Informal STEM Learning: Definitions, Contexts, and Impacts
Young boy stands in the center of a museum hall, looking at the exhibits around him.
Welcome back to our Insights! We’ll be continuing today with another installment in our series examining Dr. Sarah Dunifon’s research on funding priorities and evaluation policies of informal STEM learning funding organizations. So far we’ve discussed the influence that evaluation policies have on informal STEM education (ISE) and reviewed the general landscape of funding support for ISE. Today, we’ll dive into the definitions, contexts, and impacts of informal STEM learning.
The following content is based on or excerpted from Dr. Dunifon’s dissertation, An Examination of Evaluation Policies and Funding Priorities in Informal STEM Education. The research cited in this piece was conducted between April 2022 and March 2023. You can access the full dissertation here.
Learning Outside of the Classroom
Informal learning – or learning that happens outside a classroom – makes up the bulk of one’s lifelong learning experiences. Think about learning experiences you’ve had outside your formal education experiences. When was the last time you tinkered with measurements in a recipe, adapting your practice based on the evidence of how your dinner turned out? Or consider the last time you listened to a podcast or radio program while walking the dog - did you learn something new? Maybe you’ve taken part in more structured informal learning experiences, like a guided tour of a museum, or learned about butterflies and metamorphosis at a local community center. All of these experiences are considered informal learning, and they are crucial to our learning and development as people.
Now what about informal STEM learning? Does that seem less accessible? Sure, you can play around with measurements in your souffle but is that really STEM learning? You can bet on it! Informal STEM learning is one of the most important avenues of learning where stereotypes fall away. Particularly for those who either previously believed or were told that they didn’t belong in STEM. How many times have you heard the harmful (and wrong!) stereotypes of “girls aren’t good at math” or “only nerds are interested in science?” People who participate in informal STEM learning find that STEM is everywhere and relevant to them. Building on those realizations, informal STEM learning generates interest in STEM topics, develops STEM competencies and practices, and encourages the pursuit of STEM careers.
While learning outside of formal education contexts can include many models, including informal learning, afterschool learning, summer learning, out-of-school-time (OST) learning, and out-of-school (OSL) learning, for the purposes of the research presented in these briefs, we use the term “informal learning” to describe any learning experience that is experience-centered, occurs in everyday life, and offers opportunities that may or may not be intentional (Blyth et al., 2011). This means that you may seek out these opportunities or stumble upon them.
However, some might argue that these aforementioned learning contexts are different. Afterschool learning, for example, might provide a more structured and youth-focused learning approach than the typically more free-choice learning model of informal learning (Krishnamurthi & Rennie, 2012). Afterschool, summer, OST, and OSL learning are typically geared towards school-aged youth, whereas informal learning can serve people along their whole lifespans. For this reason, we chose the term informal learning to encompass a broader understanding of this type of learning and used this term as a placeholder for all aforementioned learning models.
While most are quite familiar with the formal learning system (heck, the majority of us went through this system in one way or another), informal learning and its sister models are much less known. Those of us who develop, manage, and evaluate informal learning know its power and importance. But it still has a ways to go in increasing public awareness and investment in these experiences. All of us can do our part to be loud and proud about the work we do, to sing the praises of informal learning, and to explain the differences between alternative learning models.
Key Takeaways
Informal learning – or learning that happens outside a classroom – makes up the bulk of one’s lifelong learning experiences. These experiences can include anything from listening to a podcast to taking a guided museum tour.
Informal STEM learning is one of the most important avenues for STEM access. Engaging activities can help those who haven’t historically seen themselves as interested in or belonging to STEM identify interests, build self-efficacy, and pursue new learning experiences.
There are many models of learning outside of formal educational contexts. These include informal learning, afterschool learning, summer learning, out-of-school-time (OST) learning, and out-of-school (OSL) learning. Each of these modes has commonalities, but their contexts vary.
References:
Blyth, D. A., & LaCroix-Dalluhn, L. (2011). Expanded learning time and opportunities: Key principles, driving perspectives, and major challenges. New Directions for Youth Development, (131), 15-26. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.425
Dunifon, S. M. (2024). An examination of evaluation policies and funding priorities in informal STEM education funding organizations (Doctoral dissertation). University of Pittsburgh.
Krishnamurthi, A., & Rennie, L. J. (2012). Informal science learning and education: Definition and Afterschool Alliance & Curtin University. https://www.informalscience.org/informal-science-learning-and-education-definitionand-goals
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