Performance Management: Putting Research into Action

Methodological Issues Associated with Informal Learning

Conducting research about informal learning is not only challenging when attempting to determine the frequency of its occurrence, but in many other regards as well. There are many methodological issues that arise when designing or conducting studies of informal learning. Chief among them, as previously discussed, is the fact that the definition of informal learning differs among researchers. Advances in the understanding of informal learning and its impact on the individual, on the organization, and on organizational processes such as performance management cannot be achieved until there are agreed-upon operational definitions.

Most studies of informal learning are field studies that ...