Informal Learning Program Research Articles

Improvisation and strategy: lessons learned from supporting young digital makers in a fully online makerspace club for collaborative game design

PurposeThe rapid emergency remote teaching has moved informal learning programs online including makerspaces, which has created an opportunity for harnessing the benefits of virtual makerspaces. This study reports on findings from three club designers and facilitators’ reflections on a fully virtual maker club offered in the summer of 2023. This paper aims to inform practitioners of the potential challenges and strategies to resolve various issues.Design/methodology/approachReflective video journaling was conducted by facilitators. Videos were transcribed and analyzed for observations, learning events, challenges and strategies.FindingsFindings present strategies adopted to address problems during implementation and a checklist for practitioners. The problems are associated with the learning environments, technology tools and student participation. The authors adopted in-the-moment and short-term strategies to tackle the problems and long-term strategies that bear implications for future virtual makerspaces.Practical implicationsThis paper can provide direct guidance to practitioners in schools, libraries, museums, etc., who plan to offer informal collaborative learning for children online. It prepares practitioners for the potential challenges and equip them with concrete strategies and questions.Social implicationsFully virtual makerspaces have the potential to reach a wider range of audience.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to report the reflective findings on a fully virtual makerspace club that comprehensively covers challenges and strategies before, during and after the club, which has direct implications for future offerings of such programs.

Recruiting Practices in Informal CS Learning

Introduction: Computer science (CS) lacks representation from people who identify as one or more of the following identities: woman, Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, Latina/Latino/Latinx, or disabled. We refer to these groups as historically underrepresented groups (HUGs). Informal learning, like CS summer camps and hackathons, can increase interest in K-12 students but still struggles to broaden participation. Objectives: In this study, we examine one source of struggle for informal learning programs: recruiting practices. Methods: Towards the goal of understanding this struggle, we interviewed 14 informal K-12 CS learning programs across a diverse region in the Northwestern United States to understand what recruiting practices are being used. We used a cultural competency lens to examine the variation within recruiting practices and how some practices could lead to broader participation in computing. Results: We identified 18 different recruiting practices used by informal CS learning program organizers. Some programs had similar practices, but subtle differences in implementation that led them to fall at different points on the cultural competence continuum. More culturally competent implementations generally involve reflection on the needs of specific populations that programs were trying to recruit, on why previous recruiting implementations did not work, and on feedback from stakeholders to change their implementations. This is the first paper to investigate how the implementation of the recruiting practice determines its cultural competency. Conclusion: Results from this study illuminate some of the problems informal CS programs face in broadening participation in computing and provide insights on how program organizers’ can overcome them. Our work highlights how students or parents access resources, the challenges program organizers encounter, and whether current recruiting practices effectively engage students from HUGs.

Transformative experience in an informal science learning program about climate change

AbstractThe Transformative Experience Questionnaire (TEQ) has previously been used only in formal science learning environments to examine how students' learning experiences extend beyond the classroom into their daily lives. In the present study, an example of how this tool can be useful to assess transformative experiences in an informal learning program is provided. The Lens On Climate Change (LOCC) program combined a place‐based approach to learning with creative expression through storytelling, as middle and high school participants created short films about the impacts of climate change in their communities. Our findings suggest the LOCC participants had a transformative experience with regards to their learning about climate change as illustrated in greater post‐program TEQ scores over a comparison group of research participants who did not engage in the LOCC program. The program was also transformative for both middle and high school students. Results are discussed within theoretical frameworks for designing informal transformative science learning experiences.

Fostering a Tech Culture through Campus Collaborations: A Case Study of a Hackathon and Library Partnership

ABSTRACT Hackathons are time-bound, competitive coding contests that are often judged for prizes. Their name originates from joining hacking, playful exploration of hardware and software issues, with marathons, endurance competitions. The intent is to challenge participants to build working prototypes of hardware or software in a short time period, anywhere from one day to several weeks, though typically between 24–28 hours. While they are a mainstay in computer science fields, they are becoming increasingly popular in other domains, including libraries. Libraries have long championed life-long learning, a democratization of data, and access to information. These are similar mentalities of the maker movement, echoed in hackathons. Rapid iteration, problem solving, and cooperative learning are regularly present at events and within library systems. This paper details a case study of one institution’s growth from a hackathon event host to deeper library engagement and partnership with an informal learning program. The authors will highlight benefits that both partners observed and will end with a pitch for why other libraries should consider hosting similar events. Finally, several recommended resources for libraries who are contemplating hosting hackathon events will be presented.

Intergenerational learning of traditional knowledge through informal education: the Mongolian context

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the research on intergenerational learning of Traditional Knowledge (TK) through informal education. Using qualitative methods, case study was used to explore storytelling by nomadic herders to educate the youth in Mongolian rural areas. This case study consists of 22 interviews with nomad herders, their children, and urban older adults with more education. The first part provides an overview of the TKof pastoralists and the impact of modernisation. The second part addresses the concept of a TK system as informal and nonformal learning within lifelong education , as well as its contextualisation in Mongolia. Thereafter, the research methodology and the study design are outlined, and data presented. The last part identifies the issues of TK transmission within the intergenerational informal learning practice of nomads . The findings suggest that intergenerational informal learning programs are necessary as part of lifelong learning, to promote Traditional nomadic culture and knowledge, and develop incentive policies for participation. The article concludes with recommendations to develop intergenerational informal learning for TK transmission. This study contributes to a richer understanding of lifelong education, particularly the usefulness of older and younger generations transmitting as well as learning nearly forgotten knowledge and values.

Team Mensa: A case study of supporting middle school girls' interest in computer science through an informal learning program

This qualitative case study describes how participation in an outside-of-school program sustained middle school girls’ interest in computer science and positively influenced their computational perspectives. Data consists of interviews, observations, and videos analyzed from ten girls participating in a nine-month program during 2017–2018. Connected learning and computational participation are the study’s theoretical frameworks and were incorporated into its research questions, data collection methods, and analysis strategies. Findings illustrate 1) girls’ sustained interest in and positive attitudes toward computer science; 2) girls’ evolving confidence and awareness of computational perspectives; and 3) the importance of group work in nurturing girls’ computational participation. This study contributes to the research on strategies for addressing the gender gap in computing through providing informal learning opportunities for young girls.

Assessment of Informal Learning Program on Weather Phenomena: Its Perception and Necessity in Greece

The inadequate approach of the weather phenomena, the associated atmospheric processes as well as their impacts at the Greek education led to the creation of the learning program "Peri Anemon & Ydaton", by the meteorological unit of the National Observatory of Athens. The program, which is presented to Junior High School and High School students, is structured into five thematic sessions and covers eight learning goals, the implementation of which was assessed using a multiple-response questionnaire. In general, the program "Peri Anemon & Ydaton" is a vivid example for the efficiency of informal learning programs. Furthermore, it is the first attempt for the recording of the results as an assessment of an informal learning program on weather and climate in Greece. The learning program "Peri Anemon & Ydaton" is implemented with the approval of the Educational Policy Institute of Greece, thus indicating its pedagogical adequacy

Youth and Digital Citizenship+ (Plus): Understanding Skills for a Digital World

Digital citizenship has become a topic of growing importance among academics and policymakers alike, at the center of debate and theorization around the skills youth need to navigate and actively participate in our digital world. On a global level, a variety of stakeholders — including government, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and academia — have adopted the term to develop and shape formal and informal learning programs that aim to help youth address the challenges and embrace the opportunities the digital environment may present. Yet, there is little consensus as to the broad areas (e.g., safety and well-being, civic and political engagement, identity exploration), and skills within them, digital citizenship should encompass. In this spotlight, Youth and Media explores the concept of digital citizenship, providing an overview of the current dialogue surrounding the term, with a focus on several key questions. Why does digital citizenship matter? Why has the concept become central in discussions about youth (ages 12-18), education, and learning in the 21st century? In a world where the online and offline are increasingly blending, to what extent should we emphasize the role of the “digital” in “digital citizenship”? To what degree do youth feel connected to the term “citizen?” How is the concept of digital citizenship similar to or different from other concepts, such as digital literacy or 21st century skills? How should we approach these concepts to more effectively foster the skills youth need to thrive in today’s society? And to what extent have we as decision-makers, academics, and educators been successful at incorporating youth voices in the development, implementation, and evaluation of digital citizenship initiatives?

Can a Green Care Informal Learning Program Foster Active Aging in Older Adults? Results From a Qualitative Pilot Study in Central Italy.

Due to population aging worldwide, it is important for Health Care Systems to design new services fostering Active Aging dimensions (e.g., physical health, psychological well-being, social engagement, and lifelong learning). The aim of this pilot study was to develop new services fostering Active Aging dimensions by means of a 12-month green care informal learning program targeting 112 individuals among community-dwelling older people and day care center users. The impact of the intervention was assessed through three rounds of focus groups. Individuals' perception of the training benefits depended on their health and social condition at baseline. The program improved the social participation and learning attitudes of community-dwelling older people and the perceived well-being and health of day care center users. Green care activities triggered an Active Aging virtuous spiral where learning new practical and relational competencies helped older people recognize their value. Thus, it is recommendable to include green care therapy within the practice of services for older people, especially day care centers.

Towards an overdetermined design for informal high school girls’ learning in geospatial technologies for climate change

This article explores an experimental effort to develop a short-term informal learning experience to achieve awareness, confidence and knowledge in geography and geospatial technologies related to environmental and climate change for all participants but particularly for female secondary learners. The intervention incorporated various elements to promote gender-sensitive technical and cultural literacy through an international outreach and science diplomacy framework, justified by various kind of literature in STEM learning. We recount the experiences of three cohorts of students learning about impacts of climate change at sites in Bolivia, South Africa and Panama. The results of student surveys before, immediately after, and 9 months post-participation reveal the extent to which the design met objectives for learning, across genders. Our experimental conclusion reinforces the idea that even short-term, informal learning programs can elicit greater confidence, knowledge and abilities in all students, especially female students, when as many as possible of the elements known to improve gendered participation for STEM are taken into consideration into the very design of the experience. We coin the term “overdetermined design” to designate this kind of approach to take reinforcing, even redundant steps to increase the likelihood of obtaining desired results of improved confidence overall and reducing the gender gap, particularly through the use of geospatial technologies.

What Drives Attendance at Informal Learning Activities? A Study of Two Art Programs

AbstractMultiple reasons shape how young people and families choose to participate in informal learning programs at museums and other settings. Youth interest is likely a factor, but so might be geographic proximity, institutional affiliation, household income, and race/ethnicity. We examined the relative impact of these factors through a comparative study of two art programs; one a small, neighborhood‐based organization focused on art and STEM, and the other a program in a well‐established art museum. The smaller program tended to draw youth from closer geographic proximity. Interest in art drove attendance at both programs, but institutional membership was also important. Demographic factors also were a factor, and race/ethnicity was more strongly associated with program placement than household income. We discuss the importance of better understanding of such factors as museums and other programs continue to grow as important sites for learning.

Cape Cod Children's Museum's Little Sprouts Kids' Garden

In 2005, Cape Cod Children's Museum in Mashpee, Massachusetts, developed the Little Sprouts Kids' Garden in partnership with Coonamessett Farm, a farm and research enterprise located in nearby East Falmouth. This case study article describes how the museum and farm partner to create programming that connects children to the agricultural heritage of Cape Cod. <i>Little Sprouts Kids' Garden</i> is a hands-on informal learning program that focuses on gardening and farm experiences for children 3 to 10 years of age. Children participate in organic gardening and learn about good nutrition, the value of local sustainable agriculture, and the rhythms of the natural world. A summary of how this program has impacted the local community is included, and tips on how other children's museums might replicate this program are outlined.

A Collaborative Evaluation of an Online Informal Learning Program

A Collaborative Evaluation of an Online Informal Learning Program

Rules Without Reason: Allowing Students to Rethink Previous Conceptions

This paper reports on the strategies chosen by a group of sixth-grade students in an urban informal learning program as they worked to solve an open-ended, non- routine task. In particular, the paper focuses on the ability of these students to rise above their previous, procedure-based misconceptions and arrive at a mathematically reasonable solution. Aspects of the problem task, the problem-solving environment, and, importantly, of the nature of the teacher's interventions are analyzed to determine the conditions that encouraged students to approach mathematics as a logical, meaningful, sense-making activity.

Youth leadership development in virtual worlds: A case study

This paper discusses the impact of ‘The Dream It. Do It Initiative’ (D.I.D.I.), an informal learning program implemented in Teen Second Life (TSL), on leadership development. We found support for using TSL as a venue for leadership exploration. Specifically, we found that venturers became aware of the community issues in these worlds; they gained leadership skills such as teamwork, determination, and responsibility; and they learned how to use their mistakes to improve their projects. We conclude that virtual worlds, as “places for engagement”, can indeed be used to help youth explore their leadership potential with support from parents and educators.

Implications of the Social Model of Disability for Visitor Research

ABSTRACT Museum professionals have long held the view that their institutions can play a central role in supporting learning and inclusion but evidence seems to be in sort supply in the case of visitors with disabilities. Until recently, most of the work conducted in museums relating to learning and access for this particular visitor group has been about developing products and services rather than assessing their impact. The lack of research in this area reflects the slow development of disability studies as a distinct field and the fact that anti-discrimination and human rights legislation only extended to those with disabilities in the mid to late 1990s. The author introduces one approach to negotiating a balanced design of visitor research and the principles of the emancipatory research framework. She argues that this framework has the capacity to delve into the experiences of people with disabilities and provide a deeper analysis that would not otherwise be possible. The Heritage Education For All project will be used as an example to demonstrate how this approach can be developed in practice, and to show that informal learning programs designed using an emancipatory insight have the capacity to enable people with disabilities to gain new insights into their lives and identities.