Community of Practice and Knowledge Construction Among Adult Learners in Rivers State

This study examined how communities of practice facilitated knowledge construction among adult learners in continuing education programmes in Rivers State, South South Nigeria. Wenger's community of practice framework offers a theoretically rich lens for understanding situated learning and knowledge co-construction in adult educational settings, yet its empirical application to Nigerian continuing education contexts is largely unexplored. The study adopted a qualitative multiple case study design involving three continuing education programme sites in Port Harcourt and two peri-urban local government areas. Data were gathered through participant observation, in-depth interviews with 18 adult learners and 6 facilitators, and documentary analysis of programme learning materials. Thematic and cross-case analyses were conducted using community of practice constructs including mutual engagement, joint enterprise, and shared repertoire. Findings demonstrated that robust communities of practice did organically emerge among adult learners, generating knowledge co-construction activities that significantly extended and deepened learning beyond formal classroom instruction. Learners who achieved greater community membership, characterised by active participation, shared language, and collective identity, demonstrated stronger learning gains and persistence. Programme design features that facilitated extended contact time among learner groups, joint project work, and shared community problem-solving were the strongest predictors of community of practice vitality. Recommendations include designing adult education programme structures that deliberately foster community of practice development, training facilitators in community of practice facilitation skills, and incorporating community-led inquiry projects as standard programme components. Keywords: community of practice, knowledge construction, adult learners, continuing education, Rivers State.