| Abstrakt: |
Drawing on competing theoretical perspectives of Social Learning Theory and Socio-Technical Systems Theory, we investigate competency development in early-career professionals across in-person, remote, and hybrid work and educational settings, covering the phases before, during, and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Contrary to traditional assumptions from Social Learning Theory, our results demonstrate that competency development is not compromised in remote and hybrid environments, challenging the idea that face-to-face learning is superior. Additionally, our findings show that a hybrid educational background equips early career professionals with a higher competency baseline as they transition to the workplace than either in-person or fully remote education. This advantage, we argue, arises from practicing the simultaneous processing of complex social cues in both online and physical environments in their education—a concept we introduce as 'Socio-Digital Learning'. Our conclusions draw from a distinctive sample: 905 individuals embarking on a full-time, paid, graduate-level placement year, marking their initial year in a professional setting. This study challenges assumptions about early-career competency development amid macro-changes like remote work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
