Informal Learning

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the role of informal learning and the organizational learning capacity in learning motivation and professional ethics of faculty members in the Eastern Azerbaijan ′s Universities. Methodology: It used survey approach. Statistical population included 2500 individuals of faculty members in Eastern Azerbaijan from which 400 people were selected using random sampling. Data was collected using four standard questionnaires. To analyze data and examine the relationships of the variables, correlation method and stepwise regression were used. Findings: Results showed a positive and significant correlation between informal learning variables and learning motivation and professional ethics. Also, a positive and significant correlation was found between organizational learning capacity, learning motivation, and professional ethics. Maximum correlation coefficient belonged to informal learning and learning motivation (r=0.73). Based on the findings, the regression model for predicting learning motivation and professional ethics through informal learning and learning capacity is significant. Conclusion: Regarding the findings, it can be concluded that any increase in informal learning and organizational learning capacity is associated with increased academic motivation and professional ethics; hence, attention to informal learning and learning capacity in East Azarbaijan universities It can be of great importance in increasing the learning motivation and professional ethics of the faculty members of the universities of East Azarbaijan.

With the explosive expansion of digital content in the present media landscape where almost every aspect of our lives is intertwined with the online interconnected spaces, extramural English—otherwise known as informal learning of English—has gained remarkable popularity among the youth, most notably the digital native generation or the tech-savvy. Informal learning of English in general, and extramural English in particular, occur outside of classroom settings—be it online and in real life—through learner-initiated activities. Notable examples of such activities include, among other things, watching films and TV shows, listening to songs, or playing video games (Sundqvist, 2024). Indeed, (online) informal learning of English, as Lee and Lee (2021) and Jurkovič (2019) note, consists of self-directed activities in digital settings, often driven by personal interests and undertaken independently, without teacher supervision. Typically, users engage in these activities without the explicit intention of improving their L2 skills. On this ground, the legitimacy of researching informal contact with English is rooted in a confluence of various factors, including contemporary communication practices, the evolving nature of language learning and the proliferation of free and user-friendly online resources and technologies worldwide.