Studies show that learning is situated--or that learning in one context does not easily transfer to a new context. Because business simulations are often used to provide a learning context, we wondered if this context-specific learning would transfer. To explore this issue, we used situated learning theory to ask undergraduate students in an…

How can knowledge developed in one context be put to use in other contexts? How can students learn to do so? How can educators design for learning this? These are fundamental challenges to many forms of education. The challenges are amplified in contemporary society where people traverse many different contexts and where contexts themselves are…

This paper examines current views and definitions of learning transfer as well as their dominant characteristics. An alterior way to view learning transfer as preparation for future learning (PFL) is presented along with its defining features. This paper is divided into five sections: (a) what comprises learning transfer, (b) the conventional…

One of the primary goals of education is to ensure that learners can apply their acquired knowledge in various ways and under different circumstances. However, this expected "transfer" does not always occur and, therefore, the acquired knowledge cannot be flexibly employed in different contexts. One way to minimize this problem is to…

Drill and practice is a well-received approach to repeatedly train learners' skills through a series of exercises and to reward them with corrective feedback. However, drill-based training may not improve learners' performance if its exercises are badly designed (e.g., not fun, not relevant to the learning goal, and becoming too difficult or too…

Drawing on Lave & Wenger's concept of situated learning and Apple's premise that daily interactions at school construct what is considered legitimate knowledge, this article examines the discourses of teaching and learning circulating among students. Through interviews and open-ended, online surveys, we trace how nine different discourses of…