             
(e.g., training manager, e-learning specialist, performance consultant, etc.)

2. Department:             
(e.g., training, instructional design, organizational development, human resources, sales, etc.)

3. Type of business:             
(e.g., Manufacturing, Health Care, Education, Service, Government, etc.)

4. How long have you been working for this organization?              Years              Months
(If you have been with your organization for less than a year, enter "0" in the Years field, e.g. 0 Years 8 Months.  If you are unsure of the approximate number of months but know the years, enter "0" in the Months field, e.g. 12 Years 0 Months.)

5. How satisfied are you with your job?

Not Satisfied

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Very Satisfied
         

6. Because of the nature of your job, how often do you have to interact with other people while performing your job tasks?

Never have to
interact with others

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Constantly have to
interact with others
         

7. How much of your job knowledge is tangible and easy to document and convey to others (explicit knowledge), and how much of it is intangible and difficult to document and convey to others (tacit knowledge)?

None of it is explicit
(All of it is tacit)

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

All of it is explicit
(None of it is tacit)
         
      4 =
half and half		      

8. How often do you seek the following types of information while performing your job tasks?

  1. ‘What-it-is’ information

Never

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Always
         
  1. ‘How-to-do-it’ information

Never

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Always
         
  1. ‘Why-or-when-to-do-it’ information

Never

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Always
         

 

Section III: About Your Learning Activities in the Workplace (If you are not currently employed, please reflect on your previous job.)

9. How frequently do you engage in the following activities, when you have to learn something new to perform your job tasks?
(1-Never, 2-Seldom, 3-Sometimes, 4-Often, 5-Usually, 6-Almost Always, 7-Always)

  1. Reflect on my previous knowledge and actions

Never

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Always
         
  1. Learn from my own trial and error

Never

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Always
         
  1. Observe others without interacting with them

Never

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Always
         
  1. Search the web (including intranet)

Never

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Always
         
  1. Read professional magazines and/or journals

Never

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Always
         
  1. Talk with other people at work face to face

Never

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Always
         
  1. Interact with other people at work via email

Never

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Always
         
  1. Ask questions in professional listservs

Never

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Always
         
  1. Attend a training program

Never

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Always
         
  1. Other methods (describe):

10. How much do you think the following factors affect the degree of your engagement in informal learning?

  1. Physical proximity to your colleagues

Not at all

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Very much
         
  1. Relationship with your colleagues

Not at all

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Very much
         
  1. Your access to computer technology

Not at all

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Very much
         
  1. Your work environment (e.g., cubicle vs. office)

Not at all

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Very much
         
  1. Monetary rewards given for good performance

Not at all

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Very much
         
  1. Your personality type

Not at all

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Very much
         
  1. Your job satisfaction

Not at all

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Very much
         
  1. Your interest in the current professional field

Not at all

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Very much
         
  1. Self-evaluation of your professional capabilities

Not at all

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Very much
         
  1. The type of your job itself

Not at all

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7  

Very much
         
  1. Other factors (describe):

 

Section IV: About Your Organization’s Culture (If you are not currently employed, please reflect on your previous job. There are no right or wrong answers. We are interested in your perception of where things are in your organization.)
  1. In my organization, people openly discuss mistakes in order to learn from them.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. In my organization, people identify skills they need for future work tasks.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. In my organization, people help each other learn.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. In my organization, people can get money and other resources to support their learning.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. In my organization, people are given time to support learning.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. In my organization, people view problems in their work as an opportunity to learn.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. In my organization, people are rewarded for learning.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. In my organization, people give open and honest feedback to each other.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. In my organization, people listen to others' views before speaking.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
         
  1. In my organization, people are encouraged to ask "why" regardless of rank.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
         
  1. In my organization, whenever people state their view, they also ask what others think.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
         
  1. In my organization, people treat each other with respect.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
         
  1. In my organization, people spend time building trust with each other.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
         
  1. In my organization, teams/groups have the freedom to adapt their goals as needed.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
         
  1. In my organization, teams/groups treat members as equals, regardless of rank, culture, or other differences.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
         
  1. In my organization, teams/groups focus both on the group's task and on how well the group is working.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
         
  1. In my organization, teams/groups revise their thinking as a result of group discussions or information collected.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
         
  1. In my organization, teams/groups are rewarded for their achievements as a team/group.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
         
  1. In my organization, teams/groups are confident that the organization will act on their recommendations.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
         
  1. My organization uses two-way communication on a regular basis, such as suggestion systems, electronic bulletin boards, or town hall/open meetings.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization enables people to get needed information at any time quickly and easily.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization maintains an up-to-date data base of employee skills.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization creates systems to measure gaps between current and expected performance.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization makes its lessons learned available to all employees.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization measures the results of the time and resources spent on training.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization recognizes people for taking initiative.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization gives people choices in their work assignments.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization invites people to contribute to the organization's vision.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization gives people control over the resources they need to accomplish their work.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization supports employees who take calculated risks.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization builds alignment of visions across different levels and work groups.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization helps employees balance work and family.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization encourages people to think from a global perspective.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization encourages everyone to bring the customers' views into the decision making process.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization considers the impact of decisions on employee morale.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization works together with the outside community to meet mutual needs.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. My organization encourages people to get answers from across the organization when solving problems.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. In my organization, leaders generally support requests for learning opportunities and training.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. In my organization, leaders share up to date information with employees about competitors, industry trends, and organizational directions.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. In my organization, leaders empower others to help carry out the organization's vision.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always
           
  1. In my organization, leaders mentor and coach those they lead.

Almost never

   1 2 3 4 5 6  

Almost always