[Page 177]Cross-cultural research refers to research that makes comparisons between and across cultures including knowledge, beliefs, norms, customs, values, expectations, and practices. Cross-cultural research on out-of-school learning focuses on learning as it takes place in social practice in informal settings such as homes, communities, and workplaces in different countries and contexts. The impetus for cross-cultural research on this topic is that we have limited knowledge of the out-of-school lives of children and youth in diverse settings and regions of the world. Cross-cultural research in out-of-school settings aims to answer questions about problems and prospects associated with learning and achievement in and out of school in various contexts around the world. Such research offers compelling evidence for expanding understandings of learning to include more diverse accounts ...