Repositioning Out-of-School Learning: Methodological Challenges and Possibilities for Researching Learning Beyond School

Out-of-school learning spans varied formal and informal contexts and is hugely important for the lives of children. The need for time, flexibility, and agility in research within this field is highlighted throughout this multi-disciplinary edited volume, as each author reflects on how to make sense of the unknown and varied contexts in which out-of-school learning takes place. A range of different case studies discuss research methods used, challenges faced, and ways challenges were overcome in relation to out-of-school learning are presented, followed by a series of critical reflections. The case studies include a range of research foci and methods, from large-scale quantitative secondary data analysis, through interviews and workshops, to ethnographic and participatory methods. A series of shorter reflections drawing on all case studies consider the negotiation of the researcher role, building relationships, the ways knowledge is constructed, the role of place and power, keeping hold of messiness and complexity, ethical practice; and ‘slow research’. The principles outlined in this volume are relevant for all research on learning, whenever and wherever it takes place – whether in school or out-of-school.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; Janet Goodall, Jo Rose, and Liz Todd Case Studies Chapter 1. Case Study 1: Out-of-School Activities and the Attainment Gap: A Mixed Methods Exploration of Secondary Data Analysis with Narrative Intersectional Analysis; Karen Laing, Laura Mazzoli Smith, and Liz Todd Chapter 2. Case Study 2: Developing Citizenship and Personhood through a Youth Sports Charity Programme; Ioannis Costas Batlle and Ceri Brown Chapter 3. Case Study 3: Researching the Unknown: Developing an Understanding of Children’s Informal Mathematical Activity; Tim Jay and Jo Rose Chapter 4. Case Study 4: Rhizomic Ethnography: Exploring the Lived Experience of and After-School Minecraft Club; Chris Bailey Chapter 5. Case Study 5: Research Co-Production with Young Women through an Out-of-School Residential Trip; Jill Clark and Karen Laing Chapter 6. Case Study 6: Researching Geographies of Youth Work; Ruth Cheung Judge and Matej Blazek Chapter 7. Case Study 7: Reflections on Position: Relational Agency in Researching ‘Everyday Maths’; Jo Rose and Tim Jay Chapter 8. Case Study 8: Destabilising Methodologies: Working Toward Democratic Parent Engagement; Charlotte Haines Lyon Chapter 9. Case Study 9: Using a Collaborative Theory of Change Approach for Evaluating Out of School Learning; Karen Laing and Liz Todd Thematic Chapters Chapter 10. Theme 1: Negotiating the Researcher Role in Out-of-School Learning Research; Tim Jay and Karen Laing Chapter 11. Theme 2: Building Relationships, Building Structure: Working Together in Research on Out-of-School Learning; Jo Rose and Liz Todd Chapter 12. Theme 3: The Authenticity and Value of Knowledge; Laura Mazzoli Smith and Tim Jay Chapter 13. Theme 4: Emplacing Learning, Emplacing Research: Performances, Power and Inequalities; Ruth Cheung Judge, Matej Blazek, and Ceri Brown Chapter 14. Theme 5: A Beautiful Mess: Keeping Hold of Messiness and Complexity in Research; Liz Todd and Jo Rose Chapter 15. Theme 6: Ethical Practice in Out of School Learning; Jill Clark, Charlotte Haines Lyon, Tim Jay, and Karen Laing Chapter 16. Theme 7: Slow Down: Relationship Building and Slow Research in Settings for Non-Formal Learning; Ioannis Costas Batlle, Laura Mazzoli Smith, and Ruth Cheung Judge Concluding Thoughts; Janet Goodall