Non-formal Education

Community education and outreach programs should be evidence-based. This dictum seems at once warranted, welcome, and slightly platitudinous. However, the ‘‘evidence based’’ movement’s more narrow definition of evidence—privileging randomized controlled trials as the ‘‘gold standard’’—has fomented much debate. Such debate, though insightful, often lacks grounding in actual practice. To address that lack, the purpose of the study presented in this paper was to examine what actually happens, in practice, when people support the implementation of evidence-based programs (EBPs) or engage in related efforts to make non-formal education more ‘‘evidence-based.’’ Focusing on three cases—two adolescent sexual health projects (one in the United States and one in Kenya) and one more general youth development organization—I used qualitative methods to address the questions: (1) How is evidence-based program and evidence-based practice work actually practiced? (2) What perspectives and assumptions about what non-formal education is are manifested through that work? and (3) What conflicts and tensions emerge through that work related to those perspectives and assumptions? Informed by theoretical perspectives on the intersection of science, expertise, and democracy, I conclude that the current dominant approach to making non-formal education more evidence-based by way of EBPs is seriously flawed.

The aim of this paper is to explore the extent to which non-formal
education is being corroded by neoliberal values. Given non-for-
mal education is frequently used to develop young people ’ s
notions of citizenship, and that non-formal education providers
are increasingly forced to operate within the free-market para-
digm, it is signi fi cant to consider what forms of personhood are
being championed. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-
structured interviews and observations with coaches and young
people from a youth sports charity in the UK. Focusing on a core
aspect of non-formal education – caring relationships (as under-
stood by Nel Noddings and Carl Rogers) – the fi ndings suggest
that the quality of coaches ’ care for young people was conditioned
by the extent to which adolescents re-shaped their personhood to
align with neoliberal values of individual responsibility and disci-
pline. Thus, the meanings of ‘ care ’ and ‘ good citizenship ’ were
corroded by a neoliberal rationality.

This paper examines the notions of Formal, non-formal and informal learning, as defined by the OECD and Werquin (2007). It then applies these notions to literacy and languages, offering examples for each. Finally, it examines asset-based frameworks to assess learning in these contexts, including the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Greece has been a site of various crises in recent years: firstly, the financial crash of 2008; secondly, the ongoing ‘refugee crisis’, which peaked in 2015; and thirdly, the current COVID-19 pandemic. This paper addresses the first of these crises, and particularly how state responses to increased migration flows shape young refugees’ (aged 15��25) (re-)engagement with post-15 learning opportunities upon arrival in the country. It is based on semi-structured interviews with young refugees living in Thessaloniki, conducted as part of an ethnographic doctoral project on educational decision-making. The findings reveal that three key institutional bordering practices in Greece—namely the bordering of space (via encampment), time (via enforced waiting), and public services (via administrative barriers)—played central roles in young refugees’ (re-)engagement with post-15 education; often causing their dreams to be diverted or downgraded. However, with determination and the support of willing gatekeepers, refugee youth found ways to (re)construct adapted learning trajectories despite, and in response to, these arrival challenges.

This article aims to increase understanding of how the institutional model of a (neo)corporative state meets new forms in a changing civil society. This objective is accomplished by analyzing two case studies of Swedish organizations entering into the field of government-subsidized popular education: one youth organization and one Muslim organization. The institutionalist concepts isomorphism, isopraxism, isonymism, packaging and translation are used to analyze these. Empirically the article is based on qualitative analysis of interviews, observations and written documents. It is concluded that the translation of popular education as an organizational concept in these cases is characterized by coercive and mimetic isomorphism, isopraxism and isonymism to an extent that hinders development in the popular education field. There are also examples of emerging packaging changing the relationship between state and civil society. That issue, however, requires further qualitative research, as does the influence of corporatism on civil society organization in general.

This article deals with the relationship between adults’ free time and further education. More specifically, the paper addresses the question of whether there are similarities and analogies between the leisure time that adults dedicate to non-formal educational activities
and free time per se. A structured questionnaire was used to examine the above issue. A total of 787 adults, who were involved in some kind of non-formal education in a region of
Greece, replied to the questionnaire. The results of the research revealed that, despite the
fact that all those who participated in non-formal education activities have limited free time,
they prefer to dedicate some of it to learning opportunities. Furthermore, it seems that a
connection between the particular learning programme and the participant’s professional field is an essential factor in the choice of the programme. Conversely, personal needs and
preferences, as well as individual flair, have less to do with this choice.

The association between demographic characteristics and Job Satisfaction Scores (JSS) was examined among 240 hospital staff. The population sample consisted of men and women, between the ages of 18 to 60 randomly selected from four different hospitals within the Southern region of the United States. The study was a descriptive correlational study guided by a positivist paradigm. Data was collected using the Spector (1997) Job Satisfaction Scale and a demographic survey designed by the researcher. Data analysis was enabled by SPSS 25 to identify any association Total Job Satisfaction and demographic characteristics among hospital staff.  Differences among staff in relation to job satisfaction facets based on demographic characteristics was also examined. Results of the Spearman Rank-Order Correlation revealed a significant negative correlation between age and Total Job satisfaction (TS); and generational categories and (TS) [1 – tailed]. However, a similar [2 – tailed] test failed to reveal any significant relationship among the variables. A post-hoc Kruskal-Wallis (KW) test of independent samples failed to reveal a significant difference between demographic characteristics and (TS), and individual JSS facets. Further investigation into clinical and nonclinical staff yielded similar results.

Keywords:  Staff, Job Satisfaction, Demographic Characteristics, Clinical, Nonclinical, Generational Categories

While research has been done on many aspects of evaluation within a variety of contexts and organizations, there is a lack of research surrounding the culture of evaluation. This study set out to examine this evaluative culture in one of the world's largest non-formal educational organizations through the use of an online survey and quantitative methodology. A path model was developed to examine the factors affecting evaluation culture. Results show perception regarding evaluation, program area, college major, location, training in evaluation, degree level, and years of experience explained 28% of the variance within evaluation culture. Results also found that the culture of evaluation is greatly impacted by leadership. By taking a closer look at the evaluation culture of a large non-formal educational organization, much can be learned about how to better develop and support evaluative work in other similar organizations and programs.

Science festivals have their roots in the annual conference of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, which was founded in 1831 and later renamed the British Science Festival. The modern concept of a science festival, as we know it today, first emerged in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1989. The prevalence of science festivals has grown dramatically within the past decade, cementing their status as a global phenomenon. Between them, they share a few common characteristics of transiency, a high level of public engagement, a time-limited nature and a heterogeneous target group. However, they do not constitute a uniform set of events, as different kinds of science festivals have thus far been developed. This chapter aims to review the notion of science festivals and highlight their diversity and main characteristics. Special attention is paid to science festivals in Greece. Moreover, a brief overview of recent research data, as well as an overview of the limitations of existing studies in the field of science festivals' evaluation, is presented. Subsequently, a theoretical and methodological framework for the study of science festival activities' analysis, design and evaluation is proposed. Finally, suggestions for future research in the field of science festivals are discussed.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are disrupting traditional, higher education and redefining how learning takes place online. These open courses typically offer some form of recognition, such as a certificate of completion and/or digital badge, to recognize, validate, and in some cases even accredit learning. A general problem with MOOCs is the uncertainty regarding the use and goals of recognition, validation, and accreditation (RVA), and participants’ acceptance and perception of such techniques. This research effort addresses this problem by exploring course partici-pants’ attitudes and levels of acceptance of non-formal learning recognition compared to traditional university credit in both developed and developing countries. The actual study uses both certificates of completion and digital badges to recognize and validate learning in an introductory, university level course in web programming using HTML5/CSS. The course is available to anyone, but was specifically marketed to participants from Sweden and Kenya. Empirical data was gathered using interviews and online surveys in the course. The preliminary results are that participants from developing countries value digital recognition to a greater extent than their counterparts in Europe. However, both Swedes and Kenyans see open courses with digital recognition as a complement to traditional learning to individually construct an education.

Purpose: This article reports part of a study focusing on young people’s transition from the nonformal to the formal education sector, and explores how the experiences of children and young people in remote formal and nonformal schools affect their awareness of issues of health, well-being and the environment. One of the main objectives of Bangladeshi extensive nonformal primary education, run by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in parallel with the formal system, is to prepare children outside schools to enter or re-enter the formal education sector. The study addresses the issue of educational relevance from pupils’ perspectives and looking at the implications for pupil transition between these two sectors. Method: Interviews and observations of students and their classes were conducted in two
contrasting rural high schools in different areas of Bangladesh, and their feeder primary schools. Results: Where formal primary graduates focus more in high school on learning from their textbooks, nonformal primary graduates aim to put their knowledge into practice in their day-to-day life on a range of critical issues. Conclusion: The results suggest an important contrast between nonformal and formal education sectors regarding students’ agency and knowledge of health and well-being,
hygiene and environmental awareness in rural Bangladesh.

Professionalism is a core topic in international discourse on adult education. Its importance is due not least to the need for professional self-assurance given the hete-rogeneity of the field of adult education, which is characterised not only by a wide range of working conditions, employment forms and responsibilities but also by the different qualifications and professional backgrounds of adult educators. Therefore, further education programmes for adult educators could be one important pillar in the professionali-sation of adult education. At the same time, however, heterogeneous personnel structures make the seemingly simple question of further education for adult educators increasingly complex. While at the international level there is particular emphasis on professionali-sation by means of academic degree programmes, the focus of the present paper is on non-formal further education for adult educators. It compares similarities and differences
using country-specific examples of non-formal further education programmes for adult educators and seeks to explain them. The results are obtained using an international comparative research methodology. The cases (non-formal programmes) from Latvia, Brazil, Germany and Nigeria are examined by focusing on their target groups, structures,
content and aims. The degree to which they are embedded in specific organisational and institutional structures and (national) policies also plays a role. The starting point for a critical reflection is the question: How can non-formal further education programmes contribute to the individual professionalisation of adult educators?

In this chapter, we will show when and how place needs to be and can be reasserted as a key unifying concern for outdoor pedagogy. We argue for place-responsiveness as viable purposeful direction for outdoor education that allows us to address linked relational concerns: the development of the person, the development of skills and practice abilities, and the development of more sustainable relations with and in place. We trace when and how place is gaining more of a platform as a key aspect of international educational policy developments. The turn towards place in academic writing is noted and explored. Employing a relational ontology, we argue for place-responsiveness in outdoor education. To realise place-responsiveness will require a widening of the frame of reference and a dynamic approach since the elements involved in place-as-event mean that place-based entities and people are relationally co-emerging. We offer a typology for planning with place in mind and a manifesto for place-responsive outdoor teaching.

Popular education (Folkbildning), a distinctive Swedish tradition of lifelong learning, has always concerned itself with the relationship between learning, power and democracy in society rather than having a purely individualistic and instrumental approach to learning for employability, which has dominated policy and practice. Through the themes of power and democracy this book examines popular education's contribution to enhancing people's lives in communities, reflecting on wider significance, and explores its impact on the political culture of the state and the cultural politics of society within and outside Sweden, including the USA, Japan, Canada and Tanzania.

This article presents the design, implementation and evaluation of an educational orientation project for young people at risk of social exclusion who attended an Open Access Centre in Barcelona (Spain). The project aimed
to increase participants’ expectations of education in general, and of university and higher education in particular. A content analysis and a pre- and posttest
design are used to evaluate the effects of the programme. The programme was developed during five sessions under the supervision of a psychologist researcher. The results show that young people adopt a new meaning in relation to higher education by appropriating a language that allows them to redefine its sense and the original meaning of the academic institution.

"The work of the European Commission-Council of Europe partnership in the areas of youth worker training and of intercultural dialogue, in particular the Euro-Mediterranean co-operation activities, has provided ample experience of successfully practising intercultural learning in youth work and at the same time having so many difficulties in communicating about it. Communication, in this sense, is a
condition for multiplying the experiences and, therefore, for being more effective.
This essay by Susana Lafraya is a modest contribution in this direction. The connections that she makes between non-formal learning, youth work and intercultural theory sum up much of what has been said in the youth work field in the past years". Rui Gomes (Co-ordinator for the Euro-Mediterranean, intercultural dialogue and human rights
education activities of the partnership between the European Commission and the Council of Europe in the field of youth)

Özet: Sınıfın dışında gerçekleştirilen her tür eğitimsel etkinliğe "Sınıf dışı eğitim (outdoor)" adı verilmektedir. Sınıf dışı eğitim, bir tür algın eğitim ve aynı zamanda, örgün eğitimin tamamlayıcısı olarak kabul edilmektedir. Sınıf dışı eğitim, çoğunlukla çevre eğitimi için kullanılsa da bu eğitimin, hem fen ve hem de sosyal konuların eğitimi için kullanılabileceği belirtilmektedir. Çeşitli felsefi temelleri olan sınıf dışı eğitimin, önü açık bir araştırma alanı ve öğrenme-öğretme ortamı olduğu düşünülmektedir. Çalışmanın sonucunda sınıf dışı eğitimin, genel eğitim olgusu içinde göz ardı edilemeyecek şekilde önemli olduğu görülmüştür. Anahtar Kelimeler: Sınıf dışı eğitim, örgün eğitim, yaygın eğitim, Türkiye Abstract: All extra-class educational activities are called "outdoor education" which is taken as complementary to the formal education. Even though it is mostly preferred for environmental education, the outdoor education also attracts a great deal of attention from the fields of social sciences as well. It is considered that outdoor education, based on various philosophical foundations, is a promising research field and fertile education and training environment. The research concludes that outdoor education bears visible importance and occupies a central place in conventional approaches of education.

Using the competency-based test instrument developed for Education Watch 2000 this study made a comparison of learning achievement of two types of primary schools viz., government primary schools (GPS) and BRAC primary schools (BPS). Sixty schools from rural Bangladesh equally distributed by type was randomly chosen for the study. Number of students under test was 600 from BPS and 581 from GPS. Education Watch data of 2000 and other datasets on BPS on the same issue were used to see the improvement in performance over time. The analyses reveal that the overall performance of BPS was slightly better than that of GPS. The gap between BPS and GPS narrowed down from 2000 to 2006. There is still scope for both the sub-systems to improve in achievement of more competencies by the students including gender equity. Students were well in the test items assessing knowledge but they were found weak in those items requiring 'understanding level' of skills. Scope to improve 'understanding level' of skills of the students cannot be ignored.

The General Secretariat for Lifelong Learning and Youth (GSLLLY), the strategic national entity for Adult Education in Greece, has designed and implemented various e-learning courses offering flexibility beyond time and space restrictions. The courses run in two consecutive periods, the first one from 2008 to 2011 and the second one from 2014 to 2016. This paper is focusing on key design and implementation features of the courses in both periods and is analyzing the ways and the level by which the evaluation of the courses of the first period affected positively the design of the courses in the second period by enhancing the strengths and rectifying the weaknesses. Further on the evaluation results of the second period courses clearly showed that the majority of the first period problems have been solved and provided useful material for further improvement.

A recently created trend within the past few years is the active involvement of the business community in the development and implementation of various educational programs.

Business Community Engagement for Educational Initiatives provides innovative insights into the implementation of educational programs jointly by businesses, schools, teachers, and educational organizations. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as educational travel, internships, and summer school, this publication is designed for educational administrators, teachers, business leaders, academicians, and researchers seeking coverage on topics centered on business-supported educational programs.

In che modo promuovere centri giovanili intesi come spazi dove i giovani possano vivere la loro età quale condizione esistenziale specifica? Spazi, quindi, in cui fare esperienza dell’essere giovani e della tensione sempre presente tra le proprie spinte verso il nuovo e la resistenza delle istituzioni verso il cambiamento. A partire da questo interrogativo, il libro presenta una ricerca sui centri giovanili e si propone come strumento per responsabili di politiche pubbliche, professionisti e operatori sociali su come costruire spazi educativi dove i giovani abbiano un ruolo attivo, propositivo e decisionale: rinviare questa possibilità all’età adulta, infatti, appare una forma di chiusura verso il cambiamento, se si considera la crescente fluidità e indeterminatezza delle soglie di passaggio verso lo status di adulti. Ponendosi nel dibattito internazionale, si osservano i centri giovanili come spazi di youth work, espressione ormai d’uso comune anche a livello europeo nel tentativo di creare una base professionale condivisa all’interno del variegato universo di chi opera in attività educative al di fuori della scuola. Tenendo conto dei risultati del lavoro svolto in merito dal Consiglio d’Europa e dalla Commissione Europea, il volume offre uno spaccato comparativo con il caso dell’Inghilterra dove gli youth workers sono professionisti provenienti da specifici percorsi formativi e regolamentati da sistemi di accreditamento pubblici.

En este trabajo se analiza la construcción y conceptualización de los procesos de evaluación
en la educación no formal. El propósito de este ensayo es discutir sobre la necesidad de evaluar los
procesos educativos y proponer un esquema con los elementos básicos para la evaluación. El punto de
partida son las discusiones actuales en el campo, con el fin de plantear la necesidad de instituciones,
personas y organizaciones en el desarrollo de procesos educativos alternativos a los realizados en
contextos formales e informales. Posteriormente se discuten los actuales debates teóricos en el campo.
Se ofrece una visión general sobre el tema con el propósito de señalar los pasos y procesos clave, así
como las herramientas de evaluación en educación. En conclusión, hay una creciente importancia en
evaluar y rendir cuentas sobre los resultados de los procesos de aprendizaje no formal.

The present paper aims to shed light on ways of dealing with the paradox of formalizing the non-formal that arises when youth work is required to operate on the basis of outcomes and target-based non-formal education programmes. Therefore, the potential of theory-based evaluation is argued to be an effective evaluation model, able to gather evidence of youth work outcomes and mechanisms by looking, moreover, into the complex and sometimes unpredictable processes of non-formal education and informal learning. A theoretical framework and a pattern of theory-based concepts are developed within the paper in order to help evaluation research to investigate those mechanisms through which the interplay between non-formal education and informal learning may lead to the strengthening of young people’s agency in youth centres. Youth agency has been chosen as a possible youth work outcome in an attempt to go beyond an adult-centric view focused on the identification of those skills required in order to become an adult.

This paper discusses the use of portfolio
method in the process of assessment of nonformal
and informal learning achievements
(ANILA), with reference to the example of
vocational teacher education. The purpose
of the article is to explore the use of portfolio
method as an opportunity to monitor
the professional development of vocational
(VET) teachers as well as to foster discussion
on ANILA methodologies, contributing
to both reflective self-assessment and
professional accountability.

The "meeting" between the institutions of higher education and adult education produced not only on the non-formal educational platform, but also on that of the formal education constitutes a defiant challenge of entrenched models and traditional approaches and also an opportunity to increase the number of candidates to higher education in the situation of "loss", out of various reasons, of traditional students. Thus, on the one hand, the adult education and andragogy as a didactic paradigm of adult education and, on the other hand, university education acquire connections determined by widening the heterogeneousness of the actors involved in the educational process in terms of age, educational pathways, professional experience, learning needs and motivations, life experince, and skills. The article provides an analysis of policies and practices in the Republic of Moldova in the sphere of continuous education at universities, of andragogidal dimensions of university education and it emphasizes on the formal education opportunities provided by universities to mature students. The article cited 5 sources of conceptual, policy and methodological nature of adult education researchers and many other electronic sources that show statistics and practices from the domain. As the result of analyses, we conclude that adult education at universities and andragogical particularities of higher education derive from the judgements of organizational character of the educational system, as well as of psycho-social, demographic, economic, and psychopedagogical nature.

This essay discusses deschooling concept as an alternative learning delivery method to achieve education for all. We argue that the deschooling idea, first introduced by Illich before the era of the Internet, has become relevant in relation to today’s education challenges. What we mean by deschooling in this paper is not the abolishment of the schooling system. Instead, the recall of deschooling discourse aims to provide more recognition of learning activities outside of the school setting. The learning webs, a key enabler in deschooling discourse,
are realistic when implemented with the help of 21st century’s technology. The argument in this paper utilised an in-depth literature review and discourse analysis in the deschooling debate. To strengthen our argument, we have provided three case studies in the form of informal learning, non-formal learning and e-learning related to deschooling initiatives. Based on our findings, we can conclude that deschooling society is certainly viable. The principles used in deschooling, such as flexibility, inclusiveness, adaptability and personalisation, are alternatives for everyone to have freedom of access, use, copy, and modify learning resources. We also found that there may be possible challenges, including the limitation of self-directed learning, the pitfall of institutionalised capital and a lack of social interaction.

Este artículo presenta dos protoideas educativas de la educación expandida a partir de las definiciones asociadas a este concepto emergente. Los términos son educación no formal e informal y teorías de la desescolarización. Durante el artículo se precisan tales términos y se explora su relación con el concepto y las prácticas de educación expandida. Se concluye que no es lo mismo que la educación no formal e informal y que la crítica a la escolaridad tiene cabida hoy en día.

The immersion of societies in the digital and networked age has led to an increase of opportunities for young people to learn across countless face-to-face and online contexts. However, youth disaffection towards school remains high and access to opportunities across and within countries is remarkably unequal. This article builds on the results of two ethnographic case studies conducted in Spain and the learning stories narrated by 22 youth about their transitions across home, school, spare time, extracurricular activities, trips and virtual environments. The analysis of the stories show how young people establish connections and feel tensions across their experiences, creating continuities and discontinuities that are key for their learning. It also evidence that secondary school is only one node of the big sociocultural network through which young people learn. Building on the results, the conclusions raise the question: might a better understanding of learning trajectories favor a more inclusive educational system?

Κύριο αντικείμενο της έρευνας αποτέλεσε η διερεύνηση των απόψεων και των στάσεων των εκπαιδευομένων που συμμετείχαν σε προγράμματα επιμόρφωσης/κατάρτισης μικτής εκπαίδευσης του Ινστιτούτου Εργασίας της ΓΣΕΕ και υλοποιήθηκαν από το περιφερειακό παράρτημα του ΙΝΕ ΓΣΕΕ Νοτίου Αιγαίου-Κυκλάδων. Οι συμμετέχοντες/ουσες στην έρευνα κλήθηκαν να αξιολογήσουν την εμπειρία τους σε προηγούμενα προγράμματα επιμόρφωσης/κατάρτισης και να εκφράσουν την προτίμησή τους για προγράμματα παραδοσιακής/διά ζώσης ή μικτής εκπαίδευσης. Αξιολογήθηκαν επίσης η ποιότητα του εκπαιδευτικού υλικού που χρησιμοποιήθηκε, ο ρόλος του/της εκπαιδευτή/τριας και το Σύστημα Διαχείρισης Μάθησης (ΣΔΜ), της ηλεκτρονικής πλατφόρμας, καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια της μαθησιακής διαδικασίας στα προγράμματα επιμόρφωσης/κατάρτισης μικτής εκπαίδευσης.

Abstract:
The main object of the research was to investigate learners’ views and attitudes who participated in training blended learning of the Labour Institute of GSEE and were implemented by the regional branch of the INE GSEE South Aegean-Cyclades. The participants in research were asked to evaluate their experience in previous training programs and to express their preference for traditional training programs or blended training programs. Were also evaluated the quality of the educational material which be used, the trainer’s role and the Learning Management System (LMS), the electronic platform, throughout the learning process in blended learning training programs.

The desire for any government that values the economic growth of its country is to provide education to its citizens. Kenya has made innumerable efforts towards this end since independence. However, several decades down the line, this is yet to be realised. The nomadic pastoralist community is one such a group that has remained out of school due to its palpetic lifestyle. Generally, formal education is appropriate for people leading a sedentary lifestyle, thereby making nomadic pastoralist community be persistently excluded from accessing formal education. Nevertheless, in efforts to promote access to education among communities that are mainly nomadic pastoralists, the Government of Kenya has established mobile schools in Turkana County. Several studies have been conducted on factors contributing to low participation of nomadic pastoralists in education, but very little research has been done on mobile schools. Using a mixed methods research design, various County Government documents and official documents found in schools were reviewed to obtain information concerning Mobile schools in the area of study. Purposive sampling was adopted for this study to identify schools and the population for study. Focused Group Discussions were also held for parents and the learners of the final grade in mobile schools. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics whereas thematic analysis approach was used for qualitative data. The findings were presented in verbatim and tables. This study found out that although mobile schools have promoted access to education among Turkana nomadic pastoralists, their level of participation in education is still significantly low. The study established that some of the conditions that enhance participation in education through mobile schools include: awareness and sensitization, community involvement and multi grade and multi shift approaches in education provision. Also importantly is adopting a multifaceted approach whereby there is both provision of education, food and security. This study recommends further research to establish ways of sustaining mobile schools in provision in provision of education among the nomadic pastoralists.

In Thailand, entrepreneurs have been paid much attention by the government. It is believed that the economy of a country is driven by entrepreneurs. The Thai government’s policy is to encourage people to start their own firms. It has created an environment which entrepreneurs can thrive by supporting people in communities through training via the non-formal education centre (NFE). This study tries to answer 2 research questions; i) What are the characteristics of entrepreneurs who make use of NFE’s curriculum? And ii) What factors drive
entrepreneurs to start up their own businesses. The survey was conducted on through 52 entrepreneurs who passed NFE’s curriculum and established their own businesses since 2011 - 2012. Interview and questionnaires were used as tools to collect data. Statistics shows that most entrepreneurs are married men between the ages of 45-50 years old or women between 30 – 50 years old, and most were not university educated. Most of their businesses are micro enterprises and are owned by single entrepreneurs. Pair sample t-testing illustrates that gender, married status, and education level were significantly
related to entrepreneur starting up businesses. Furthermore, sizes of the firm, type, form of enterprise, location were also positive contributors. Moreover, Pair sample T-testing indicates that factors driving entrepreneurs running and starting
up their own businesses correlated with capital, knowledge which was obtained from NFE, while personal and socio-culture factors were ignored.

The article presents individual positions of the author's research on the integration of non-formal education institutions in the system of civil buildings of Ukraine. The following scientific views on the phenomenon of non-formal education from related industries are analyzed: pedagogy, sociology, psychology, economics and a systematic approach to education as a phenomenon. The prognostic positions of the development of a typological network of non-formal education institutions in connection with the system of public buildings are described. The links are revealed-system objects of a combination of non-formal education institutions with other public buildings. The stages of the study of this problem are briefly described. The proposal on the creation of a universal educational cluster, as a characteristic of non-formal education institutions, is presented, and an example of the formation of the educational block of the centre of scientific and technical creativity based on such a cluster is given.