Within citizenship education, literacy is often promoted in a narrow functional sense of skills for civic engagement or is used synonymously with "knowledge" to refer to an awareness-raising process around rights. Through an analysis of evolving models of citizenship, this article moves beyond literacy "for" citizenship to…

Educators working in museums, zoos, and botanic gardens are increasingly required to demonstrate impact. These requirements position 'performative evaluation' as the dominant model, one which also acts as a political, non-neutral, and managerial form of accountability. In contrast, 'practice evaluation' is intended to be democratic, dialogic, and…

According to decades of research in educational psychology, learning is a social process that is enhanced when it happens in contexts that are familiar and relevant. But because of the skyrocketing popularity of data science, today we often work with students coming from an abundance of academic concentrations, professional, and personal…

Purpose: Relatively few studies have examined the perspectives of informal learning facilitators who play key roles in cultivating an equitable learning environment for nondominant youth and families in making and tinkering spaces. This study aims to foreground the perspectives of facilitators and highlight the complexities and tensions that…

Literacy is the foundation of education and supporting young children's early literacy opportunities prepares them for a variety of learning experiences, both in traditional and non-traditional settings. Reading to shelter dogs in non-traditional settings may offer a space that is judgement-free and inviting for the development of motivation and…

Museum-based mathematics exhibitions are increasingly prominent but under-theorized learning environments. In this study, we analyse the curriculum of United States mathematics exhibitions developed in the early 21st century in terms of their complex suggestions about the nature of mathematics and mathematical sense-making. We apply Rancière's…

Epistemic agency is situated within social, cultural, and material contexts of learning. Making and inventing supports children's and families' creative thinking, problem-solving, and knowledge construction, through which they are positioned as active knowledge agents and their epistemic agency is represented. This article examines how the…

"In 2012," European Union Member States committed to implement policies for the "Validation of Nonformal and Informal Learning" (VNFIL). In this article, we examine Austria and Italy and ask how VNFIL policies in these two countries relate to "informal learning" (IL) and how this can be interpreted from a…

While mobile technology has supported and enabled both formal and informal learning, there remain difficulties connecting learners' interests to places-based learning contexts. Place-based and affinity space learning frameworks are useful for understanding and scaffolding learning. Place-based learning looks at ways aspects of the local…

Following the increasing use of online learning among academic institutions worldwide, this study examined the relationships between enjoyment of study, study engagement, learning performance, and informal learning. Based on the intrinsic motivation theory, enjoyment of study is posited to motivate students to engage in their studies and affects…

When students learn, they activate, use, revise, and acquire knowledge. As such, knowledge is a fundamental asset. We advocate for an asset-based approach which capitalizes on students' knowledge through prompts and activities that invite learners to leverage what they already know. Considering knowledge as an asset means that educators must…

Misinformation around scientific issues is rampant on social media platforms, raising concerns among educators and science communicators. A variety of approaches have been explored to confront this growing threat to science literacy. For example, refutations have been used both proactively as warning labels and in attempts to inoculate against…

The purpose of this paper is to consider the following two notions; (1) that the use of 'informal education pedagogies' within teaching and learning in the 'academy' can both support the learning process within the 'classroom' but also transcend to society via students; and (2) that synergies exist between informal education and social pedagogical…

There is a growing emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education focused learning spaces vis-à-vis science education in the US public schools. These STEM learning spaces mostly take place in informal learning spaces such as STEM makerspace, coding academies, and STEM camps. With this emphasis, teachers teaching…

Small businesses are critical to the economic success of the United States, and several states, such as Mississippi, have a strong reliance on small business development. Through small, individually owned businesses, the overall economy is enhanced, and the quality of life for many is improved. A growing trend within the small business community…