Cultures of learning

This special issue revisits and extends prior research work on the culture–learning interface. At the center of attention are the learning cultures of specific classrooms and workplaces as well as the situated identities of the teachers, students and professionals whose varied learning journeys are illuminated and carefully analyzed. The specific conceptual lenses guiding the inquiries are based on the sociocultural and ethnographic approaches to learning. The articles are thematically grouped into four categories, namely (a) inclusive learning communities—diverse modes of participation, (b) identity construction in multicultural classrooms, (c) hybrid learning across professional cultures, and (d) micro-analytic perspectives towards the study of meaning making in collaborative and communal learning activities. In sum, this international collection of empirical studies illuminates the reciprocal process of learning and cultural production in classroom settings and occupational networks.Moreover, it highlights multiple ways of investigating these processes at the local site and demonstrates how the local practices articulate with other communities of practice. The special issue ends by a critical and reflective commentary on the culture–learning interface from the perspective of teachers, students and learning contexts.