Why Science Teachers Can't Teach in Informal Learning Environments?

Teaching science in informal learning environments (ILE) are of great importance for the science course. In this learning process, students behave like scientists and develop their high-level thinking skills. To establish a connection between daily life and natural sciences is another way to add ILE into formal education. In the literature, many studies declared a few teachers teach science in ILE. The purpose of this study, to determine the difficulties or problems faced by science teachers in the process of science teaching using ILE and what kind of solutions teachers offer about these problems or difficulties. The research was carried out by using descriptive research. The study group consists of 144 science teachers, selecting by easily accessible sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods. Ten open-ended questions were asked to the participants. The content analysis method was used to analyze the data. As a result, teachers had problems/difficulties in managerial-based, student-based, parent-based, ILE-based, school location-based, economy-based, curriculum-based and teacher skill and knowledge-based.

Data Management Plan for Investigating Effective Methods that Adults Use to Improve Children's Math Achievement in Informal Learning Environments: A Meta Analysis

Data Management Plan for 2018 NSF Education & Human Resources (EHR) EHR Core Research (ECR) Program Proposal

A system for equity: enhancing STEM education during a pandemic

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report the change in students' STEM perceptions in two different informal learning environments: an online STEM camp and a face-to-face (FTF) STEM camp.Design/methodology/approachFor this quasi-experimental study, 26 students participated in an online STEM summer camp and another 26 students participated in the FTF STEM camp. Students from each group took the same pre- and post-STEM Semantics Survey documenting their perceptions of the individual STEM fields and of STEM careers. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests, Mann–Whitney U tests and corresponding effect sizes were used to compare the pre- and post-scores within and between the camps.FindingsResults indicate that both camps produce similar outcomes regarding STEM field and career perceptions. However, analysis of all statistical values indicates that the online STEM camp can produce a larger positive influence on STEM field perceptions and the FTF camp can produce a larger positive influence on STEM career perceptions.Research limitations/implicationsThis suggests that STEM camps, both online and in-person, can improve students' perceptions of the STEM fields and of STEM careers. Implications from this study indicate that modifications of informal learning environments should be based on the type of learning environment.Originality/valueThis manuscript discusses the development and impact of an online STEM camp to accommodate for the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the inability to hold an in-person STEM camp. These results may influence the curriculum and organization of future online and FTF STEM camps.

EVALUATION OF (SELF-)DEVELOPMENT OF INTERCULTURALITY EXPERIENCES IN INFORMAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Political, economic, social and cultural changes of the country influence the change of the educational content. Striving to develop dynamic modern Lithuanian’s and person’s modern nationality, the educational content should relate to “pupils’ experiences and sociocultural needs. The article presents that the development of interculturality of pupils is one of the approaches when striving to understand cultural diversity of the present-day world.The results of previous research (Bilbokaitė, 2017, 2016) have revealed the lack of programmes, clear guidelines for intercultural education in the context of the different learning environments. The article describes importance of informal education, that arises from the learner’s involvement in activities that are not undertaken with a learning purpose in mind.The research aim is to reveal pupil’s (of the 10th-12th Forms) opinion about the (self-)development of interculturality in informal learning environments. Quantitative research was used (sample of 727 Lithuanian comprehensive school pupils) to investigate practical application of development of interculturality in educational environment from pupil’s perspective. The research results analysed employing content analysis reveal the importance of learning from the experience as a fundamental and natural means in different environments - home, social networks, school, city, streets. Safe personal environment creates the opportunity to be self, to learn about values, variety of cultures, tolerance, acceptance of others. Pupils’ opinions concerning the lack of possibilities for development of interculturality in school (during formal education) are presented.

Nomadic learners : an investigation of perceived affordances across formal and informal learning environments

Learning environments play a critical role in learning outcomes. This ethnographic case study investigates adolescent students' use of formal and informal learning environments and their self-regulated learning and technology use in these spaces. The researcher has been immersed at this public high school research site as a school faculty member for over eight years. Data in the form of observations, interviews, cognitive maps, and photovoice blogs were collected from sixteen students and teachers over one year between 2018 and 2019. This research was collected in a technology corridor of the American southeast growing at an extremely rapid pace. Many new schools are being constructed to keep up with the severe population growth. The conceptual framework involves spatial preference and technology use related to self-regulated learning. Affordance theory buttresses the investigation. Research questions were What are students' spatial preferences in informal and formal learning environments? What are students' self-perceptions of learning in formal and informal learning environments? What are students' use of technology in informal and formal learning environments? Key findings offer a deeper understanding of adolescent use of formal and informal learning environments inside and outside of school settings. The design of the school building, as well as a myriad of residential environments, were investigated. Findings include types of spaces that manifested in both formal and informal learning environments. These types are gathering spaces, comfort spaces, evolving spaces, spaces to thrive and technologically splintered spaces. This work's knowledge contributions include a clearer understanding of adolescent use patterns across formal and informal learning environments. The implications of this study are the development of guidelines on adolescent self-regulated learning practices and technology related to the built environment. Theoretical contributions of this work include an extension of affordance theory and a greater understanding of how adolescents perform in learning behavior settings.

Understanding the Potential of Music Learning Application as a Tool for Learning and Practicing Musical Skills

This paper explores the potential of mobile applications that are developed to assist music learners in learning and practicing musical skills. Specifically, it attempts to shed light on the affordances of such mobile applications in elevating guitar skill learning among guitar players. This paper presents case studies of four guitar players who have used a mobile application namely “Yousician” to facilitate their guitar learning and practicing process. Findings of this study are drawn upon an investigation into their uses of the mobile application over a practicing period of one week. The study will also provide insights on the characteristics of such application from the music learners’ perspectives. It is also anticipated that findings from this study could contribute towards the understanding of the characteristics of mobile-based music applications that could potentially assist music learners in informal learning environments.