2: Perception and Practice: Popular Culture as Pedagogy for the Workplace

Popular culture is a form of public pedagogy (Sandlin et al., 2011) that directly influences adults’ perceptions of workplace learning experiences; it also has been a device incorporated into educational settings to connect with learners and provide relevant instruction (Wright & Sandlin, 2009). The purpose of this chapter is to explore the scope of influence popular culture has on adults engaging in workforce development. This analysis will be approached from its impact on identity development, best practices for supplementing engagement of adults in workplace training and development, and how popular culture contributes to reaching across cultural divides to provide equitable educational experiences. Prior explorations in this field (Wright, 2013) highlighted how even the most outlandish genres of popular culture can be studied to inform workplace training and development practices. A synthesis of recent literature within the fields of popular culture such as pedagogy and Human Resource Development (HRD) will illuminate a depth of exploration related to how popular culture both acknowledges adult lived experiences and encourages critical thinking and media literacy to engage in sense making of workplace experiences. Engaging in this review will serve as a platform for discussion of how the current popular culture climate can be leveraged to reach the multiple generations of the workforce and suggest future areas of study.