Informal learning processes of migrants in the civil society: a transnational perspective

Abstract

The aim of the article is to examine the informal learning processes of migrants particularly in relation to their social engagements in associations, informal groups and transnational networks in the Estonia-Finland space. The theoretical framework relates to socio-cultural, situated learning tradition as well as transnational migration studies. In educational research, transnational perspectives are still relatively new and little explored. The research data (98 interviews) were analysed following theoryguided content analysis. Diverse learning trajectories in relation to the informants’ associational engagement were identified. Engagement in various social groups in transnational environments had widened the informants’ perspectives and understanding, enabling them to explore differences in societal conceptions and practices. Some of the informants had been acting as transnational brokers, conveying conceptions and practices between communities across national borders. There is a need to examine migrants’ learning trajectories in relation to their social engagements not only in the country of settlement but also in transnational spaces.