Informal Learning Outcomes Research Articles

The use and significance of social capital and informal learning in postsecondary STEM education

AbstractDespite intense interest in how social capital can facilitate informal learning, few attempts have been made to synthesize the interface between social capital and informal learning. Social capital is an important factor in the application of informal learning, especially in postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. This paper first presents a review of the literature that has explored the relationship between social capital and informal learning in STEM education. We then present two case studies illustrating how social capital plays a pivotal role in enhancing informal learning outcomes in postsecondary STEM education. These cases offer insights on how to promote optimal informal learning in STEM education. Implications for understanding the importance of social capital in informal learning are discussed.

Teaching Intentionality through Game Jams

Abstract This article addresses game jams and similar events as pedagogical opportunities where critical learning outcomes can be generated through making. The article starts with a definition of game jams, how they are structured, and the communities around them. Then, it highlights intentional art and design practices that can be implemented in game jams and similarly structured fast-paced making practices. That is followed by how educators can leverage game jams further to implement these informal learning outcomes in a structured manner, which is exemplified through a study conducted by the author. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion where the author highlights the outcomes for educators who can apply this approach in a variety of settings. This article is important for addressing the ways game jams can be leveraged in educational settings where the learning outcomes are not only focused on skill development such as coding and modeling but also critical thinking.

To learn or to have fun? How paratexts of entertainment education programs affect fans’ informal learning

This study investigatess the role of producer-end and fan-made paratexts in digital platforms in realizing the educational effects of television entertainment among fans. Focusing specifically on the case of Super Vocal, a highbrow music-themed television show with explicit educational purposes, the study examines the informal learning outcomes experienced by fans who engage with officially produced and fan-created texts associated with the show. Through an online survey administered to a sample of 754 Super Vocal fans, the study reveals that the direct association between fans’ acquisition of music-related knowledge and consumption is primarily observed for the source text itself. However, the educational effects of producer-end and fan-made paratexts manifest more prominently in their capacity to motivate fans to attend music performances. Furthermore, fans’ consumption of paratexts indirectly facilitates knowledge acquisition by stimulating active information-seeking behaviors. This study contributes to the understanding of entertainment education (EE) television programs by emphasizing the perspective of creative fan participation. Paratexts related to EE television shows collaborate with officially produced content to achieve educational objectives, with fans’ informal learning behaviors playing a significant role in this process.

Measuring informal workplace learning outcomes in residency training: a validation study

BackgroundInformal workplace learning (WPL) has no concrete learning objective and takes place without a responsible supervisor, which makes it difficult to assess its learning outcomes. Formal learning situations, as they are known from universities or schools, do not exist in this context and make a conventional assessment of learning goals and achievements impossible. Informal learning in the workplace is of central importance, and the assessment of informal learning outcomes in medical education is an under-researched area. The aim of our study was to adapt and validate an informal WPL questionnaire (originally developed for social workers) to assess learning outcomes due to informal WPL in residency training.MethodsA total of 528 residents (n = 339 female; age: M = 29.79; SD = 3.37 years) completed an adapted questionnaire on informal WPL outcomes and the Freiburg Questionnaire to Assess Competencies in Medicine (i.e. medical knowledge, communication, and scholarship). Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the underlying factor structure. The reliability of the factors was tested using McDonald’s omega, and the correlation between the factors and the three subscales of the Freiburg questionnaire was tested using Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient. To investigate construct validity, a structural equation model was calculated to examine the relationships between medical competencies and informal learning outcomes.ResultsThe exploratory factor analysis yielded a four-factor solution that best fit the data. The scores of all four factors (GLO-CD: generic learning outcomes—competence development, GLO-R: generic learning outcomes—reflection, JSLO: job-specific learning outcomes, and OLLO: organisational learning outcomes) showed good internal consistency (Ω ≥ .69). The structural equation model showed that "medical expertise" had an impact on all four factors of informal learning at work. “Scholarship” seemed to predict GLO-CD and GLO-R.ConclusionsOur four-factor model reveals meaningful determinants of informal WPL in relation to residency training. The instrument is therefore the first promising attempt to assess informal WPL in the broader context of medical education during residency, thus supporting its construct validity.

Informal learning and wellbeing outcomes of gameplay and their associations with gameplay motivation.

Educational functions of digital games are often seen only in the light of the serious and purposeful activities that aim for learning outcomes, in contrast with non-educational games that are designed for entertainment. The focus of this paper is in studying players' learning outcomes from playing non-educational games, and how these relate to wellbeing outcomes of playing, and gaming motivation. The data for this study was collected via a survey (N = 1,202) in the United Kingdom and the United States. The survey respondents answered the question regarding what players perceive they have learnt by playing digital games. A generic data-driven qualitative content analysis of the responses to this question yielded 11 categories representing different types of game-based learning outcomes. A consequent cluster analysis suggested three groups of informal game-based learning, which differed in their emphasis on (1) learning persistence, (2) learning practices and community, and (3) learning to perform. Our analyses indicated substantial connections between the learning outcomes and gameplay motives and gameplay activity preferences. Such connections point out how gameplay activity has an inherently close relationship with learning. Moreover, the results yielded significant association between learning outcomes, wellbeing measures, and eudaimonic motives to play digital games. These results indicate that playing games because gaming is aligned with players' core values and need for self-realization are clear precedents for both wellbeing and learning outcomes.

Virtual nature makes knowledge beautiful

This is a perspective that presents a viewpoint on immersive informal learning applications built as digital twins of the natural world. Such applications provide multimodal, interactive, immersive, embodied, and sensory experiences unique and different from typical game art environments because they are geospatial visualizations of data and information derived from ecological field plot studies, geographical information systems, drone images, and botanically correct 3D plant models visualized in real-time interactive game engines. Since they are constructed from geometric objects, they can programmatically self-express semantic data and connect to knowledge stores on the Internet to create a web of knowledge for both exploration of a virtual environment as a natural landscape and for exploration of connected knowledge stores for informal learning at the moment of curiosity. This design is exceptionally powerful for informal learning as it supports the innate human desire to understand the world. This paper summarizes the construction methods used for creating three digital twins of natural environments and the informal learning applications created and distributed, namely, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and virtual field trips. Informal learning outcomes and emotional reactions are evaluated using mixed-methods research studies to understand the impact of design factors. Visual fidelity and navigational freedom are combined to increase learning outcomes and many effective and emotional outcomes as well. Access to facts and story increase learning outcomes, and applications evaluated as beautiful are correlated with emotional reactions of awe and wonder, and awe and wonder are correlated with higher learning gains. Beauty is correlated with other system-wide subjective evaluations largely accepted as important to create a context conducive to support learning outcomes, such as calmness, excitement, and curiosity, a desire to share, and a desire to create. This paper summarizes the highlights of the author’s prior work to give the reader a perspective on the body of work.

Mapping Workplace-related Teachers’ Informal Learning: A Review

This article is based on the assumption that much of human learning is caught not taught (Davies, 1998). People oftentimes learn informally in the workplace without being aware of this complex process. However, though much learning is informal and tacit, there has been very little emprical research on teachers’ informal learning in the workplace. Much attention, on the other hand, has been, and is still, given to formal learning. The aim of this study is to shift researchers, educationalists and stakeholders’ attention from teachers’ formal and structured learning to teachers’ informal workplace learning. It should be acknowledged, however, that formal and informal learning should not be viewed as dichotomized and mutually exclusive. They should instead be viewed as a continuum, equally important and complementary. The present systematic review of the literature shows that teachers’ informal learning is inextricably linked to the workplace and that teachers’ informal learning outcomes are context-related, which indicates that the workplace is profoundly complex. The review also shows that research on teachers’ informal learning, though limited, is primarily qualitative. This study ends up by calling for more research on teachers’ informal learning that employs mixed methods design with larger sample sizes.

Informal social learning dynamics and entrepreneurial knowledge acquisition in a micro food learning network

This paper expands and contextualises social perspectives on entrepreneurial learning by considering the informal learning dynamics and outcomes in a facilitated learning network (FLN) targeting micro-entrepreneurs within the local food sector. This research builds new theoretical and empirical knowledge on the contributions of FLN as a community of inquiry (CoI) to support entrepreneurial knowledge acquisition. Our research strategy was a single embedded case study with the units of analysis consisting of 12 micro-firms within the local meat industry in Norway. In retrospective in-depth interviews, founder-managers reflected on their learning from others from participation in a local-food learning network. Three main themes emerged from our analysis, reflecting the informal regulating mechanisms for knowledge sharing and how entrepreneurs acquired new entrepreneurial knowledge: (1) cultural norms stabilising the community of inquiry, (2) engagement in the practices of others regulates access to community knowledge and (3) from community inquiry to individual entrepreneurial knowledge. Based on these themes, we built a conceptual framework showing informal knowledge-sharing mechanisms and the individual micro-entrepreneurs’ entrepreneurial knowledge acquisition in a CoI. Our study contributes to the research stream on social entrepreneurial learning and how learning from others in a CoI enhances entrepreneurial learning.

Outcomes of Informal Work-Related Learning Behaviours: A Systematic Literature Review

Both in research and practice, many believe that informal work-related learning contributes to plenty of important and positive outcomes. As a result, research on informal work-related learning outcomes is quickly accelerating. The field has become fragmented across disciplines and traditions. In response, this study provides a systematic review of the literature on outcomes associated with informal work-related learning behaviour of employees. In total, 39 studies were included in our review. Our results show that outcomes associated with informal work-related learning behaviour go beyond the specific job, as is sometimes assumed. Instead, outcomes vary across dimensions, going from hands-on to abstract, short-term to long-term, or job-specific to more generic. We provide an overview of outcomes in three categories, namely (1) changes in knowledge, skills, and attitudes, (2) individuals’ and organizations’ professional achievement, and (3) sustaining a future development.

Communicating Chemistry through Cooking and Personal Health: Everyday Applications Increase Perceived Relevance, Interest, and Self-Efficacy in Chemistry

Chemistry is essential to individual and societal well-being, yet publics tend to express less interest in chemistry compared to other science fields, and many scholars have highlighted the need for more research on effective chemistry communication and informal learning outcomes. Here, we describe one strand of a collaborative, multiyear study, working with science museums to test what kinds of content can improve interest in, perceived relevance of, and self-efficacy concerning chemistry among publics. Building on the results of our museum collaborators’ findings from their tests of hands-on chemistry activities, we designed experiments testing the effects of four types of chemistry content: (1) chemistry concepts in general without mention of an application, (2) chemistry applications in everyday life, (3) chemistry applications in societal issues, and (4) each of these types of content but with connections to other science fields beyond just chemistry. To test the effects of these different content areas, we designed three survey-embedded experiments. One experiment we designed to replicate the content of the museums’ hands-on activities more directly. The other two then expanded on the museums’ findings across different focus areas (e.g., chemistry in food or health applications), one with chemistry-only information and one with chemistry alongside other science fields, to try to extend the results of the museum findings to new content. In all experiments, respondents who were randomly assigned information focused on applications in everyday life tended to be significantly more likely to report positive outcomes in interest, relevance, and self-efficacy in chemistry more broadly, relative to the other conditions. Information focused on broader societal applications was consistently less successful in comparison. We discuss the implications of these findings for furthering chemistry communication and education across publics and formats.

ІНФОРМАЦІЙНА СИСТЕМА СЕМАНТИЧНОЇ ІДЕНТИФІКАЦІЇ І ДОКУМЕНТУВАННЯ РЕЗУЛЬТАТІВ НЕФОРМАЛЬНОГО Й ІНФОРМАЛЬНОГО НАВЧАННЯ: МЕТОДИ Й ІНСТРУМЕНТИ РОЗРОБКИ

У статті розглядається актуальна проблема – розроблення інформаційної системи семантичної ідентифікації і документування результатів неформального й інформального навчання, яка спрямована на забезпечення ефективної взаємодії ринку праці з ринком освітніх послуг. Проаналізовано стан сучасного ринку праці та економіки, а також необхідність упровадження інформаційних е-засобів для ефективного управління, обробки і використання інформації щодо визнання результатів неформального й інформального навчання, підвищення «видимості» та цінності результатів навчання, які отримані поза системами формального навчання. У роботі розглянуто методи та проаналізовано інструменти розроблення інформаційної системи семантичної ідентифікації і документування результатів неформального й інформального навчання. Зокрема обґрунтовано доцільність використання семантичних технології для обробки даних Semantic Web, головним завданням яких є оброблення інформації на рівні знання; запропоновано в якості основи інформаційної системи використання європейського класифікатора ESCO; модель предметної області описано на основі онтологічних баз знань. У публікації проаналізовано інструменти розробки інформаційної системи, здійснено концептуальне проєктування та розроблення пропонованої системи. Визначено основні можливості та користувачів інформаційної системи, описано основні етапи створення інформаційної системи: створена онтологічна схема; описано процес інтеграції онтології в RDF-сховище; наведені приклади взаємодії з RDF-сховище шляхом застосування мови запитів SPARQL та конекторів GraphD; розроблено архітектуру та інтерфейс користувача запропонованої інформаційної системи. Результати роботи SPARQL-запитів до даних представлені у вигляді наборів результатів. У якості програмних інструментів для розробки вебсервера для надання користувачам доступу до RDF-сховища прийнято мову РНР та PHP фреймворк Laravel. Дослідження обґрунтовують використання бібліотеки React для розробки інтерфейсу користувача інформаційної системи. У публікації визначено, що подальшим напрямком розвитку дослідження може бути імплементація ідей, методів і самої онтології в інші додатки для практичного використання всіма учасниками ринку праці.

Розробка інформаційної системи семантичної ідентифікації і документування результатів неформального й інформального навчання

We analyse modern approaches to the interaction of the educational services market with the labour market through recognition of non-formal and informal learning outcomes. The authors prove the expediency of semantic technologies used for information processing at the knowledge level. ESCO classifier that combines services of the labour market and the educational market is examined in detail. This classifier allows jobseekers and employers from different EU member states to handle information on learning outcomes more efficiently. The analyzes of practical ESCO classifier usage on example of the European Employment Service (EURES) demonstrates that this approach provides all necessary information for jobseekers abroad. The ontological analysis is an efficient way to model the ideas of various subject domains and it allows to represent formally their semantics. Hence, the research analyzes the ontological model for this information system and its components; in particular, the authors provide the described content of the ESCO ontological model which consists of three elements – occupations, skills and qualifications. The paper offers an information system for semantic identification and documentation of non-formal and informal learning outcomes based on the ESCO ontological model. The authors select and analyze the main stages of the system development: an ontology scheme in the Protege editor is created; the process of integrating the ontology in the RDF-repository is described; the architecture and user interface of the suggested information system are developed. Semantic graphs database GraphDB is used for ontology storage. To implement the addition and modification of data in GraphDB repository, connectors are used. Access to the RDF-repository is provided with SPARQL query language, whose outcomes are represented as result sets or RDF-graphs. In addition, the research justifies the use of React framework for development of the information system user interface. The architecture and user interface of information system proposed in this research work allow to carry out the semantic identification and documentation of non-formal and informal learning outcomes. Thus, they increase the efficiency of managing the information about these outcomes.

Informal and Incidental Learning in the Liminal Space of Extended Independent (Gap-Year) Travel

Significant student learning experiences occur informally and incidentally in the liminal spaces that are “betwixt and between” various educational, professional, and life stages. However, the learnings which take place in such liminal spaces are not well understood; they are both problematic and powerful and have untapped potential. Our research explored informal and incidental learning processes and outcomes in the liminal space of extended independent (gap year) travel. Based on an in-depth qualitative analysis of the detailed accounts of the learning experiences of 27 participants, we present a six-stage model of how learning occurs in the liminal space of extended independent travel. In studying the relationships between informal and incidental learning in this space we uncovered a process whereby participants, at times as the result of experiencing a disorienting dilemma, had the opportunity to reflect on old ‘habitual’ ways of being and, through reflexivity, engage with new ‘re-authored’ ways of being. The implications of our findings for learning in general and management learning and education in particular are discussed. Keywords: informal and incidental learning; liminality; reflection; reflexivity; transformation

Quick response code scanning for children’s informal learning

Purpose Mobile technologies, such as QR codes, play a particularly important role in scaffolding the child user’s active learning in informal environments. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of QR code scanning on two informal learning outcomes: increased interest and greater knowledge understanding. Design/methodology/approach In total, 91 children and their families participated in the study as part of the iQ Zoo Project. Children in both the smartphone group and the control group completed were assessed qualitatively and quantitatively before and then after their zoo visits. Findings Qualitative findings suggest that most children’s interest in learning about animals was sustained as a result of the experience. Quantitative results reveal that QR code scanning was effective in promoting knowledge gains, especially on subjects that are challenging for the informal learner. Findings were comparable across the younger (5–8) and older (9–12) age groups. Originality/value This study provides empirical support for the value and usefulness of mobile technologies such as QR code scanning for children's learning in informal environments.

Open Badges in Education and Training in Europe

The article gives an overview of open badges, a type of micro-credentials spreading lately in Europe applied to recognize non-formal and informal learning actions and outcomes. Open badges are viewed by many experts as the greatest potential for a reliable presentation of skills gained outside the formal education system, in many cases in adult learning. Specifically, open badges very often record and prove the acquisition of so called 21st century skills (i.e. communication, creativity, cooperation and critical thinking) considered by a large majority of the employers as a significant aspect of selection.What exactly digital open badges are? How, by whom and to whom are they awarded? How is the validity of information and the quality of content represented by the badges assured? To what extent are the employers aware of the value of open badges, and how much individuals know how they can capitalize on the collection of their badges?The article attempts to offer some views on the above questions by structuring the relevant findings and outcomes of the Open Badge Network and the ReOpen projects.

The Effective Factors of Professional Learning : Study on Accounting Firms in Korea

The purpose of this study is to substantiate the affecting factors of informal learning outcomes for professions in various dimensions of an individual and organization. In specific, the study analyzed the effects of learning motivation, job characteristics, and a supportive learning environment which have on task-related knowledge acquisition, adapting to organization and understanding contexts, relationship formation, and improving self-development-ability. The participants of the study were 261 professionals working at four major accounting firms in South Korea. Multiple regression models were applied step by step for analysis. In this study, the informal learning of professionals working at four major accounting firms is influenced by various factors of learning motivation, job characteristics, and a supportive learning environment. The detailed analysis results were as follows. Firstly, peer-support showed the most positive effect on task-related knowledge acquisition. Secondly, for adapting to organization and understanding contexts, task autonomy showed the greatest effect. Thirdly, peer-support was found to be the most important factor for relationship formation. Fourthly, for improving self-development ability, learning goal orientation showed to be the most important factor. The various factors facilitated the professional learning by empirical identification. The study presented practical implications for creating an effective informal learning support environment.

Informalno učenje studenata iz njihove perspektive

The crisis of formal education leads to constant reconsiderations, both at national and global level. It is considered that educational theory, practice and policy focus dominantly on the formal context of learning while they ignore learning in all other contexts, especially informal. Learning in informal contexts, whether it is intentional or coincidental, conscious or unconscious, is usually perceived as less significant and worthwhile. However, the constructivist and cognitivistic theories of the learning processes emphasize the necessity of recognizing and appreciating all the acquired knowledge and experiences that a person brings to the learning situation. In other words, the quality of formal education cannot be ensured with ignorance of students' knowledge and skills acquired through informal learning. The aim of this paper was to determine students' perspective on their own informal learning. Using qualitative approach, we analyzed students' written statements to determine which informal learning outcomes they were aware of. The second aim was to determine who or what supported those informal learning outcomes from students' perspective. By grouping statements by similarity, we got 13 different categories of learned knowledge and skills (the most common informal learning was the skill of practicing different types of art) and 13 types of support for those learning outcomes (the most common support were information and communication technologies (ICT)). The paper proposes directions for planned integration of students' informal learning into the formal context of studies.

The relationship between learning conditions in the workplace and informal learning outcomes: a study among police inspectors

Informal workplace learning has become a prominent reality in the knowledge society of today. For this reason, developing appropriate learning conditions in order to enhance workplace learning is dominating organizational agendas. However, research that investigates the relationship between important learning conditions and learning outcomes resulting from informal learning is scarce. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to explore how learning conditions in the workplace are related to these informal learning outcomes of police inspectors in particular. A mixed method study, including a survey among 390 police inspectors and interviews with nine police inspectors, was set up to explore this relation. Overall, the results of the survey study suggest that the learning conditions ‘information’, ‘feedback’, ‘reflection’ and ‘coaching’ are good predictors for the acquisition of ‘generic learning outcomes’ and ‘organizational level learning outcomes’. The learning condition ‘coaching’ is also strongly associated with ‘job‐specific learning outcomes’. These results are in accordance with the perception of the interviewed police inspectors.

Romania between low and high: the validation of non-formal and informal education. Legislative framework analysis.

Recognition of non-formal and informal learning is a priority for the policy agendas of all countries. Although learning usually takes place in a formal context, much of the learning is done either non-formal or informal. Experience and skills obtained in non-formal or informal context cannot be used in employment due to lack of opportunity for certification.Recognition and validation of non-formal and informal learning outcomes contribute to the visibility of human capital, capitalizing it to the whole society in various ways.Non formal and informal learning specific issues is part of the European agenda for some time. Since 2001 began a series of initiatives to recognize competencies acquired in this way, the results varied from one Member State to another.In December 2012 the European Council adopted a recommendation for validation of non-formal and informal education. Therefore, by 2018 all Member States must build and deploy national systems of recognition of skills acquired through non-formal and informal.Keywords: validation, formal education, non-formal education, informal education, human and intellectual capital

Supporting, evaluating and validating informal learning. A social approach

Informal learning has been a global hot topic for the past several years. The growth of the internet and the pervasiveness of computers in everyday life means that a huge part of this informal learning is done through a computer. In the European Union, since the official recognition of informal learning in 1999 with the Bologna Treaty, a number of guidelines and proposals have been published providing techniques and recommendations for translating informal learning outcomes to formal competences. Most of these guidelines depend on an evaluator (internal or external) to oversee and certify the process. In our work, we propose the usage of a more social and dynamic framework for gathering, validating and promoting a learner's digital informal learning. This framework is based primarily on peer interaction and peer assessment instead of employing experts and provides mechanisms for personalized recommendations in order to introduce further informal learning opportunities to the learners. We propose an approach where a learner's evaluation happens organically while other learners adopt the same activities and evaluate them positively or negatively.