Browsing by Subject "laajenevat oppimisen kontekstit"

The purpose of this research is to analyze how formal learning contexts are constructed when building connections to students’ lives outside of school. Students learn when participating in the practices of different communities outside of school. Instead of focusing on the differences in learning in different contexts, scholars have been interested in how to make connections between learning in different places and times. Learning is not viewed as a single movement between distinct contexts but as active interaction between different learning contexts. This interaction in turn has effects on the formation of learning contexts. Studies covering the phenomena are diverse and concepts have been used disconnected. Hence there is a need to further synthesize research. I aim to deepen the conceptual understanding of the phenomenon and raise critical points about the subject. The type of research is a descriptive literary review with narrative and integrative features. My analysis is guided by a sociocultural theory of learning. The object of study is a phenomenon concerning learning. The data consist of twenty peer-reviewed research articles. I classify data qualitatively and form different categories by comparing, synthesizing, and critically examining studies' different definitions of the phenomenon under analysis. I have delimited my review to research papers covering elementary school, middle school, and second-degree studies. When making connections between learning in formal institutional contexts and students’ lives outside of school learning contexts are formed as rich and variable with sociocultural resources and practices, as hybrid and expansive and tension laden. Teachers can create circumstances for students to make connections between formal learning contexts and lives outside of school with different pedagogical practices and tools such as information technology. Furthermore, students should be able to take part in the construction of the learning contexts and have a say to what extent and under which circumstances they want to make connections between formal learning and their lives outside of school. By defining learning contexts locally tensions can rise with the broader institutionally stabilized ways of defining knowledge and practices. Building connections between students' lives and formal learning creates pressure to re-examine the practices of formal schooling.