Making Meaning of Local Nonformal Education: Practitioner’s Perspective

Most often associated with international development programs, local nonformal education, which is practiced in cultural (museums), historical (memorials, battlefields), natural (parks), and commercial (craft, home improvement clinics) settings, has received little substantive attention in the United States. In response, this case study explored two nonformal education sites (state parks and home improvement clinics) to understand how nonformal educators make meaning of their practice. Through observations and interviews, results indicate a much more complex picture of nonformal education than is discussed in the literature, with implications for both formal education and improving the practice of nonformal education.