ERIC Number: EJ1000165
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Jul
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1443-1394
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Interrelatedness of Formal, Non-Formal and Informal Learning: Evidence from Labour Market Program Participants
Cameron, Roslyn; Harrison, Jennifer L.
Australian Journal of Adult Learning, v52 n2 p277-309 Jul 2012
Definitions, differences and relationships between formal, non-formal and informal learning have long been contentious. There has been a significant change in language and reference from adult education to what amounts to forms of learning categorised by their modes of facilitation. Nonetheless, there is currently a renewed interest in the recognition of non-formal and informal learning internationally and in Australia. This has been evidenced through the New OECD Activity on Recognition of Non-Formal and Informal Learning and recent policy developments in Australia. These developments have implications for the recognition of skills derived from informal and non-formal learning, especially for those disadvantaged in the labour market. This paper reports on data from a learning grid in a Learning Survey of labour market program participants (n = 172) from northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. We find that life (informal learning) and work experience (non-formal learning) are relatively more important for gaining self-reported skills than formal training/study. We conclude by arguing for a holistic focus on the dynamic interrelatedness of these forms of learning rather than being constrained by a deterministic dichotomy between formality and informality. (Contains 3 tables, 4 figures, and 3 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Nonformal Education, Informal Education, Conventional Instruction, Holistic Approach, Adult Education, Labor Market, Job Skills, Classification, Work Experience, Workplace Learning, Disadvantaged
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A