Breaking the Shell
Identity Development Experiences in a Village Co-operative as a Community of Practice
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22416166 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ali Tansu Balcı (0000-0003-2646-5175, Ankara University, corresponding author), Ahmet Yıldız (0000-0002-9149-5859, Ankara University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-23 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Adult Education Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0741-7136 • E-ISSN: 1552-3047 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/07417136251405852 |
| OpenAlex | W7140147953 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 29 |
This study aims to understand how farmers in a rural agricultural co-operative shape their identity development experiences through social interactions. Based on the community of practice approach, this qualitative study uses a case study methodology and examines the Gödence Agricultural Development Co-operative in a mountain village in western Turkey. Data were collected through interviews, participant observation and document analysis and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings show that farmers experienced movement from the periphery to the center during their participation in the co-operative and that this movement, combined with learning experiences, contributed to identity development. The study reveals that co-operatives in rural communities can function not only economically but also in community-based learning and identity construction. In this respect, the study makes theoretical and practical contributions to the fields of adult education, rural development, and community-based learning.
Agriculture · Community development · Identity change · Participant observation · Qualitative research · Rural development · Social identity theory · Thematic analysis · Community and Sustainable Development · Innovative Education and Learning Practices · Rural development and sustainability
Communities of Practice
Transformative Learning and Identity
Sewing Empowerment
Embeddedness, social capital and learning in rural areas
A framework for recognizing diversity beyond capitalism in agri-food systems
Reclaiming and re-embodying experiential learning through complexity science
Cooperatives and Community Development
Cooperatives as a Vehicle of Adult Education in Africa
Social Implications of the Farmers' Co-Operative Marketing Movement
Situated Learning
Thematic Analysis
Agroecology and the reconstruction of a post-Covid-19 agriculture
| Highly cited | No |
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