This study explores how learners in open education engage with alternative pedagogical practices informed by subcultural values and punk-inspired do-it-yourself (DIY) approaches. While open and distance education has expanded globally, little is known about how learners assert agency, reconfigure authority, and foster community through self-directed, non-institutionalized models. To address this gap, the research investigates four core questions concerning learner autonomy, networked collaboration, subversive learning, and digital identity formation. It adopts a qualitative design based on semi-structured interviews with participants from interdisciplinary backgrounds in Türkiye who actively engaged in open programs. Thematic analysis reveals four key dimensions: autonomous learning as an act of resistance; peer-based collaboration through rhizomatic structures; critical dialogue that disrupts hierarchical knowledge production; and affective engagement in digital communities that foster professional identities. By positioning punk pedagogy and rhizomatic learning as conceptual lenses, the study examines how learners challenge the limits of standardized curricula and instrumental learning paradigms. It contributes to critical and postdigital educational research by highlighting how subcultural frameworks offer meaningful alternatives to neoliberal models. The findings show that when open education is approached as a relational space, it creates transformative practices that center on agency, mutual support, and political engagement. These insights offer concrete implications for educators and policymakers aiming to design more inclusive, resilient, and critically engaged learning environments.
Hüseyin Serbes (2026) studied this question.