"Learners in supportive environments have high levels of self-efficacy and self-motivation and use learning as a primary transformative force." Welcoming the learner –child, youth or adult– in an environment where they can feel safe and nurtured for is very important for the development of each individual and the society as a whole. Addressing the issue of learning environment in a comprehensive and systematic way is even more critical in countries with limited financial resources. These scarce resources should be invested with a clear definition of what constitutes an enabling learning environment and with a clear benchmarking of progress toward the attainment of that environment. Despite the wide variety of learning systems and complexity of layers of decision-making, it is critical to not lose the importance of building learning environments and integrate these aforementioned considerations in a national and local policy context.
Learning takes place in multiple settings and the learning environment can be structured or unstructured and the learning in different environments can complement each other. Formal and non-formal education occurs mainly in structured environments in the form of institutions (schools, community centers, multimedia centers, learning villages/cities, etc.). Informal education on the other hand takes place in both structured and unstructured environments. This Analytical Tool focuses on structured environments. The paramount question this toolkit aims to address is: Have we assured every learner an environment that is both physically and psychosocially enabling to their learning and thus conducive to improving the quality of education and learning effectiveness? Through a series of structured questions, the toolkit supports an in-depth analysis of the different aspects of the learning environment both physical and psychosocial and also the policy context.
