Key research themes
1. How does non-formal education facilitate social inclusion and value development among marginalized and youth populations?
This theme investigates the role of non-formal education programs in fostering social, personal, and individualist values, and promoting inclusion among diverse marginalized groups—such as youth, refugees, migrants, and ethnic minorities. It emphasizes non-formal education as a flexible, practical, and empowering alternative or complement to formal schooling, with a focus on socialization, integration, and community building. These studies highlight empirical evidence and case-based approaches showing how specific non-formal initiatives impact participants’ identity formation, social capital, motivational drivers, and intercultural contact.
2. What strategies and pedagogical innovations characterize non-formal education approaches to active learning and professional development?
This theme focuses on the pedagogical methodologies and innovations within non-formal education that support active learning, holistic development, and professional advancement. It investigates how non-formal education leverages flexibility, experiential learning, social engagement, and emerging technologies, often beyond the constraints of formal curricula. The studies discuss organizations such as scouting, music ensembles, and digital skill training programs, illustrating how non-formal learning environments enable knowledge acquisition, skill-building, and learner motivation through participatory, creative, and technologically-enhanced modalities.
3. How can systems and frameworks be devised to recognize, validate, and enhance the impact of non-formal learning and skills acquisition?
This theme addresses institutional, policy-level, and methodological developments aimed at increasing the legitimacy, portability, and labor-market relevance of skills and knowledge gained through non-formal education. It encompasses efforts such as the implementation of validation procedures, micro-credentials, and national qualification frameworks to systematize recognition of learning outcomes outside formal education. The research highlights how such frameworks are being developed, the challenges they face, and their potential to facilitate social mobility, labor market integration, and educational equity in various geographic contexts.