Development of an informal learning opportunities assay

Learning that takes place outside the formal classroom, called informal lea rning, has been a difficult parameter to assess due to the heterogeneous na ture of the subjects and everyday learning situations. To date, no instrume nt has been developed to effectively examine the wide variety of informal e xperiences a child may encounter. Central to this study was the development and field testing of such an instrument, the Informal Learning Opportuniti es Assay (ILOA). The ILOA was administered to a total of 2128 middle and hi gh school students and was found to be ethnically neutral, easily scored, a nd flexible in design to accommodate practitioners and researchers. The ins trument was found to provide a reliable assessment of informal learning opp ortunities.