Learning processes in user training: the case for hermeneutics

Abstract

While the maturing research literature on training has generated increasingly sophisticated and more comprehensive theoretical models, the actual process through which users learn to use a system remains a relatively neglected area. The extant literature that has paid attention to processes have conceptualized these as structures and examined them through variance studies. In this paper, we address this knowledge gap by advancing hermeneutics as a lens to depict the process through which users come to learn about the system. We explain the hermeneutic process, situate it in a training context and illustrate our conceptualization by interpreting a specific training program at a large organization. Based on our findings, we argue that hermeneutics is an appropriate lens to view training and outline how a training program can be designed according to hermeneutic principles.