Informal Learning Opportunities Research Articles

Building capacity for inclusive informal STEM learning opportunities for autistic learners

BackgroundResearch is needed to better understand the specific challenges for autistic learners in informal STEM learning settings. This study aimed to increase inclusion in STEM museums, with a larger goal of increasing the impact (i.e., learning and application of knowledge during and after visits) of informal STEM learning settings for autistic youth. We conducted an online parent attitudes survey with 93 parents of autistic adolescents and 53 parents of adolescents in the general population to better understand the experiences of autistic adolescents when visiting STEM-related museums. Parent responses informed professional development training for museum staff at four partner museums, which taught strategies to better support autistic learners. Then, autistic adolescents (n = 20) and their parents were randomly assigned to visit one partner and one control museum. They were asked to report their experiences through an online survey and semi-structured interviews.ResultsParticipants who completed the parent attitudes survey indicated significantly lower inclusion, engagement, and general impact of STEM museum visits among autistic adolescents compared to the general population comparison group. Parents of adolescents who visited partner and control museums reported higher STEM impact during visits to partner museums; however, parent-reported inclusion, engagement, and general impact did not differ significantly between partner and control museums. Qualitative analysis identified four themes (Spectrum of Museum Impact; Adolescent-Environment Fit; Barriers to Engagement, and Barrier Breakers), providing context for quantitative findings.ConclusionsFindings underscore the need for increased inclusion for autistic individuals in informal STEM learning environments like museums. This project demonstrated feasibility of professional development training of forward-facing staff and identified several themes that should inform future efforts to improve inclusion in informal STEM learning settings.

Adult Migrants’ Formal and Informal Language Learning Opportunities: Availability, Choice, and Social Integration

This study explores adult migrants’ formal and informal opportunities for learning their host country’s dominant language: specifically, the availability, accessibility, and effects of these opportunities on the migrants’ social integration. It prioritizes the migrants’ experience by reporting findings obtained from analyses of questionnaire data collected from 76 migrants in Canada, the United States, and Italy and from interview data collected from a subset of 18 of these migrants. The findings are supplemented by analyses of questionnaire data collected from 12 service providers at the same research sites. The findings show that across the three sites, adult migrants value both formal and informal learning opportunities; that in both learning contexts they prioritize the development of communicative competence, particularly speaking and listening skills; and that outside the classroom they prefer to interact with locals who do not share their home language, and find these interactions very useful in their social integration efforts. However, the findings also reveal that the migrants are not always able to choose freely to engage in the kinds of language learning opportunities that would help them meet their language learning or social integration goals because these opportunities may be unavailable, inaccessible, or insufficiently designed to meet their needs.

The transition of patient care: Exploring the outcomes of prehospital to hospital patient handover practices and healthcare provider education

IntroductionInadequate patient handover is linked to numerous medical errors and lapses in communication between hospital healthcare providers and prehospital healthcare providers. Undergraduate healthcare curricula may limit programme-specific education on patient handover and shift learning to informal learning opportunities. This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of qualified healthcare provider (HCPs) educational programmes to determine the adequacy of handover practices, the source of their training, and their interprofessional acceptance of these practices. MethodsA multi-method study design was used – a document analysis of HCP programme outcomes and a two-section questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent to HCPs to determine the impact of patient handover practices on current healthcare systems and their opinion on whether the training on handovers is sufficient. ResultsHCPs indicated little educational interaction regarding patient handover. Most participants felt handover education relied predominantly on informal training. With their existing knowledge, many HCPs revealed that they were comfortable in handing over a patient. Little interprofessional confidence regarding patient handover information indicates minimal interprofessional collaboration toward standardised approaches for patient handover. ConclusionThis study indicates a lack of standardised handover procedures, which leads to HCP self-interpretations. There is low trust between HCPs regarding information received. The study highlights the need for standardised handover training in healthcare curricula to improve patient safety and interprofessional collaboration.

Evidence-based meets community-centred: A new approach to creating informal learning opportunities for children.

Informal learning spaces present ripe opportunities to supplement formal learning experiences. In this paper, we offer a new approach to creating enriching learning activities for public spaces that reflects evidence-based practices rooted in developmental psychology and uses community-centring practices from participatory research approaches. We first argue that extant theory and research supports the use of guided play pedagogy to foster learning. Second, we argue that effective translation of research to practice should incorporate community voices at every stage of the design, implementation and evaluation process. We describe a new initiative called Playful Learning Landscapes that reflects tenets of core developmental theory including constructivism and social learning theories as well as guided play pedagogy. Playful Learning Landscapes also extends the scope and scale of these evidence-backed theories by collaborating with communities to design activities for local community spaces. Taken together, we offer a way of upholding core developmental theory with equitable, culturally inclusive research and intervention practices. Transforming community spaces into hubs for children's learning promises wide-reaching implications for equitable access, school readiness and early childhood education.

The impact of Teachers Professional Development on Learners Academic Performance in Selected Primary Schools in Kumi District

The study was aimed at on examining the effects of teacher professional development on learners’ academic performance in Kumi district. Teacher professional development is one of the concerns among different stakeholders who have interest in education in most of the developed and developing nations. With a lot of pressure among the educators to improve the academic performance among the learners, teachers’ continuous professional development has become a necessity for the schools that are committed to improving the academic performance of their learners. Teachers' professional development refers to a continuous process of acquiring new knowledge, skills, and competencies to improve their teaching practices and enhance student learning outcomes. This development can take various forms and often involves both formal and informal learning opportunities. The study was guided by three objective (i) To examine the relationship between workshops and learners’ academic achievements ii to establish the relationship between teacher leadership and learners’ academic achievements iii To assess the relationship between motivation and learners academic achievements. The key aspects of professional development include online courses motivation, teacher leadership, workshops and seminars, mentoring, collaborative learning, in-service training, graduate education, peer observation and conferences. The purpose of this research paper was to find out how teachers professional development affects the academic performance of learners in primary schools in Kumi. This research was conducted in selected primary schools in Kumi district.

Development of equity, diversity, and inclusion competencies in residents and faculty in oncology through formal and informal learning.

9053 Background: In recent years, a growing body of literature has suggested that patients need their clinicians to provide culturally competent care. A focus on integrated and longitudinal training within the domains of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is needed to equip physicians to meet patients’ needs. Oncology is one such specialty that needs strong skillsets in EDI given its vulnerable and complex patient populations. This study explores how physicians within oncology learn about the domains of EDI through formal and informal learning. Methods: Using constructivist grounded theory (CGT), this study explores EDI competency formation at one academic center – the Juravinski Cancer Center in Hamilton ON, Canada. A purposive sample of 16 staff and resident physicians was taken to incorporate variation sampling - including a variety of ages, genders, and work/training experience. Participants were from both medical and radiation oncology. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted. Transcripts were generated, anonymized, and analyzed iteratively. Data analysis followed stages of open, axial, and selective coding through which themes were constructed. Interviews were continued until data saturation was reached. Results: Of the 16 participants, there was an even distribution between men (8) and women (8). Mean age was 43 (range 30-65). There were 5 residents and 11 faculty members. 9 were from medical oncology and 7 from radiation oncology. The major themes generated from the study were: the relationship between EDI competencies and professional identify formation, the role of culture and context in influencing exposure and learning about EDI, and the relationship between formal and informal learning opportunities. Conclusions: This study is the first to explore of how oncologists presently develop EDI competencies through formal and informal learning. The study has discovered the role of professional identify formation as a factor influencing learning, the impact of the culture and context of medicine, and the significant interplay between formal and informal learning in developing EDI skillsets. While much learning takes place informally, informed by clinical encounters and personal experiences, there is a need to marry the informal learning opportunities to more structured formal teaching in the training and clinical environment. [Table: see text]

Teen participants’ experiences with a teen STEM café program

ABSTRACT It is important that teens are exposed to STEM education both through formal and informal learning opportunities. STEM cafés are an instance of the latter. Within an informal setting, teen science cafés can significantly enhance teens’ view of the importance of science in their lives, positively influencing teens’ understanding of science in the news and increasing their ability and confidence to use facts to support scientific points of view. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the perceived impacts of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) café events on teen participants (n = 68) because cafés are underutilized resources by teens despite having great potential to boost their STEM experiences. Since there is a limited body of literature on teen cafés, the findings of this study add to the small number of empirical studies that have examined the perceived impacts of teen science café programs on participants.

Cultivating leaders for primary health care: A revised approach for transformative development.

Family physicians require leadership skills to strengthen team-based primary care services. Interviews with South African district managers confirmed the need to develop leadership skills in family physicians. The updated national programmatic learning outcomes for South African family physician training were published in 2021. They sparked the need for curriculum renewal at the University of Cape Town's Division of Family Medicine. A review of the leadership and governance module during registrar training showed that the sessions were perceived to be content heavy with insufficient opportunities for reflection. Following a series of stakeholder engagements, the module convenors co-designed a revised module that was blueprinted on the updated learning outcomes. The module incorporates a group coaching style, facilitating learning through reflection on one's experiences. The revised module was implemented in 2022. It aims to provide a transformative learning experience centred on students' perceptions of themselves as leaders, as well as professional identity formation and resilience building. This short report describes preliminary insights from the revised module's developmental phase and forms part of an ongoing iterative evaluation process.Contribution:Family physicians should lead across all their defined roles. Formal and informal learning opportunities are needed to facilitate their growth as leaders and help them to meet the health needs of communities served by an evolving health care system. This short report describes an example of a revised postgraduate module on leadership and governance, which may be of value to clinician educators and academic departments exploring innovative methods for the African region.

Challenges in engaging patients in feedback conversations for health care professionals' workplace learning.

Patient feedback is relevant information for improvement of health care professionals' performance. Engaging patients in feedback conversations can help to harness patient feedback as a powerful tool for learning. However, health care settings may prevent patients and health care professionals to effectively engage in a feedback dialogue. To advance our understanding of how feedback conversations may support learning in and from practice, we sought to explore patients' and health care providers' perspectives on engaging patients in feedback conversations as informal learning opportunities. For this qualitative study, we used a pragmatic approach and conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 health care providers and 10 patient consultants. We applied an inductive approach to thematic analysis to understand interviewees' perceptions regarding patient feedback for workplace learning. Participants attributed importance to patient feedback and described how the feedback may improve treatment relationships, professionals' performance and care processes on the team level and the organisational level. Participants experienced conflicting roles as patient and educator or expert and learner, respectively. Changing relationships, feelings of vulnerability and perceived power dynamics in treatment relationships would affect participants' engagement in feedback conversations. Patients and professionals alike saw a role for themselves in giving or inviting feedback but often missed the tools for engaging in feedback conversations. Patient feedback can contribute to professionals' practice-based learning but requires navigating tensions around conflicting roles and power dynamics in the treatment relationship. Both patients and health care professionals need to embrace vulnerability and may need facilitation and guidance to use patient feedback effectively. Attention to power dynamics, if not a shift towards collaborative relationships, is however crucial to engage patients in feedback conversations, thereby capitalising the power patients posses.

Exploring formal and informal learning opportunities during morning report: a qualitative study

BackgroundMorning reports are an essential component of physicians’ daily work. Attending morning reports is prioritized by junior doctors as it provides them with an opportunity to learn diagnostic reasoning through discussion of cases. While teaching formats during morning reports have previously been reported, an in-depth analysis of what learning opportunities exist, e.g., how teaching is enacted during morning reports, is lacking. This qualitative study explores learning opportunities during morning reports.MethodsWe used an explorative design based on video-recordings of 23 morning reports from two surgical departments, an internal medicine department and an emergency department. We used thematic analysis combined with and inspired by Eraut’s theoretical framework of workplace learning.ResultsBoth formal and informal learning opportunities were identified. Formal learning opportunities had the character of planned teaching activities, and we identified four themes: (1) modes of teaching, (2) structure, (3) presenter role, and (4) participant involvement. Informal learning, on the other hand, was often implicit and reactive, while deliberate learning opportunities were rare. The data showed many missed opportunities for learning.ConclusionBoth formal and informal learning opportunities are present during morning reports. However, a prevalent focus on medical topics exists, leaving other important aspects of the medical role under-discussed. Pedagogical methods could be employed more optimally, and harnessing the potential of missed opportunities should be encouraged.

Key Elements of the Inter-professional Education (IPE): Perceptions amongst Pre-Registration Students in the Different Health Professions in Sri Lanka

Aims: Inter-professional education (IPE) is important in developing good working relationships between different health professionals. The key elements of IPE have entitled as clinical situations, skills expected in IPE and teaching / learning methods. Health professional students in Sri Lanka experience informal inter-professional learning opportunities during clinical years. The aim of this research was to explore student perceptions on these key elements of IPE.
 Study Design: A cross sectional study.
 Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted with the students who have had prior clinical training for a period of 1 year, from 8 health professional groups (Medical, Physiotherapy, Nursing Diploma, Nursing Degree, Medical Laboratory Science, Pharmacy, Audiology, Speech & Language Therapy) at different health educational institutions.
 Methodology: A total of 686 students were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire. The data was entered and analyzed using SPSS. The part of the data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The response rate for the survey was 84.8%.
 Results: The findings suggest that the key elements of IPE are important to improve the aims of IPE. Most health care students agree that management of an acute situation, community based care and rehabilitative care are the most important clinical situations where students can learn to work as a team, one of the main aims of inter-professional learning. Respect for each other and communication skills were identified as the most imperative skills that can be improved through interprofessional learning. Most students strongly agree that demonstration and work based tasks in wards are key teaching methods for achieving the aims of IPE.
 Conclusion: This study suggests some focused approaches for IPE in Sri Lanka and students may need more clarity on the aim of IPE.

Employee Training Policies of High Revenue Companies: Analysis of Case Examples From Turkey

Purpose: The present study explores the primary characteristics of employee training practices by way of analysing the employee training policies of the top two companies with the highest sales revenue in Turkey. The primary characteristics of employee training practices are examined within the scope of the corporate employee training activities and the practices to cope with the challenges in the organization of employee training. Methods: Employing qualitative approach, document analysis was conducted within the context of two cases. The two companies with the highest sales revenue in Turkey were selected as cases in the study. The companies were determined through criterion sampling in line with the financial performance based on net sales revenue, stability of financial performance and potential for corporate training policy development criteria. The six years of sustainability and activity reports of the companies were analysed through thematic analysis. The documents were analysed through thematic analysis using open coding. Employee training policies and practices were presented under the sub-themes of personnel training types, subjects of personnel training, training infrastructure, factors considered in the design of training processes and supportive practices for training processes. Findings: Employee training of the companies mostly consists of formal and non-formal training activities designed according to the needs of employees. These training activities aim at both occupational and personal development of the employees. The training activities, which are mostly organized with the use of internal resources, also allow employees to make their own personal development plans. The dominant common aspects of the employee training policies of the companies show that the successful integration of employee training to the career management systems increases the efficiency of training activities. The study results also illustrate that the employee training policies can be strengthened through corporate capacity development activities. Conclusion: Institutionalization of training practices that contribute to workplace learning has an important role in the financial gains of highly competitive organizations. The success of corporate training practices for employees requires both an effective design in terms of content and process and a strong establishment of corporate training infrastructure. The provision of formal and informal learning opportunities structured according to employee needs through a strong corporate training infrastructure and planning the career development of employees based on the outputs of training activities are the indicators of successful company performance.

Pengabdian Masyarakat Kegiatan Bersih-Bersih dan Penyuluhan Usaha Kampung di Cadasngampar oleh Mahasiswa IIUM Bersama IAI Tazkia

The community service of IIUM students in collaboration with IAI Tazkia encompasses two activities focusing on village cleanup and education in Kampung Cadasngampar. The first activity involves cleaning the village with the intention of preserving and tidying up the environment within a village or settlement. This activity goes beyond physical cleanliness, aiming to create environmental awareness and concern for the cleanliness of the surroundings. Additionally, students are also engaged in educational activities with school dropouts. The purpose of this initiative is to provide informal learning opportunities for children who have discontinued formal schooling or lack access to formal education. Through this interaction, they strive to provide education and basic skills to children, enabling them to develop their potential even without following the formal education path. This community service reflects the commitment of IIUM students and IAI Tazkia to make a positive impact on the local community, addressing both environmental cleanliness and informal education for those in need.

Investigating the impact of social media platforms use among children on formal and informal learning: From the uses and gratifications theory perspective

Social media has become one of the primary sources of communication, information, entertainment, and learning for users. Children gain several benefits as social media helps them acquire formal and informal learning opportunities. This research also examined the effect of social media on formal and informal learning among school-level children in Ajman, United Arab Emirates (UAE), moderated by social integrative and personal integrative needs. Data was gathered by using structured questionnaires, which were distributed among a sample of 364 children. Results revealed that social media significantly affects Informal and formal learning among children, indicating its usefulness in child education and development. The results also indicated a significant moderation of social integrative needs on social media’s direct effect on informal learning, indicating the relevant needs as an important motivating factor. However, the moderation of personal integrative needs on social media’s direct effect on formal learning remained insignificant. Overall, this research highlighted the role of social media in providing learning opportunities for children in the UAE. It is concluded that children actively seek gratifications from social media, shaping their learning within structured educational contexts in their daily lives. Through the lens of UGT, certain needs play a critical role in strengthening the gratification process, affecting how children derive learning advantages from their interactions on social media platforms. Finally, implications and limitations are discussed accordingly.

Informal Field-Based Learning in Librarianship: A Case Study Applying the CAM-OS Framework to Library Guide Construction

Activities such as library guide creation and maintenance can take a large amount of our time without supplying evidence that the time spent is effective or worthwhile. Usage statistics and feedback are one avenue for gauging the impact of a guide, but we overlook another benefit if we focus solely on the user. By applying Tannenbaum and Wolfson’s (2022) CAM-OS framework, we can bring greater intention to tasks that foster informal learning opportunities and harness them to advance librarians’ competencies. A case study of overhauling a library guide on copyright is used to demonstrate and apply the framework.

Implementation of Sharia Business Ethics in Indonesian Sharia Banking (Case Study of Bank BJBS KCP Cimahi)

This articel's goal is to examine and debate the ethical principles that Indonesian Islamic banking practices have adopted as norms, particularly in resolving practical operational issues based on exploratory investigations. Four consumers and three managers of Islamic banks served as the research samples in this study, which was done at Islamic Banking in Cimahi. The analysis's findings suggest three things, all of which are supported by the notion of business ethics: First, Islamic bankers have been successful in forging cordial bonds with stakeholders and customers. Second, they consistently act responsibly while handling difficult situations and uphold high personal moral standards, even in the face of regulatory changes made by the parent bank. These are informal learning opportunities for writers and readers to fulfill their obligations so that they may apply moral principles to organizations. In order to increase the professionalism and operational quality of sharia banking in Indonesia, the author expects that this article will serve as a theoretical and practical resource and guide for regulators and sharia banking practitioners. The results still need to be verified and further generalized because this study's sample size and population coverage are restricted.

How to transform urban institutional green spaces into Ancillary Botanic Gardens to expand informal botanical learning opportunities in cities

Since many cities lack botanical gardens, we introduced the concept of Ancillary Botanic Gardens (ABG), which builds on the premise that organizations can expand informal botanical learning by adding a secondary function to their institutional green spaces. This study guides the application of the ABG concept in various spatial and functional contexts by offering practical and interpretive tools to organizations who are less used to working with nature but are interested in mitigating urban residents’ detachment from nature. Online maps of 220 botanic gardens were reviewed to define types of plant collections and produce an exhaustive list of physical botanic garden elements. The collected information was developed into an ABG field checklist that was tested on three case studies in Lebanon and then used to develop guidelines for ABG establishment. The guidelines and checklist are meant to empower and guide organizations interested in establishing an ABG.

Effects of signalling mechanisms on cognitive engagement with educational videos in informal learning on social media

ABSTRACT The proliferation of videos with educational purposes on social media offers unprecedented opportunities for informal learning in virtual space. Yet, research on learner engagement with educational videos in informal learning on social media has been scarce, despite its central role in learning. This study addresses this research gap. Specifically, we investigate how signalling mechanisms (signals and anchors) affect cognitive engagement. We sample YouTube educational videos and analyse the effects of signals and anchors on cognitive engagement on Reddit. Our analyses show that different signals and anchors affect cognitive engagement differently. Textual signals positively associate with cognitive engagement, while visual signals do not. Mathematical models are negatively related to cognitive engagement, and physical models are not correlated with cognitive engagement significantly. Our findings provide valuable empirical knowledge on cognitive engagement with educational videos on social media. This study enriches the understanding of signalling mechanisms and extends the literature on educational videos and multimedia learning. It is also beneficial for video designers and developers to optimise cognitive engagement with the appropriate use of signals and anchors and make online experiences more engaging.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement From Parent-Child Interaction in Informal Learning Environments

Children’s engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is fundamental to developing scientific literacy. Informal learning environments, such as children’s museums, are a robust setting for fostering STEM engagement, particularly through parent-child interaction. Although the role of STEM learning has been frequently documented in informal learning environments, how children are engaged by STEM topics and STEM’s relation to children’s everyday lives has not been equally well studied. In this article, I suggest that there are ways that parent-child interaction during informal learning opportunities can relate to children’s engagement in STEM activities. A fundamental mechanism underlying this relation is how parents support children’s autonomy as they play together. Parent-child interaction relates to children’s STEM engagement not only in situ but also in how they generalize that behavior to their everyday activities, which opens up promising new lines of research.

STUDENTS' PERSPECTIVES ON THE LEARNING PROCESS OF ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES (ENGLISH AND JAPANESE) IN A BILINGUAL PUBLIC SCHOOL IN MANAUS

This study aimed to explore elementary school students' perspectives regarding their bilingual learning experiences in a public state school in Manaus, Brazil offering instruction in Portuguese and Japanese. An online questionnaire assessing perceptions of language learning was administered to 165 students in grades 8 and 9, ranging in age from 12 to 14 years old, without distinguishing gender. Data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed through the theoretical lens of several prominent frameworks in the field, including those proposed by Ferreira and Araújo (2021), Cook (2011), Dornyei (2005), Fan and Chen (2011), Gao (2019), Lazar (2007), Locke (1997), Norton and Toohey (2011), Krashen (2011), and Peng and Woodrow (2010). Findings suggest language teaching in this setting could benefit from promoting holistic exposure to the target language by integrating formal and informal learning opportunities that combine linguistic knowledge development with listening, reading comprehension, and cultural immersion. This study provides initial insights into learner perspectives to inform the design of empirically-supported bilingual education programs.