Submit your papersSubmit Now
For Enquiries: [email protected]
IIARD LogoIIARD

The City Learning Experience as Sustainable Educational Opportunity

Gianluca Gravino, Emma Saraiello, Maria Giovanna Tafuri

Abstract

In recent years, the Learning City paradigm has established itself as a strategic framework for promoting lifelong learning, social inclusion and sustainable urban development. However, the evaluation of Learning Cities is still mainly based on structural and output indicators, which are not very sensitive to the quality of the experience of citizens. This study proposes an experience-based and citizen-centred evaluation approach, aimed at exploring the urban learning experience through the integration of User Experience tools and participatory qualitative methodologies. The research adopts a convergent qualitative-quantitative design and involves a sample of 357 adult citizens, residents of the city under study and participants in urban learning activities. Quantitatively, the experience was measured using the User Experience Questionnaire – Short version (UEQ-S), while qualitatively, 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. The activities evaluated include an integrated urban learning programme consisting of cultural events in public spaces, educational courses in museums and libraries, civic and digital workshops, and an online platform providing access to training opportunities. The quantitative results show overall positive assessments of both the pragmatic and hedonic quality of the experience, indicating high levels of effectiveness, accessibility and engagement. The qualitative analyses confirm the perception of the city as a widespread and meaningful educational space, but also highlight critical issues related to real inclusiveness, orientation skills and the misalignment between stated educational policies and actual practices.

Keywords

lifelong learning; citizen experience; urban education ecosystems

References

Biesta, G. (2012). Good education in an age of measurement: Ethics, politics, democracy. Routledge. Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). SAGE. European Commission. (2020). European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (COM/2020/274 final). Publications Office of the European Union. Fenwick, T. (2010). (Re)thinking the “thing”: Sociomaterial approaches to understanding and researching learning in work. Journal of Workplace Learning, 22(1/2), 104–116. Field, J. (2012). Lifelong learning and the new educational order (2nd ed.). Trentham Books. Kearns, P. (2015). Learning cities: The contribution of lifelong learning to urban development. International Council for Adult Education . Klinenberg, E. (2018). Palaces for the people: How social infrastructure can help fight inequality, polarization, and the decline of civic life. Crown. Laugwitz, B., Held, T., & Schrepp, M. (2008). Construction and evaluation of a user experience questionnaire. In A. Holzinger (Ed.), HCI and usability for education and work (pp. 63– 76). Springer. Longworth, N. (2006). Learning cities, learning regions, learning communities: Lifelong learning and local government. Routledge. Németh, B. (2019). Learning cities and communities: The role of adult learning and education. Sisyphus – Journal of Education, 7(3), 1–17. OECD. (2019). Getting skills right: Future-ready adult learning systems. OECD Publishing. Piazza, M. (2024). Learning city e pubblica amministrazione: Le leve dell’inclusione e della partecipazione [White paper/Report]. (Documento disponibile online in PDF). Preece, J. (2017). Learning cities as community engagement: A critical response to the UNESCO learning city movement. In J. Preece (Ed.), The porous university: A capability and asset-based approach to community engagement (pp. 51–66). Palgrave Macmillan. Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press. Schrepp, M., Hinderks, A., & Thomaschewski, J. (2017). Design and evaluation of a short version of the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ-S). International Journal of Interactive Multimedia and Artificial Intelligence, 4(6), 103–108. UNESCO. (2015). Guidelines for building learning cities. UNESCO. UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. (2017). Key features of learning cities. UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. (2021). UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities: Strategic framework / monitoring guidance (pubblicazione UIL; titolo e sottotitolo possono variare per edizione). UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. Vermeeren, A. P. O. S., Law, E. L.-C., Roto, V., Obrist, M., Hoonhout, J., & Väänänen-Vainio- Mattila, K. (2010). User experience evaluation methods: Current state and development www.ijee.io needs. In Proceedings of the 6th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (NordiCHI ’10) (pp. 521–530). ACM. Webb, S. (2020). Learning cities and implications for adult education research. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 39(5–6), 481–496. Wenger-Trayner, E., & Wenger-Trayner, B. (2015). Learning in landscapes of practice: Boundaries, identity, and knowledgeability in practice-based learning. Routledge.

More Articles from INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATION AND EVALUATION