Purpose

This study aims to identify context-specific antecedents to schools’ absorptive capacity (AC) and to show how those can enact “a virtuous learning circle.”

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a mixed method: an exploration based on semi-structured interviews with educational experts; the development of a measurement scale and a partial least squares structural equation modelling to test the impact of the antecedents.

Findings

The results yielded four empirically-grounded antecedents and their measurement scales, namely, prior knowledge, employees’ skills, educational projects and interactions with the environment (Studies one and two). All antecedents are significantly and positively related to AC processes (study three). Using the organizational learning theory perspective, the results have been interpreted as an AC “virtuous learning circle.”

Practical implications

With increasing pressures to adapt, a case of which was the COVID-19 pandemic, schools can greatly benefit from absorbing knowledge flows. This suggests the construction a favourable environment for AC. To this end, the individual (employees’ prior knowledge and skills), organizational (educational projects) and institutional level of managerial action (interactions with the environment) can be effective when create a recursive organizational learning circle. In addition, this study offers an expert-validated measurement scale for self-assessment of a school’s specific contingencies, and thus, for planning of punctual interventions to develop AC.

Originality/value

This study advances the existing body of knowledge management in the educational context by rigorously identifying and validating a scale for measuring the antecedents of AC and developing an interpretive approach to the AC “virtuous circle.”

中文翻译：

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寻找良性学习循环：教育部门的吸收能力及其前因

目的

本研究旨在确定学校吸收能力 (AC) 的特定背景因素，并展示这些因素如何形成“良性学习循环”。

设计/方法/方法

该研究采用混合方法：基于对教育专家的半结构化访谈的探索；开发测量尺度和偏最小二乘结构方程模型来测试前因的影响。

发现

结果产生了四个以经验为基础的前因及其测量尺度，即先验知识、员工技能、教育项目和与环境的相互作用（研究一和二）。所有前因都与交流过程显着正相关（研究三）。使用组织学习理论的观点，结果被解释为一个交流的“良性学习循环”。

实际影响

随着适应压力的增加，例如 COVID-19 大流行，学校可以从吸收知识流中受益匪浅。这为交流电的建设提供了有利的环境。为此，个人（员工的先验知识和技能）、组织（教育项目）和机构层面的管理行为（与环境的相互作用）在创建递归组织学习圈时可以是有效的。此外，本研究提供了一个经过专家验证的测量量表，用于自我评估学校的具体突发事件，从而规划准时干预以发展 AC。

原创性/价值

本研究通过严格识别和验证衡量 AC 前因的量表并开发对 AC“良性循环”的解释方法，推进了教育背景下现有的知识管理体系。