Eraut's Five Features of Formal Learning
Eraut’s Five Features of Formal Learning
The five features (Eraut, 2000)
- Prescribed learning framework: the learner knows what and why.
- Organized learning event or package: a timetable, sequence, and flow.
- Designated teacher or trainer: someone trained is in charge.
- Award of a qualification or credit: it ends in a certificate or degree.
- External specification of outcomes: goals are set in advance.
The twist
Eraut still rated non-formal learning higher, arguing classrooms are artificial settings that can hold learning back.
Michael Eraut (2000) set out five markers that make learning “formal.” Together they describe what a school or training program looks like when it is doing its job. What makes his list unusual is that he was not a champion of formal learning: he thought classrooms are artificial settings and placed more weight on non-formal learning. The five features still give a clear test for whether a learning situation counts as formal.
The Five Markers
Each feature answers a different question about a learning situation: what, how, who, what for, and to what end. The table lays them out.
| Feature | What it means |
|---|---|
| Prescribed learning framework | The learner knows what is being learned and why they are there |
| Organized learning event or package | There is a timetable, a sequence, and a steady flow to the work |
| Designated teacher or trainer | A trained person is in charge of the learning |
| Award of a qualification or credit | It ends in a report card, certificate, diploma, or degree |
| External specification of outcomes | The results to aim for are stated in advance |
A situation with all five is formal learning in Eraut’s sense. Drop several of them and it slides toward non-formal.
The first two features cover the plan. A prescribed framework means the learner has a reason to be there and a sense of what they are meant to gain. An organized event or package adds the machinery: a timetable, a set order for topics, and a rhythm to the days so the work builds instead of scattering.
The learner knows what is being learned and why.
It is the first of Eraut’s five features of formal learning. Before anything is taught, there is a clear purpose and a defined scope, so the learner understands the point of being there rather than sitting through unexplained material.
Who Runs It and What It Leads To
The third feature is a designated teacher or trainer. Someone has to be in control of the learning, and Eraut was firm that this person should be trained. Putting an untrained adult in a classroom and expecting good results does not work; a trained teacher knows what to teach, how much, when, and why.
The fourth feature is the award of a qualification or credit. This is often the visible reason people enroll. At each stage the learner is promoted and moves on, and across school, college, and university the rewards become certificates, diplomas, and degrees. Formal education tends to close with a credential that records the time spent.
The fifth feature is the external specification of outcomes. In formal learning, the goals are set in advance: what is this for, and what should learners be able to do at the end. Eraut warned against judging this by exam results alone. The outcome that matters is what students can actually do with what they learned, not the mark on a paper.
The goals of the learning are stated before it begins.
It is the fifth feature of formal learning. Eraut cautioned against measuring these outcomes by exam scores alone, arguing the real test is what learners can do afterward with what they gained.
Why the List Cuts Against Itself
The five features read like a defense of formal schooling, but Eraut used them to mark its boundaries rather than praise it. In his view, learning happens mainly outside these structured settings, and the tidy framework of a classroom can hold back the fuller learning that occurs when the rules are looser. The list is best read as a definition, not a recommendation.
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