Informellt lärande : en studie av lärprocesser i folkhögskolemiljö

Sammanfattning: This dissertation focuses on informal learning at Swedish folk high schools. Folk high schools have an important place in adult education in Sweden and have for a long time put emphasis on opportunities for informal learning. Learning is mostly associated with teaching and formal educational situations. Curticular learning can be facilitated or inhibited by learning in everyday life, and vice versa. Every formal educational sitnation thus involves informal learning to some degree. The purpose of the study is to examine and describe the process of informal learning within an adult educational setting.A qualitative approach was chosen, and four different schools were stndied. The raw data were generated first by means of individual interviews with principals, teachers and stndents. Four principals, 17 teachers and 29 students were interviewed.The findings reported are divided into two empirical domains. These are 1) the relation between formal and· informal learning, 2) the organisation of extra curricular acitivities within the educational setting. Two different conceptions about informal learning have emerged. The first one says "activities in class influence extra curricular activities". The main idea in this perspective is the relationship between formal and informal learning. Time outside class is seen as time for learning. Inspiration comes from class and the interaction between students and between teachers and students outside class keeps activities going. The second conception says "school is school and leisure is leisure". The idea is that formal learning has little or no relation to infonnal learning. It is more or less time in class which is seen as time for learning.Second, raw data were generated by diaries written by the same individuals.Two main dimensions for describing how time for extra curticular activities has been used. These are 1) the organisation and 2) the content of activities. The two dimensions are combined in a scheme where spontaneous and planned activities describe the organisation, and activities related to curriculum or leisure describe the content. The four quadrants have been described as follows; everyday learning, school work, leisure and institutionalised leisure. The result show that principals and teachers spend most of their time at meetings. They also spend more time with colleagues than with students. Students use most of their time for leisure activities and when it comes to schoolwork and every day learning they spend the time either alone or together with fellow stndents.In the study there is convergence between the ideals officially held by folk high schools and the conceptions held by principals, teachers and some of the students. On the other hand, the stndy demonstrates contradictory results between the teachers' conceptions and their way of using their time. The results further indicate that formal learning influences informal learning. Therefore it seems to be important to develop teaching methods in adult education that put emphasis on autononmous learning in order to develop the informal learning possibilities.