Informal Learning¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Boileau (2019), drawing on Jay Cross, frames formal and informal learning as opposite ends of a continuum rather than a strict dichotomy. Formal learning is "pushed" to learners according to a predetermined curriculum decided by someone else — "like riding a bus: the driver decides where the bus is going; the passengers are along for the ride" (Cross, 2007, p. 236). Informal learning is "pulled" by the learner's own perceived need — "like riding a bike; the rider chooses the destination, the speed, and the route" (Cross, 2007, p. 236) — and is unofficial, self-directed, and situated in meaningful, performance-linked experience rather than separated in time and place from its application.

Merriam and Bierema (2014) identify four sub-types: self-directed learning (learner-initiated goal-setting, resource identification, and self-evaluation), incidental learning (an unplanned byproduct of doing something else), tacit learning (subconscious, intuition- or emotion-based), and integrative learning (non-conscious tacit knowledge combined with conscious learning to produce creative insight).

The scale of informal learning is large and persistently under-resourced. The widely cited (if empirically loose) "70:20:10 rule" holds that roughly 70% of workplace learning comes from on-the-job experience, 20% from mentoring, and only 10% from formal coursework — yet Cross's spending/outcome paradox observes that organizations spend roughly 80% of training budgets on the formal 10%, for a correspondingly small share of the actual performance-relevant learning that occurs. Falk and Dierking similarly estimate that up to 95% of science learning occurs outside formal schooling, through free-choice engagement with museums, hobbies, and self-directed inquiry. Practical mechanisms that operationalize informal learning include microtraining (short, ~15-minute segments combining prior-knowledge activation, demonstration/practice, feedback, and a transfer strategy, embedded near the work setting) and Performance Support Tools — job aids Rossett and Schafer (2007) classify as sidekicks (real-time, in-the-moment guidance, like GPS turn-by-turn navigation) or planners (used in advance to access community-curated knowledge, like planning a route before a trip), evaluated by four factors: convergence (proximity to the task), simplicity, relevance to performance, and personalization.

Boileau also notes a cultural dimension: informal, experiential learning is undervalued in Western culture relative to "book learning," even though non-Western cultural traditions more often treat learning as communal, lifelong, and holistic rather than individualistic and confined to a schooling period (Merriam & Kim, 2011).

Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

Willingness to invest in the performance-support and mentoring structures (job aids, coaching relationships, communities of practice) that actually carry most workplace learning, rather than defaulting to formal coursework as the primary lever
For microtraining specifically: proximity to the work setting and a structure that activates prior knowledge, demonstrates/practices the skill, and gives feedback, all within a short (~15-minute) segment

Constraints¶

Microtraining is best suited to performance remediation, knowledge refreshing, and mastery-building for content already familiar to learners — it is poorly suited to novice learners unless combined with additional scaffolding to build prerequisite knowledge
The spending/outcome paradox is a persistent organizational tendency, not a one-time fix: formal training remains easier to budget, schedule, and credential than informal learning, so the imbalance tends to recur even when leaders are aware of it
Digital open badges issued for MOOC completion complicate the "unofficial" character of informal learning once attendance is tracked and paid certification is introduced — Law (2015) notes learners are willing to pay for recognition of otherwise-informal learning, which shifts its nature

Target Learners¶

Adult and workplace learners, where the large majority of actual learning happens outside formal training programs
Self-directed learners pursuing personal or professional development through hobbies, informal science engagement, or on-the-job problem-solving

Target Learning Objectives¶

Job performance and task completion, where the learner is "pulled" by an identified skill or knowledge gap rather than working through a predetermined curriculum
Lifelong, cumulative learning that persists across a learner's whole life rather than being bounded by a schooling period

Theory¶

Supporting¶

Self-Regulated Learning [+M] — self-directed learning, one of the four informal-learning sub-types, depends on the same goal-setting, strategy-selection, and self-evaluation processes SRL describes

Claims¶

Performance Technology — Performance Support Tools (sidekicks and planners) are one of the concrete mechanisms through which informal learning is supported and mediated
Problem-based Learning — both emphasize learner-directed engagement driven by an authentic need rather than a predetermined sequence

Examples¶

A GPS navigation app used turn-by-turn while driving (a performance-support "sidekick") versus used in advance to plan a route (a "planner")
A 15-minute microtraining module delivered near the work setting to refresh a skill an employee already has some familiarity with
Informal science learning through museum visits, hobbies (amateur astronomy, beekeeping), or self-directed internet research prompted by a personal event (e.g., a medical diagnosis)

Key Sources¶

Boileau, T. (2019). Informal learning. In R. West (Ed.), Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology. EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/informal_learning
Cross, J. (2007). Informal learning: Rediscovering the natural pathways that inspire innovation and performance. Pfeiffer.
Rossett, A., & Schafer, L. (2007). Job aids and performance support: Moving from knowledge in the classroom to knowledge everywhere. Pfeiffer.
Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. Jossey-Bass.

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`theory`
`id`	`informal-learning`
`title`	`Informal Learning`
`description`	`Informal learning is self-directed, unofficial learning "pulled" by the learner's own perceived need rather than "pushed" by a predetermined curriculum, and accounts for the large majority of adult and workplace learning even though organizations still spend most training budgets on formal instruction.`
`status`	`review`
`canonical`	`True`
`generated`	by `claude/unspecified` on `2026-08-29`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content

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