Learning as a process of becoming within communities of practice: A multiple case study of moose hunters in northern Ontario

In the last decade or so, the work of Lave and Wenger (1991) on situated learning has become increasingly popular: "Rather than asking what kinds of cognitive processes and conceptual structures are involved, they ask what kinds of social engagements provide the proper context for learning to take place" (p.14). Wenger (1998) extended his previous work with Lave by elaborating a conceptual framework called Communities of Practice. This framework presents a social theory of learning based on the following assumption: engagement in social practice is the fundamental process by which we learn and so become who we are. Up to now this conceptual framework has been mainly used in workplace and education settings. This research aims to derive from these settings by describing the process through which individuals learn and become moose hunters. The main question that guides our research is: How do individuals become moose hunters? To answer this main question a qualitative research approach using a multiple case study design was chosen. Data were collected through open-ended and semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed on an ongoing basis, throughout the process of data collection which took place over three distinct phases. Phase 1 consists of five cases each including an initial participant and a peer. This phase looks at the existence of communities of practice within the context of moose hunting, as well as documents the process of transformation of identity for the five initial participants. For phase 2, five more participants were added, increasing the number of cases to ten. During this phase, the focus was placed on childhood learning as a prerequisite for gaining access to a moose hunting group later on. For phase 3, 20 more participants were interviewed to complement and validate the findings of the previous phases. The present research confirms the presence and formation of communities of practice in the context of recreational moose hunting. The research also demonstrates the process of transformation of identities as the participants learn from engagement within the context of practice. Moreover, the findings reveal an important period of learning during childhood, prior to engagement in practice. Consequently, the research shows that interest for the activity is developed at a young age and a considerable amount of learning occurs during childhood as children engage in various outdoor activities with parents. The findings of the research contribute to both the theoretical and the practical levels by highlighting the versatility of Wenger's conceptual framework to study learning across various social contexts and by revealing that the current training strategies for hunters are not efficient and need to be revised.

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