Informal Learning as Group Meaning-Making

Abstract

Very few researchers have considered peer-initiated online communities as sites where informal learning takes place. The goal in this chapter is to expand and enrich the conceptualization of informal learning by positioning it as a group meaning-making process rather than an individual cognitive product. The authors begin the chapter by providing an overview of the opportunities adults have to engage in informal learning through asynchronous conversations in online communities. Then, they summarize current conceptualizations of informal learning and the approaches researchers have used to examine it, noting both their potential and limitations. The authors synthesize the research they have conducted on online learning conversations over the last eight years and present their model of informal learning as a group meaning-making process.