Informal learning is becoming increasingly important in the rapidly changing knowledge economy. Individuals who participate in informal learning outside the classroom gain new skills that contribute to their own success and to a robust economy.
Not everyone, however, is able to access and benefit from informal learning. Individuals with more education and greater levels of self-efficacy benefit the most form informal learning, creating issues with access and equity.
This comprehensive literature review examined hundreds of publications with a focus on articles written in the past 25 years, both inside and outside the United States. Supported by the ACT Foundation, the project offers a framework for examining informal learning and discusses how it can be measured and recognized so that it translates more directly into value for the learner.
This project was supported by the ACT Foundation.
Reports
Reconceptualizing Learning: A Review of the Literature on Informal Learning
