Informal Educational Practices Research Articles

Leveraging Communities of Practice to Cultivate Entrepreneurial Mindset: A Systematic Review and Practical Insights

Abstract This paper explores the role of Communities of Practice (CoPs) as a potential teaching tool to better promote an entrepreneurial mindset, particularly in the context of higher education. Through a systematic review of existing learning theories and the concept of CoPs, this paper identifies the challenges of entrepreneurial education and proposes changes in higher education that focus on creating entrepreneurial awareness, enhancing entrepreneurial competencies and developing students' entrepreneurial identity to foster an entrepreneurial mindset by supporting formal higher education with informal educational practices such as CoPs. The originality of this paper lies in the presentation of the alternative concept of Accountable Entrepreneurial Education. By combining theoretical insights with practical examples, this paper serves as a valuable resource for educators, researchers and practitioners in the field of entrepreneurship education.

Cultural Heritage and Educational Practices: A Conceptual Study of Cantonese Folk Song Education in Guangdong Province

This paper explores the intersection of cultural heritage and educational practices in the teaching of Cantonese folk songs in Guangdong Province. It examines the cultural significance of Cantonese folk songs as vital components of Guangdong's intangible cultural heritage and evaluates both formal and informal educational practices that support the transmission of these traditions. The study identifies key challenges, including limited resources, declining youth engagement, and the integration of folk songs into standardized curricula. Additionally, the paper discusses innovative pedagogical methods, such as the use of digital platforms and multimedia tools, that can enhance the preservation and revitalization of folk music. It concludes by suggesting future research directions, including comparative studies of folk song education across regions, the role of technology in cultural transmission, and strategies for increasing youth engagement with traditional music. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on cultural sustainability and the role of education in preserving intangible cultural heritage.

Cultural Heritage and Educational Practices: A Conceptual Study of Cantonese Folk Song Education in Guangdong Province

This paper explores the intersection of cultural heritage and educational practices in the teaching of Cantonese folk songs in Guangdong Province. It examines the cultural significance of Cantonese folk songs as vital components of Guangdong's intangible cultural heritage and evaluates both formal and informal educational practices that support the transmission of these traditions. The study identifies key challenges, including limited resources, declining youth engagement, and the integration of folk songs into standardized curricula. Additionally, the paper discusses innovative pedagogical methods, such as the use of digital platforms and multimedia tools, that can enhance the preservation and revitalization of folk music. It concludes by suggesting future research directions, including comparative studies of folk song education across regions, the role of technology in cultural transmission, and strategies for increasing youth engagement with traditional music. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on cultural sustainability and the role of education in preserving intangible cultural heritage.

Young people's right to flourish: A 21st century social justice issue for youth and community work

AbstractThis article argues for youth and community work (YCW) to be recognised for its critical role in working alongside young people to enhance their well‐being. We supply amalgamated vignettes as evidence from student's placement practice and explore the value of informal education practices in YCW in more formal settings. We assert that it is important to offer recognition of the distinctive methodologies YCW practitioners employ to enable meaningful engagement with young people. We argue young people's well‐being is a 21st century social justice issue of primary concern to YCWs. Cuts to youth services have led to a crisis in the YCW workforce, which urgently needs to be addressed. Therefore, as a reminder of the ongoing need for young people to be at the heart of integrated and holistic policies, the anonymised vignettes supply reflections on student professional practice placement that take account of their experiences of working collaboratively with schools. Policy makers should seek ways of drawing on YCW student's perspectives and in working to develop parity of esteem with other social professions, create environments in which young people can flourish. This article therefore joins the recent calls from the YCW sector for the need to fund and re‐grow YCW.

Формування відповідальної поведінки молоді в процесі соціалізації.

The paper analyzes the problem of the influence of surrounding environment on the formation of responsible behavior of young people. The modern challenges of the digital society and the problems of the “aging” of human resources increase scientific attention to the question of the readiness of young people to take responsibility for the future social development. Therefore, it is important to determine the external conditions which form responsible behavior of young people. General scientific methods of research were used to fulfill the task: systematic approach, statistical and graphic methods, method of analysis and synthesis, method of empirical research. A meaningful connection between the categories “responsibility”, “responsible behavior”, “readiness for responsible behavior” was established; on this basis, the importance of early formation of responsible behavior of young people at the stage of socialization was substantiated. The key spheres of youth socialization were found out: those are family, education, public activities. The author established that under the influence of these institutions, the integrated accumulation of a knowledge base, practical experience of responsible actions is carried out by young people, which develops the ability for critical thinking and collectively forms in young people the readiness for responsible behavior as a norm and an integrated value. Proactive methods of informal education and social practices promising for the formation of responsible behavior of young people were identified, the author’s model of the Summer School was presented as an example, which integrates the acquisition of basic management skills with the practical development of social projects, which contributes to the acquisition of experience. As a result, the agents of socialization were suggested to direct the key influences on young people in the following directions: educational environment — introduction of proactive methods of informal education, social practices; family environment — development of family education strategy; public environment — implementation of motivational mechanisms to involve young people in the participation in non-governmental organizations, wide use of educational collective methods.

‘It’s a great place to find where you belong’: creating, curating and valuing place and space in open youth work

ABSTRACT Open youth work is a practice of informal education that operates in a variety of spaces, from youth clubs and community centres to street corners. This article highlights the distinctive spatiality of these settings, their valuable contribution to young people’s lives, and how they are actively created and curated by those involved. Rooted in the perspectives of young people and youth workers who took part in a three-year qualitative study in eight youth work settings in England, it proposes that open youth work can provide a relational, educational, and potentially liberatory ‘third place’ beyond home, school and work. The research found that youth work provides young people with spatially and temporally fluid places for belonging, association, and understanding and acting on the unequal contexts in which they live. We argue for more critical reflection on the distinctively spatial aspects of youth work, including more engagement between youth work and the geographies of childhood and youth. As well as having implications for youth work practice and training, this engagement could support the (re-)imagining of a wide range of ‘third places’ of refuge and critical democracy for children and young people, in a context of oppression and inequalities.

The Effectiveness of Teacher Support for Students' Learning of Artificial Intelligence Popular Science Activities.

The burgeoning of new technologies is increasingly affecting people’s lives. One new technology that is heatedly discussed is artificial intelligence (AI) in education. To allow students to understand the impact of emerging technologies on people’s future lives from a young age, some popular science activities are being progressively introduced into elementary school curricula. Popular science activities are informal education programs and practices of universal education. However, two issues need to be discussed in the implementation of these activities. First, because these informal curricula are usually short in duration, the question of whether they only serve to generate motivation or actually enhance learning outcomes requires examination. Second, the role of teacher support in popular science activities and its impact on students’ learning results need to be further investigated. To this end, this study aims to explore the effectiveness of popular AI science activities in informal curricula on students’ AI achievement and the interrelationship between students’ learning outcomes in popular AI science activities with and without teacher support. A 6-h-long AI popular science activity was conducted with 22 fifth- and sixth-grade students in elementary school. This study was conducted using a one-group pretest and posttest design, and the data collection tools included AI achievement pre- and posttests and an artifact scoring rubric. The results showed that with regard to learning outcomes, popular science activities were helpful for cognitive enhancement of AI concepts, but more time was needed for skills to improve. Additionally, this study found that students’ learning performance was different with and without teacher support. Activities with teacher support can enhance students’ learning outcomes, but students become accustomed to relying on their teachers. In contrast, activities without teacher support seem to be more effective in fostering students’ independent computational thinking and problem-solving abilities.

A guided tour in the Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory of the University of Coimbra: setting-specific practices in an informal educational environment

ABSTRACT This paper examines the praxeology of informal educational practices (i.e. how participants produce setting-specific practices to make a tour happen) in the Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory of the University of Coimbra through close analysis of a video-recorded excerpt of a guided tour. Guided visits in informal science settings are important educational events that take place every day in many institutions. Even so, research addressing these activities in detail remains scarce. It is assumed that tours are “structured” interactions, having a stable format in which participants follow predetermined actions. Nonetheless, the results of this study show that the guided tour observed here is highly interactive, with educational practices being co-accomplished by participants (guides and students) with different levels of astronomical expertise. The present study aims to contribute to our understanding of guided tours, and in so doing shows the importance of methods for data analysis sensitive to naturally occurring events.

Measuring the impact and reach of informal educational videos on YouTube: The case of Scientific Animations Without Borders

Given the popularity, reach, and variable accessibility of online platforms as channels for informal education by higher-education institutions (HEIs), it becomes practically and theoretically important to better understand the factors that affect the impact and reach of any such Internet-delivered ICT informal learning. Accordingly, this study analysed viewer data from one informal, science animation educational channel on currently the most-watched online platform, YouTube, to measure characteristics affecting the videos’ impact and reach. Results from the study identified the most watched videos on the channel—including survival gardening using drip irrigation, charcoal water filtration, and tuberculosis prevention—and characteristic demand, time, location, and volume of video access. While the basic findings reaffirm prior research measuring statistically significant correlations between user-activity and YouTube engagement metrics (including watch-time, view counts, likes, and subscribers), they also demonstrate the and ability to make such content broadly applicable across demographics and globally. Offering some measure of insights for boosting HEI participation in informal educational science animation and ICT learning practices using platforms like YouTube—especially around the topics of water, agriculture, food security, and improved health outcomes—the findings also point to where improved methods for reaching the intended recipients of informal education online are needed to best leverage the potential of such platforms.

Measuring the Impact and Reach of Informal Educational Videos on YouTube: The Case of Scientific Animations Without Borders

Given the popularity, reach, and variable accessibility of online platforms as channels for informal education by higher-education institutions (HEIs), it becomes practically and theoretically important to better understand the factors that affect the impact and reach of any such Internet-delivered ICT informal learning. Accordingly, this study analysed viewer data from one informal, science animation educational channel on the currently the most-watched online platform, YouTube, to measure characteristics affecting the videos’ impact and reach. Results from the study identified the most watched videos on the channel—including survival gardening using drip irrigation, charcoal water filtration, and tuberculosis prevention—and characteristic demand, time, location, and volume of video access. While the basic findings reaffirm prior research measuring statistically significant correlations between user-activity and YouTube engagement metrics (including watch time, view counts, likes, and subscribes), they also disclose critical inferential gaps around such data (especially for demographics). Offering some measure of insights for boosting HEI participation in informal educational science animation and ICT learning practices using platforms like YouTube—especially around the topics of water, agriculture, food security, and improved health outcomes—the findings also point to where improved methods for reaching the intended recipients of informal education online are needed to best leverage the potential of such platforms.

Informal science educators and children in a low-income community describe how children relate to out-of-school science education

ABSTRACT Children in low-income neighbourhoods experience an intersection of socio-structural factors that delimit their engagement with out-of-school (informal) science education. Using Bourdieu’s framework of habitus, this paper explores how informal science educators and children in a given low-income community in western Canada described the attitudes, dispositions, and experiences that influence the informal science education practices of children in the community. Participants in the study included 32 children (aged 9–14) attending 4 different subsidised community clubs (each of which incorporated some science programming), 5 science centre staffers, and 11 community club program leaders. This multi-method study uses habitus as a thinking tool that bridges theoretical and methodological domains. The study employed various data sources in order to develop rich descriptions of participant perspectives; these sources included individual dialogues, focus groups, a statement sorting exercise, and participant responses to pilot data. The paper outlines the synergies and contrasts in the perspectives of children and informal science educators regarding the place of informal science education in the lives of local children. Despite certain consistencies between educator and child accounts, educators underestimated the level of interest children had in out-of-school science education and the range of self-/home-directed science activities in which children were participating. The paper ends by examining the implications of adults’ attempts to hide the word science from children during informal science activities and makes suggestions regarding the provision of informal science education in other low-income contexts.

Practices of Informal Education as a Resource for Self-Realization of Self-Referential Identities in a Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Period

The article presents the authors' view of informal education, which, being free from mandatory regulations and standardizations, implemented on the principles of voluntariness and initiative, in this context, is the place most likely to respond to societal demands in a pandemic. On the basis of the scientific literature analysis the essential features of informal education (attribution to human life, natural and necessary character, self-organization, continuity) have been revealed. It is noted that in the practice of informal education, discursive self-referential identity acts as a system that distinguishes and describes itself in practice, and in this self-description reveals their meaning. The informal education is seen as a form of social practice that plays a key role in self-development of the individual, in preserving individuality and internal independence from one's culture; as an element of a coherent continuous education system with an intrinsically complex structure. The conclusion is made about the resourcefulness of information education as a practice that triggers educational motivation, the growth of human potential. In the context of a pandemic and post-pandemic, informal education practices act as a means of mobile satisfaction of educational needs, allowing for the modernization of the education system to self-referential identity.

Informal Education as a Derridean Gift: a Deconstructive Reading of the Principles Guiding Youth Work Practice Within Neoliberal Policy Regimes

This paper reflects upon the underpinning principles of informal education and youth work practice via the philosophical lens of post-structural philosopher Jacques Derrida, by introducing notions of the trace, différance, justice and the gift. Once these philosophical themes are introduced, they are then applied to the underpinning principles of informal education and youth work practice, as introduced by Jeffs and Smith (1999, 2005), paying particular attention to notions of voluntary participation, democracy, fairness, conversation and well-being. The paper asserts that such philosophical consideration of theory, and practice, can provide further insight into important dimensions of youth work, such as how it has been historically difficult to evaluate such practice in a policy domain, as well as pondering the tensions between its principles and pressures to ‘professionalise’ its service. The paper concludes by asserting the importance of informal education and youth work as a form of an improvised ‘gift’, one that is difficult to be subsumed within an overly administrative rational ‘economy’ so as to inform discussion and debate in theoretical, practice and policy domains. The paper argues that the use of a Derridean lens opens up such discussions via new considerations so as to assert the importance of youth work endeavours that challenge economic rationality.

Informal Sex Education by Youth Practitioners

Youth practitioners are commonly acknowledged to play an important role in supporting the sexual health of young people. However, there is relatively little literature that documents, conceptualizes and theorizes the unique nature and potential of informal sex education provided by youth practitioners such as social workers and youth workers. Using the theoretical framework of critical pedagogy, this article seeks to conceptualize informal sex education practices by youth practitioners, from the practitioner’s point of view. Eight semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with youth practitioners, working in a variety of programmes and provisions for young people across Israel. The data were thematically analysed. The analysis identified three key concepts, drawn from critical pedagogy, which underscore the unique potential of informal sex education by youth practitioners: dialogue, the language of possibility and language of critique.

Seeing by proxy: a detailed analysis of an educational interaction at the telescope

Abstract Astronomy education research is a growing field but the attention given to informal educational activities, such as telescope observations, museum visits or planetarium sessions, is still relatively scarce. In consequence, the area is poorly studied and understood. Addressing this gap, this present paper examines informal educational practices in an astronomical observatory through detailed analysis of a complete turn at the telescope by a small child, who is observing the Sun with the assistance of a guide. Using Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis this study investigates how this activity was produced in terms of structure and methods, the skills the participants have, and how the interaction between the visitor and the guide occurs. The study of these naturally occurring activities is done in-depth by the repeated inspection of video data, in order to identify the characteristics of the interaction, the organization of the talk and its implications as an educational event. The interactional nature of linguistic exchanges is highlighted; and the study of these activities reveals the practical methods used by guides and public. The present study contributes to our understanding of telescope observations as informal education activities; and shows the importance of research methods that are sensitive to naturally occurring events.

THE POTENTIAL OF EDUCATION IN ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT OF THE TALENTS IN MODERN SOCIAL CHANGES

Problem setting. The problem is that in order to implement the talent management paradigm, it is necessary to find mechanisms to enable organizations to do this most effectively. Education is one such mechanism. However, there is a contradiction between the need for innovative education for organizations and its certain conservativeness and lack of practice orientation.Recent research and publications analysis. Talent management issues have been considered since 1997 in the works of Michhaels, E., Handfield-Jones, H., Axelrod, B., F. Gino, E. Graham, J. Immelt, A. Robertson, S. Hankin, E. Chambers, S. Morris, E. Farndale, G. Stral and others. Thus, some methodological framework for talent management research has been established, but the question of the role of education in these processes remains virtually unaddressed.Paper objective. The objective of the article is to identify educational opportunities in the talent management process as a management strategy.Paper main body. Our analysis allowed us to distinguish four groups of definitions of the phenomenon of talent management: organizational; characterological; procedural and integrated. It is suggested to understand the management of talents as a set of organizational tools and processes that allow to find, develop and retain staff whose qualities ensure to organization to achieve the results, which are fundamentally important to it. The basic components of an organization’s talent profile are illustrated. It is shown that education can be considered as a mechanism for activating corporate talents.The role of education in talent management has several vectors. The first is the training of talents in universities. This aspect shows the range of contradictions in the role of universities in the preparation of talents. It has been demonstrated that the leading companies, despite the weakness of formal university education, do not abandon it as a source of talent recruitment. At the same time, it is shown that is not enough to fully implement a talent management strategy in organizations. That is why “internal” educational technologies are being updated, which are aimed at: development of talents within the company, program support of talented employees and introduction of educational management. This situation stimulates the activation of non-formal and informal educational technologies and practices. Some technological solutions of integration of educational mechanisms in talent management are also revealed.Conclusions of the research.Thus, summarizing, we should note thattalent management is one of the current trends of modern management. Education today can be seen as a source of various technologies that will promote the use of talent in the organization. Important is the use of “internal” and “external” educational technologies, formal, non-formal and informal education, their incorporation into the overall strategy of the organization.

DOCUMENTING, RESEARCHING AND PROMOTING URBAN HISTORY IN UKRAINE: EXPERIENCES OF THE CENTER FOR URBAN HISTORY IN LVIV

The article presents establishing and developing the Center for Urban History in Lviv as a part of the larger trend to promote and institutionalize urban history and urban studies in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Discussing founding ideas and program, as well as their further implementation gives an insight into academic as well as public landscapes of urban research, both locally and internationally. The Center was founded in 2004 as a private foundation in Vienna and two years later, in 2006, the office was established in Lviv to launch its program activities. Major objectives of the Center are to promote research on the history of cities and towns in Eastern and Central Europe; to advance urban history as an interdisciplinary field and a platform for international cooperation; to enhance critical understanding of urban history and heritage in cooperation with local and international institutions; to engage into contemporary cultural life in the city and thus contribute to public and open engagement with the past. Three major focuses of work of the Center were gradually shaped and now they include research, digital archiving, digital and public history.
 While initially many projects focused on Lviv, expanding geographical scope was part of the development of the institution.Therefore, presently, the interests include various urban experiences, such as of historical cities, Soviet cities, industrial and mono-industrial, multiethnic cities, as well as the cities surviving conflicts and violent transformations. Over the 10 years of its activities, the Center has become both the institution to conduct research and an instrumental actor to transform symbolic spaces of Lviv, the place for discussions and presentation of results of other studies and initiatives, a platform for informal educational practices and a laboratory to develop new ways of contextualizing, representing and using different archival media and documents. Different formats such as schools, conferences, workshops, seminars, lectures, presentations and round tables, exhibitions, interactive maps, digitalization and promotion of collections of photo and video materials, and educational programs for children and adults constitute our program activities and help engaging broader academic and non-academic audiences into a dialogue to promote participatory historical culture in Ukraine.

Promoting children’s learning and transfer across informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning experiences

This study investigated ways to support young children’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning and transfer of knowledge across informal learning experiences in a museum. Participants were 64 4- to 8-year-old children (Mage = 6.55 years, SD = 1.44) and their parents. Families were observed working together to solve one engineering problem, and then immediately afterward children worked on their own to solve a second engineering problem. At the outset of the problem-solving activities, families were randomly assigned to receive engineering instructions, transfer instructions, both engineering and transfer instructions, or no instructions. Families who received engineering instructions—either alone or in combination with the transfer instructions—demonstrated greater understanding and use of the engineering principle of bracing compared with those who received only transfer instructions. Moreover, older children who received both engineering and transfer instructions were more successful when working on their own to solve a perceptually different engineering problem compared with older children who received only one set of instructions or no instructions. Implications of the work for developmental and learning science research and informal education practice are discussed.

Youth work, performativity and the new youth impact agenda: getting paid for numbers?

A growing policy emphasis on measurement and outcomes has led to cultures of performativity, which are transforming what educators do and how they feel about themselves in relation to their work. While most analysis of performativity in education has focused on schools, this article investigates parallel developments in youth work. Youth work is a practice of informal education, in which young people learn and develop through activities, conversation and association. Its evaluation and monitoring have changed over the past two decades, as funding has become tied to targets and measureable outcomes. This article focuses on the English context, where government and third sector organisations are promoting a ‘youth impact agenda’, encouraging organisations to predefine and measure their outcomes. Drawing on data from interviews and focus groups with youth workers, the article argues that the current emphasis on impact risks further marginalising youth work at a time when this practice is already suffering from extensive spending cuts. The article concludes that we need to re-think the purposes and processes of evaluation and accountability - in youth work and beyond – in ways that genuinely value the perspectives of young people and grassroots practitioners.

Message from Editor

Dear Readers,It is the great honor for us to publish eighth volume, fourth issue of International Journal of Learning and Teaching .International Journal of Learning and Teaching (IJLT) is an international and multi-disciplinary which aims to provide a platform for the publication of the most advanced scientific research in the areas of learning, development, instruction and teaching. The journal welcomes original empirical investigations. The papers may represent a variety of theoretical perspectives and different methodological approaches. They may refer to any age level, from infants to adults and to a diversity of learning and instructional settings, from laboratory experiments to field studies. The major criteria in the review and the selection process concern the significance of the contribution to the area of learning and teaching. IJLT covers all aspects of education; trends in education, the emerging and educational settings, instructional design, learning-teaching methods and applications, instructional multimedia, new education environments, theoretical principles, assessment and evaluation and related fields.Creative collaborative learning, instructional approaches, academic achievement, teaching mathematics and formal and informal educational practices in Romania topics have been included into this issue. The topics of the next issue will be different. You can make sure that we will be trying to serve you with our journal with a rich knowledge in which different kinds of topics are discussed in 2016 Volume.A total number of twelve (12) manuscripts were submitted for this issue and each paper has been subjected to double-blind peer review process by the reviewers specialized in the related field. At the end of the review process, a total number of five (5) high quality research papers were selected and accepted for publication.We present many thanks to all the contributors who helped us to publish this issue. Best regards,Prof. Dr. Hafize KeserEditor – in Chief