The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted non-formal education, which includes children's informal learning and social development. Due to the required closings of many informal learning spaces, children have been left without methods to construct their learning physically and socially. This essay discusses how informal…

This case study research examines informal adult learning in the Lock the Gate Alliance, a campaign against mining for coal seam gas in Central Gippsland, Australia. In the field of the campaign, circumstantial activists learn to think critically about the environment, they learn informally and incidentally, through socialization with experienced…

Understanding the role of prior knowledge in human learning is essential for predicting, improving, and explaining competence acquisition. However, the size and breadth of this field make it difficult for researchers to glean a comprehensive overview. Hence, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of 13,507 relevant studies published between 1980 and…

Using the PIAAC data, we show how exposure to various dimensions of nonformal and informal learning relates to the problem-solving capacity in a technology-rich environment for working adults. The sample included permanent staff from various economic sectors, self-employed individuals, and casual employees doing fixed-term contracts (n = 1248)…

We apply cumulative advantage (CA) theory to understand the social hierarchies behind the accumulation of skills and rewards through Adult Learning and Education (ALE) -- formal, informal, and non-formal. Using representative data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE), we confirm the assumption of CA theory that advantages are…

Validation and guidance help individuals, organisations and Member States adapt to career challenges and create successful lifelong learning systems. However, little is known about how they are linked in practice and how this connection can be made more efficient. Building on Cedefop's expertise in the two areas, this study -- based on analysis of…

The European Union has set the goal to make lifelong learning a reality for more people through the creation of flexible pathways to improve access to higher levels of education and employment. Validation of non-formal and informal learning (VNFIL), which is intended to make learning from everyday work and life visible, is an important means to…

Micro-credentialing is unique because it spans epistemological paradigms, theoretical frameworks, and research methodologies in every academic discipline. Micro-credentialing and related technologies promote formal, non-formal, and informal learning among global adult learners through public-domain Open Educational Resources (OER) and other online…

This study report is part of a larger research programme, the Global Research Translation Award: Meeting the SDGs: creating innovative infrastructures and policy solutions to support sustainable development in Global South communities. The University of East Anglia's (UEA) Global Research Translation Award (GRTA) sets out to help tackle health,…

This paper outlines adult learning in a rural campaign to prevent mining for coal seam gas in Victoria. In central Gippsland, largely known as the food bowl in the State of Victoria in Australia, a campaign against fracking for coal seam gas has managed to gain a permanent ban on fracking. This policy change would not have been possible without…

This survey paper examines selected issues related to the intersection of three broad scholarly areas: "numeracy," "adult education," and "vulnerability." Numeracy encompasses the ways in which people cope with the mathematical, quantitative, and statistical demands of adult life, and is viewed as an important outcome…

Organisations that support employees to take responsibility and ownership for their lifelong learning can reinforce the return on investment in human resources development (HRD). In this way, learning is a process driven by a dialogue on personal development and steered by HRD. The result of this dialogue is mutually beneficial to employers and…

Validation of non-formal and informal learning has been gaining political momentum in Europe within the implementation of lifelong learning policies since the early 2000s. Policy documents claim a variety of education, socio-political and economic benefits from the implementation of validation, making validation a "hero" for lifelong…

An understanding of science concepts is important for living in modern society. Supporting adults' science learning can be particularly challenging because most adults no longer attend formal educational institutions where access and opportunities are facilitated by teachers and school-sponsored programs. Biological field stations (BFSs) are a…

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,…