Informal Learning Environments Research Articles

Information ecosystems in early academic career building: how do researchers in the social sciences and humanities learn the tricks of the trade?

Early career investigators (ECIs) in the Social Sciences and Humanities need to receive adequate information so that they will be empowered to progress in their academic career and deal with the various evaluation processes that constitute an essential part of their professional development. This article relies on an informational-ecosystemic approach originally developed in the context of resilience studies and crisis communication and uses it as a theoretical framework to analyse and understand the “early academic career building information ecosystems” (EACBIEs), into which ECIs professionally develop. The characteristics of these ecosystems are then refined through the analysis of interviews conducted with ECIs from all around Europe in the framework of the European Network for Research Evaluation in Social Sciences and Humanities (ENRESSH), European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action. The analysis reveals the remarkable heterogeneity of the information ecosystems into which early career researchers have to build their career in Europe, articulating a diversity of formal, non-formal and informal learning environments, and several related information channels, as well as showing a geographical spread that covers institutional, national and international levels. Furthermore, although the diverse information channels at hand and geographical levels at which they operate appear in some cases to be complementary, and even mutually reinforcing, they can also, in other cases, be dysfunctional, fragmented and unfair to some extent.

Ascending to Well-Being through Mediated Spaces: An Alternative to Informal Learning and Physical Activity Environments in Vertical Schools

Ascending to Well-Being through Mediated Spaces: An Alternative to Informal Learning and Physical Activity Environments in Vertical Schools

Parent psychological distress and beliefs about nurturing care: Associations with parent investments and early child development in Ethiopia.

Parental engagement in stimulating activities and support in both formal and informal learning environments are important for early childhood development. However, little is known about how parental mental health and beliefs about early childhood development shape such investments. We draw on a sample of young children and their primary caregiver from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (N = 3,000; Mage = 34.1 months; 48.5% girls) and examine how parental distress and beliefs predict investments in learning at home and how these, in turn, predict children's development across multiple domains. We examine these associations separately for infants/toddlers (0-35 months) and preschool-aged children (36-72 months), for whom enrollment in preprimary school is also included as an additional form of parent investment. Results showed different patterns of associations between the two age groups. Specifically, for infants and toddlers, parental distress and beliefs did not predict parent investments or child outcomes, but both access to learning materials and cognitive stimulation at home positively predicted child development in every domain. For preschool-aged children, parental beliefs positively predicted hours in preschool, and parental distress negatively predicted the availability of learning materials and cognitive stimulation at home; these three forms of parent investments each positively predicted children's outcomes across all developmental domains. Collectively, these findings deepen our understanding of parent factors that shape children's formal and informal learning experiences and point to several important areas for future research to more fully understand early childhood development in low-resource contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Encouraging, empowering, and educating: Informal educators, caregivers, and children as partners in computational thinking activities

AbstractInformal learning environments, such as libraries and museums, are key areas for supporting computational thinking (CT) with young children and their families. Educators in these environments are working to offer CT‐related experiences and activities for families of young children, often incorporating aspects of sociocultural learning such as scaffolding and dialogic practices. Because the parent/caregiver is typically present with their young child in these environments, there is an opportunity to provide them with CT information and support so that they can then actively engage in and encourage their child's CT learning, thereby extending their child's capabilities in a zone of proximal development. Previous research by Ohland et al. offers an initial framework of parental roles in CT experiences that serves as a foundation for this study's analysis of interviews with 18 libraries and museums from across the United States. The goal was to understand informal educators' goals for caregiver participation in CT activities with young children and their strategies for enabling caregivers to embody these different roles. Findings reveal that educators want caregivers to play a variety of roles with their child(ren) in these CT experiences. Furthermore, educators are implementing a variety of methods that explicitly encourage interaction, collaboration, and more. The connections between these goals and methods begin to build a model of caregiver encouragement, empowerment, and education in CT experiences in informal learning environments.

Open is not enough: design considerations for a networked data commons

Recently, researchers within the Networked Learning (NL) community have tried to (re)claim NL’s roots in critical pedagogy and (re)assert its commitment to social justice (Networked Learning Editorial Collective, 2021; 2021a). However, despite these avowed intentions, NL has also been criticised from within for “fail[ing] to take account of emancipatory struggles and political imperatives in society more broadly” (Networked Learning Editorial Collective, 2021a, p. 328). The suggestion is made to put NL “to work … to allow the concept of NL itself to become ‘networked’: to make connections, to interrelate, to transform, mutate, and hybridise in response to the pressing issues of our time” (Networked Learning Editorial Collective, 2021a, p. 359). In this paper, we take concepts from NL and put them “to work” in relation to the design of an informal digital learning environment – that is, a digital environment that lies outside of formal education provision, but that is intended to be a place where knowledge can be shared and circulated and where people encounter knowledge in ways that enable them to think, understand or act differently. The work was carried out in the context of a project aiming to develop design principles for an internet-based platform through people would be able to openly access, learn about and share publicly available data, using Scotland’s waste and re-use data as a case study. In this context, we plug NL into a theoretical and methodological design assemblage that connects concepts of openness, data literacy, (de)coloniality, and participatory design into new formations that we hope will allow these concepts to mutate and hybridise into something closer to the social justice ideals that NL claims.

A research agenda for adult science entertainment events

ABSTRACT There is an international trend towards fun, irreverent, and social events that feature scientific themes and content. We argue that these events – what we call Adult Science Entertainment Events, or ASEEs – are a distinct phenomenon in science education and science communication, deserving of study in their own right. In addition to their anticipated value to hosting organizations, ASEEs offer new opportunities for adults to form, transform, or affirm their science-related identities. They may also exacerbate existing inequities, however. In this article, we discuss the relationship of ASEEs to other informal science learning environments, provide a narrative review of the existing research on ASEEs, and offer a preliminary research agenda focused on describing the emerging field, documenting goals and impacts, and understanding the impact of design decisions.

Exploring provider perspectives of the STEM club landscape: findings from one Australian state

ABSTRACT STEM clubs, often located in extracurricular settings, are designed to promote engagement and enjoyment of STEM-related topics and concepts. Given the current policy landscape, a closer examination of STEM clubs is warranted. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges presented by these programs by drawing on interviews with nine STEM club providers in Queensland, a state in north-eastern Australia. The study aims to elucidate the key elements perceived to contribute to the effectiveness and success of STEM clubs, whether school-based, library-based, or run by private businesses for profit. Through inductive thematic analysis, three prominent themes emerged: visioning, pedagogical design and intent, and facilitation. The analysis reveals that Queensland's STEM club context presents significant opportunities for authentic STEM learning and teaching, however, it also identifies challenges to be addressed, including recruiting facilitators who possess expertise in STEM knowledge and skills, possess the necessary confidence and ability to design and implement STEM activities, while also being able to engage and connect with student participants effectively. The findings have implications for STEM-related activities in other informal learning environments.

“They just forget about the students”: Growing resilient urban farmers with a research practice partnership

A sustainable transdisciplinary research network was established through a research practice partnership (RPP) between an urban farm, faculty and staff from a Historically Black College (HBC), and researchers at a medium-sized private university. We investigate student-worker resilience at this urban farm situated on the HBC campus, drawing on literature that explores tensions between informal learning environments and formal spaces, equitable food systems and farming systems, as well as the resilience of farm work, and which is grounded critical food systems education theory. Utilizing a participatory design approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews and deductively analyzed the data. The research questions guiding this paper are: (1) What topics of discussion are most important to the student-workers and staff working on an urban farm, (2) How do student-workers and college staff members perceive and experience resilience on an urban farm? We found that what participants on an urban farm discuss, relating to their experiences, include (1) how participants were eager to engage with the local community, (2) how participants demonstrated resilience while working on the urban farm, (3) how power dynamics played a pivotal role informing the direction of the urban farm, (4) how participants consider community access to healthy foods an important mission for the farm, (5) how the college acted as a power wielding entity, perpetuating its privilege over the farmers and the farm operations. These findings have the potential to enable community organizing spaces to promote resilience for their volunteers and workers, and for urban farms top partner with their community to promote the mission of increasing access to healthy and affordable food options.

Exploring the Impact of Value Education: A Comprehensive Analysis

Value education plays a pivotal role in shaping individuals' ethical, moral, and social development. This research article provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of value education on learners' cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains. Drawing on theoretical frameworks, empirical studies, and practical insights, the article explores the significance of integrating value education into formal and informal learning environments. Through a synthesis of literature and case studies, the article examines the effectiveness of various pedagogical approaches, curriculum designs, and implementation strategies in promoting values such as empathy, integrity, and social responsibility. The findings highlight the multifaceted benefits of value education in fostering holistic development, promoting ethical decision-making, and nurturing responsible citizenship. The article concludes with implications for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders in advancing value education initiatives and fostering a culture of integrity, empathy, and respect in society.

Digital environments as sites for informal workplace learning in knowledge work

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore how digital technologies at work serve as environments for informal workplace learning in knowledge work.Design/methodology/approachDigital ethnography was used to investigate the digital environments of one public sector workplace. The data included observations, interviews and participant diaries.FindingsThe digital work environment consisted of a complex network of technologies and people connected to them. The ethnographic accounts revealed both expansive and restrictive features of the digital environment. Digital technology extended learning opportunities by providing flexible possibilities for interaction, collaboration and access to a wealth of information. On the contrary, digitally mediated presence could restrict learning if the attendance and learning remained superficial. The complexity and constant change in digital workplace environments presented challenges that could potentially restrict learning. Information overload, constant interruptions and changes were burdens that required employees’ skills to manage these challenges.Originality/valueThe authors take a novel approach to view the workplace as a phygital environment in which social, physical and digital environments are combined. Because digital environments are becoming increasingly essential parts of the workplace, it is important to understand how they can support learning.

Social Media and K–12 Foreign Language Education

This systematic review aims to explore social media integration in K–12 foreign language (FL) classrooms in the past decade and discusses the unique challenges of adopting social media in K–12 FL teaching. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and selection criteria, 12 studies between 2010 and 2019 were selected. Adopting a grounded analytical method, this review provides a synthesis of the affordances and challenges of social media integration in K–12 FL education. Based on the data analysis, an effective approach to integrating social media in K–12 FL education is proposed, to connect formal and informal learning environments. This review concludes with suggestions and directions for future research on the integration of social media in K–12 FL classrooms.

A Systematic Literature Review of Informal STEM Learning

Student learning outside the formal classroom is inextricably linked to informal learning environments. In many countries, most activities that employ informal learning prioritize the integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and have shown a positive impact on increasing students’ interest, self-efficacy, and awareness of the STEM field. Thus, this study aims to systematically review the activities reported in the relevant studies focusing on informal STEM learning for K–12. High-index journals published under SCOPUS and Web of Science databases were utilized using a predetermined search strategy and retrieved two research team members’ screened articles. Only empirical studies containing the terms “STEM education”, “summer camp”, and “informal learning” in the title, abstract, and keyword were included. Data were coded and organized into a matrix that was qualitatively assessed and categorized into themes. Based on the 25 studies reviewed, it was found that the integration of STEM disciplines in informal learning is notably varied. The characteristics of the STEM activities can be organized into seven themes: inquiry, focus on problems, design, cooperative learning, student-centred, hands-on, and 21st-century skills. Practice recommendations include a quality curriculum that aligns with informal STEM learning needs.

STEMing together: a comparison of co-ed and all-female informal learning environments

STEMing together: a comparison of co-ed and all-female informal learning environments

Mathematics in Art and History Museums: An Informal Mathematics Education Case for Teachers’ In-Service Training

Recognizing the omnipresence of mathematics across various contexts, this paper addresses the untapped potential of museums as rich venues for informal mathematics learning beyond traditional educational settings like classrooms. This paper presents the InformalMath program, designed for the professional development of primary and middle school teachers using integrating mathematics education within art and history museums through designing mathematics visit workshops. Specifically, the focus is placed on Phase 1 of the program, in which teachers participated in two informal mathematics education workshops at two museums in Turin, Italy, and were asked to reflect on their participation through a written essay. The analysis of the essays reveals significant engagement, appreciation of mathematics as a cultural artifact, and the emergence of creativity and inclusion among participating teachers. These findings highlight the benefits of such interdisciplinary approaches in enhancing mathematical understanding and pedagogical strategies. Conclusions emphasize the program’s success in not only enriching teachers’ instructional repertoire but also in promoting a more holistic, engaging, and contextualized approach to mathematics education, suggesting a promising avenue for future educational practices and research in informal learning environments.

The Effect of Self-Efficacy on Digital Reading Platforms on Early Childhood English Language Development

Early childhood education is crucial in laying a solid foundation for children's language and literacy development. In an era where digital technology is increasingly pervasive in daily life, it is important to understand how digital reading platforms can influence young children's language development. This study aims to explore the relationship between children's self-efficacy in using digital reading platforms and their English language development. Qualitative research methods were employed, collecting data through participatory observation and interviews with parents and early childhood educators. The research sample consisted of 30 children (aged 4-6 years) who regularly use digital reading platforms in formal and informal learning environments. The results indicate a positive correlation between children's self-efficacy levels in digital reading platforms and their progress in understanding and using English. The practical implications of this research emphasize the importance of strengthening children's self-efficacy and selecting appropriate digital reading platforms to support young children's language and literacy development. This study provides valuable insights for educators, parents, and educational technology developers in designing effective learning strategies for young children in the digital age.

Teachable monuments: using the captain Kirk memorial for formal and informal history education

This study, part of the project “Museums, Monuments and Communities: Places of Public Memory,” investigates the unique value of the Captain Kirk Memorial, including those of the Aniz Domingos Museum and the Archives of the Federal Institute of Paraná as pedagogical tools in formal and informal learning environments about the Contestado War (1912-1916). These spaces, located in União da Vitória-PR and Porto União-SC, respectively, are not just monuments but “living entities” that engage the public, especially the students of the Thomaz Padilha School. Inaugurated in 2015, the Captain Kirk Memorial celebrates the historical significance of the Contestado War, which influenced public memory and often diverged from other narratives. Analyzing monuments and historical archives and conducting a community study between 2021 and 2022, we seek to deepen our understanding of the interconnections between monuments and memory, based on public history, and Oral history. We highlight the importance of pedagogical and exhibition practices, which not only provoke reflections on memory and history but also culminate in the creation of a monument for the centenary of the District of Taquara Verde, Caçador-SC, a significant site in the memory of the Contestado War. Thus, the project allowed the students and the community to connect with the past and reflect on the links between personal memory, the memory of the Brazilian army, and the memory of the thousands of caboclos-sertanejos (backlands) killed in the Contestado War. Therefore, these sites are not only educational means but also environments for dialog and understanding the dynamics of public memory. These are crucial for developing a diverse and shared historical consciousness.

Transmedia learning: a literature review

ABSTRACT The term transmedia learning is focused on how students learn in both formal and informal learning environments, across multiple platforms. This article identifies the literature on transmedia learning across the last decade and draws together a consistent definition. A conceptual model for transmedia learning is outlined and further advances a way to frame learning across different platforms. Transmedia learning can encourage more collaborative and a more engaged learning environment. Using NVivo12, a grounded theory approach was used as a methodology for the reviewing the literature. The study identified five key areas in transmedia learning – transmedia play, participatory culture, transmedia skills, connectedness and informal learning. The author discusses these findings in relation to higher education and proposes that understanding the process of transmedia learning can help teachers and learning designers integrate learning across platforms more effectively and better engage and connect with students in blended, online and hyflex teaching modes.

Program Evaluation in Formal and Informal STEM Learning Environments: An Introduction

Program Evaluation in Formal and Informal STEM Learning Environments: An Introduction

Students’ cross-sectioning in the math-art studio

This study presents a case study on students’ cross-sectioning in an informal and innovative learning environment designed based on Studio Thinking and Artful Thinking Frameworks. Participants were four seventh-grade students. Students’ documents and video recordings were analysed at different structures of the studio (analysing works of art, creating artwork, and critiquing) and the approach to data analysis was interpretive microanalysis. The findings of the study indicated that the studio work designed in the current study made students’ cross-sectioning visible through diverse tasks, requiring an understanding of the relation between 2D and 3D (identification of the slices of 3D geometric figures and construction of 3D figures from the 2D slices) at different structures of the studio. This study suggests new avenues for the design of tasks on cross-sectioning for middle school students and the design of learning environments by presenting detailed information about what is going on in these environments.

TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVES ON THE USE OF VIRTUAL INFORMAL ENVIRONMENTS IN THE PANDEMIC CONTEXT

Since the pandemic situation, there has been a need for enacting student-centered teaching activities to make distance education more effective. "Informal Learning Environments" activities are suitable opportunities to meet this need and positively affect students in many aspects. The use of "Virtual Informal Environments" (VIE) is important during the pandemic situation in this case. The purpose of this research is to examine the teaching processes of teachers using VIEs during the pandemic situation and to make general judgements in the context of teaching processes using VIEs according to their status of taking or not taking courses on teaching in informal environments. In the study, the descriptive research method was used. The study group of the research consists of 93 teachers and it was determined by using the "Easy Access Sampling" method. Eight open-ended question forms were applied to the participants. The data were evaluated with the Content Analysis Method. The results showed that the informal science education (ISE) course-taken teachers used VIEs more consciously than the non-course-taken participants. By focusing on the achievements in the curriculum, teachers planned to use VIEs and integrate these environments into their lessons by adopting a student-centered approach. In the evaluation studies after the teaching activities using VIEs, it was concluded that they tend to evaluate the achievements, not the learning process.