Lessons about action learning from undergraduate students in Budapest

Abstract

Action Learning (AL) in higher education has been mainly used at the postgraduate level so far. In this article, we contribute to deepening the academic conversation about the adaptation of AL at the undergraduate level. Building upon our own personal experiences as teachers and insider researchers we analyse 53 learning diaries of undergraduate students. First, we present the tensions and contradictions that have arisen from using AL in a traditional educational environment with students having less professional experience compared to postgraduate students. Second, we uncovered that students used the flexible framework of AL to solve problems related to roles where they are underprivileged (e.g. the post-adolescent child, the overladen student and the precarious worker). Lastly, we discuss AL flexibility from the aspect of COVID 19, presenting the impact of adapting AL to a digital learning environment and how it has helped to cope with the wicked problems evoked due to the crisis situation. These findings touch upon the emancipatory potential of AL for less-experienced students.