탈(脫)학교, 입(入)학습

Learning Experiences of School Dropout Youths in an Alternative Community of Practice

이 연구는 탈학교 청소년들이 제도 학교 ‘탈락자’라는 사회적 소수자로부터 ‘자기주도적 학습자’로서의 정체성을 갖기까지, 대안적 학습과정을 실천공동체 이론을 기반으로 분석하였다. 질적 연구 방법론을 활용하였으며, 도시형 대안학교 졸업생 및 재학생 18명을 대상으로 중다자료수집을 하였다. 연구결과, 학교를 벗어났으나 학습자 정체성을 자신에게 맞는 방식으로 지속하고자 하는 열망이 대안적 학습 공간 참여의 주요 동기로 작용하게 되는 점, 그러나 학교 교육 이와의 교육 정보 부재가 이들에게 학습 참여의 장벽으로 작용하고 있다는 점, 또한 이들이 초기 학습과정에서 형성한 ‘기반경험’은 학습에의 지속적인 참여를 가능하게 하며 이들에게 ‘자기주도 학습’은 학습 방법이라기보다 학습의 태도이자 삶의 방식 중 하나로 인식된다는 점을 제시하였다.

This empirical research presents how school dropout youths carry out their plans for leaving school, start participation in alternative schools, and construct their identities as marginalized, but fully-fledged self-directed learners. Theories of Communities of Practice(CoP) have been applied to investigate the transition process of eighteen students and alumni of five alternative schools located in Seoul. Qualitative data were collected by semi-structured interviews with the participants as well as their reflective journals and various school documents. The result discloses that their aspiration to maintain learner identity largely influenced their decisions to enter alternative schools while the lack of reliable information acted as barriers in participation. Also, their transition process spotlights the accumulation of dynamic experiences in this community of practice, which impacted new identity formation, accepting self-directed learning not just as a method of learning, but as a reified way of living. By shedding light on their learning experience and its relevance to the field of lifelong education, this research calls for greater attention of scholars and policymakers to school dropout youths as life long learners.