Describes the National 4-H Council's Environmental Stewardship Program. This program aims to enable youth and adults to develop community-based solutions to environmental problems. Activity guides and software products have been designed for ages 5 to 18 around such topics as basic ecology and energy. The program also offers technical assistance…

Reviews definitions of and debates over distinctions among formal, informal, and nonformal learning. Outlines questions about four aspects of formality/informality with which to analyze learning situations: process, location/setting, purposes, and content. (SK)

Examples of marginalized nonformal learning in Britain that is driven by a search for alternative value systems include initiatives among Kurdish refugees, Blacks seeking identity through black studies, women sharing their stories, the resurgence of Irish culture, and the green movement. (SK)

Describes and compares nonformal education (adult education and community education) in areas of Scotland and Switzerland. Identifies (1) agencies and organizations providing nonformal education; (2) types of courses; and (3) funding mechanisms. Recommends changes in the Ecole-club Migros (ECM), a large provider of nonformal education in the…

ExecutiveLink(TM) is a learning community of farm businesses engaged in nonformal education. Social capital is developed through shared language and experiences, the building of trust, self-development, and identification with the community. (SK)

Education is a lifelong endeavor; the public learns in many places and contexts, for a diversity of reasons, throughout their lives. During the past couple of decades, there has been a growing awareness that free-choice learning experiences--learning experiences where the learner exercises a large degree of choice and control over the what, when…

A critical review of the epistemological foundations of free-choice learning (FCL) theory was undertaken to evaluate how this theory treats knowledge, whatever importance we might attach to it. It is argued here that free-choice learning has great promise yet would benefit from theoretical adjustments that modify Vygotsky's learning theory by…

Decision makers in nonformal education programs can maximize the utility of their evaluation investment and improve program effectiveness by being more mindful of the potential uses of evaluation information. Evaluation use is a multifaceted construct that may include, but is not limited to, the implementation of evaluation recommendations or…

To provide another perspective on evaluation within nonformal settings, "New Directions for Evaluation" recently interviewed David Smith, the coordinator of the Professional Learning to Close the Achievement Gap program for the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools, who has extensive background in education and educational research. He formerly held…

The present study was undertaken to highlight the gender disparities of Pakistan as well as at regional and international level. The study, measured the comparative outcome of formal and non-formal system of education in Pakistan. To achieve the desired goal, documentary analysis was considered appropriate. The number of schools and enrollment…

The cell phone, now the most widely used medium in Asia, has major educational implications. Most users, however, do not realize the cell phone's potential for education, nor even for the communication functions for which it was originally designed. Most educators still see the computer and the cell phone as unrelated devices, and the tiny cell…

The authors deal with changes in the relationship between education and learners due to modernization processes. The motivation of the learner has become a prime force to ensure the acquisition of knowledge. That implies a broadening of educational strategies, including nonformal education to remotivate frustrated learners.

As life becomes more complex and knowledge more necessary for even the simplest kind of life, young people must have access to and knowledge of the tools that will enable them to function in society. Information is critical, and libraries, as purveyors of that information, need support, critical evaluation, and dedicated, committed staff. The…

Concentrates on the work of Community Education through Radio (ECORA), a Bolivian organization that planned and implemented the nonformal education component of a project that included school construction, teacher training, bilingual education, and administrative reforms within the Ministry of Education and Culture. (JOW)