Exploring and Identifying Informal Learning in Formal Educational Settings
Keywords:
Informal learning, Formal learning, Informal learning of the hidden type, Organizing the curriculum, FlexibilityAbstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the emergence, identification, and assessment of informal learning within formal educational settings, focusing on developing a framework and tools to capture informal learning evidence in classroom contexts. This research used an exploratory qualitative design. A systematic literature review from 2002 to 2024 was conducted across six academic databases to identify definitional dimensions of informal learning, resulting in a 15-dimension analytical framework. This framework guided the development of observation and interview tools, which were implemented in a twelfth-grade public school classroom. Participants included approximately 60 students, three teachers, and one teaching assistant. Data were analyzed using MAXQDA software. Interviews and observations successfully documented various dimensions of informal learning with differing frequencies. While interviews yielded richer data covering all dimensions, observations captured subtle and indirect teaching and learning practices. The dual-method approach enabled triangulation and led to the emergence of an additional construct—“student experience”—as an independent dimension of informal learning. Key features of informal learning identified included indirect teaching behaviors, learner autonomy, and real-life relevance of classroom activities, especially in student reflections and teacher insights. The study reveals that informal learning within formal educational contexts is a complex, multidimensional, and situated phenomenon requiring integrative tools and a comprehensive conceptual framework for its identification. The proposed revised 15-dimension model can inform educational policy, recognition mechanisms for informal learning, and teacher professional development initiatives.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Fatemeh Goodarzi (Author); Alireza Sadeghi; Mostafa Ghaderi, Hassan Maleki, Gholamreza Yadegarzadeh (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
