Bridging School-based Formal and Informal Learning Spaces: A Case Study of Advancing Interest-driven Education in Singapore Schools

Abstract

An interest-driven learning environment can be viewed as an entry point for learning staged in a specific context, which can be formal and/or informal, with supporting and meaningful learning that engages students’ interest (Zosh, Fisher, Golinkoff & Hirsh-Pasek). This suggests the need of creating activities to develop and connect students’ understanding of their surrounding world (e.g. students’ school curriculum and social world) to what they learn in their classrooms (Samuelsson, 2005). Our study investigated how an interest-driven learning environment can serve as a platform for students to establish their interests within the formal setting of their school environment –to learn, to develop their individual agency, and to develop the knowledge and skills to accomplish their interest-driven goals.