This paper considers how effectively inspection takes account of the 'lived experience' of young people in school and in their leisure time, and identifies some weaknesses in both data gathering and reporting. It asserts that Ofsted should be more forthright in its judgments of the curriculum range now offered in schools, and regrets its lack of…

This literature review aims to characterise mediation practices in non-formal science education settings (zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, science centres and museums) based on empirical studies published in the last 15 years and to evaluate their potential in providing visitors with an equitable and inclusive experience, considering their…

Within the past decade, escape rooms have aroused great social and educational interest. Their potential for intra- and extracurricular learning ranges from the promotion of methodical and communicative competencies to problem-solving and teamwork strategies. As a nonformal learning environment, the youth leisure sector is suitable for the…

Taking the 'breakdown' in regular schooling as a result of the COVID pandemic as a catalyst to reimagine education, this article formulates a theoretical framework, using design research, that enables a fundamental reconceptualization and introduction of new actors into the space of schooling, which is a learning environment that traditionally has…

Following the work of Jacques Derrida and modern educational authors, this article argues that Western education currently holds mainstream formal educational practices as the standard by which all other educational practices should be judged. This is a problem because this positions every other educational practice, including non-formal education…

This study presents a systematic literature review to explore the connections between agroecology and environmental education. Its objective is to address the query: How can agroecology contribute to environmental education? It categorizes research into three areas: non-formal environmental education, environmental education at school, and…

This study aims to contribute knowledge about teachers' reflections on their own practice in "Folkbildning" activities for older adults and is based on Nordic-German Didaktik theory and the three main Didaktik questions: "why?, what?" and "how?." Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with teachers…

As part of the special issue on Teacher Learning and Organizational Contexts, this paper explores the collective organizational sensemaking processes of middle school science teachers engaged in a design-based research project focused on supporting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) identity and interest development of middle…

Following the work of Tamatea and Pramitasari in the Bali Coding Class (2018), we ask if liberal empowerment can sit alongside Bourdieu's social reproduction theory in framing a non-formal education coding class for rural Balinese youth. While a review of critical theory informed literature suggests not, we appropriate the work of Mills to read…

The objectives of the study are (1) to examine the draft of learning activity package for developing learning management by experimenting the package with thirty non-formal education teachers in Bangkok and (2) to examine the learning activity package by expert evaluation. The research instruments for the first objective were: (1) the pre-test and…

In today's world, lifelong learning (LLL) is a key element of individual and societal success. However, despite knowing potential determinants of LLL, we do not yet understand how they interact to facilitate LLL. Therefore, the present study aims to verify the usefulness of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in predicting LLL. We applied a…

What might pre-service music teachers learn by stepping outside the formal curriculum? In between semesters student teaching in New York City, I investigated music education practices in the Vezo fishing village of Andavadoaka, Madagascar. By investigating how this community practices advanced musicianship learned primarily outside the classroom,…

Learning circles has a long tradition in the Nordic countries as a model for adult non-formal education, but has gained little scholarly attention and is thus sparsely theorised. The purpose of this article is to discuss the revitalisation of learning circles as highly relevant in times of what we term 'social innovation imperatives'. To…

Nature degradation is rooted in the disruption of the human-land connection. Its restoration requires the regeneration of environmental stewardship as a way to live within environmental limits, especially for younger generations. In this study we used the implementation of a year-round, non-formal environmental education program during COVID-19…

From the perspective of service science and its core concept of value co-creation, promoting learner engagement is critical for learning outcomes in a non-formal online learning environment. To promote online learning performance, we study how multidimensional learner engagement affects both instrumental and experiential learning outcomes. By…