The Enhancement of Learning in Public Sector Training Programs

This article attempts to build on recent work on individual learning differences by discussing several psychological learning models and their importance to training in public agencies. The article first presents several ideas on the concept of learning along with accepted principles of learning. The article then addresses the question of “How do people learn?” and offers the views of Dewey, Kolb, and others on learning and thinking styles as frameworks for increasing our understanding of the learning process and enhancing training in public agencies. Finally, potential applications of learning and thinking styles information are presented to summarize the ideas presented in the article.