The objective of this research is to examine transnational learning environments particularly in the emergent Estonian- Finnish transnational space. The main research question is how learning takes place in transnational settings. This question is explored by examining the modes and spheres of learning particularly in Estonian-Finnish transnational space through interview accounts of Estonian migrants. More specifically, it is examined 1) what kinds of transnational learning environments the informants of the study have engaged in, 2) what the informants report having learnt in transnational settings, and 3) how and what kinds of conceptions and practices have been shared in transnational communities.

Since the 1990s, researchers in different fields of study have investigated how migrants nowadays often build social fields that cross geographic, cultural, and political borders, i.e. transnational social fields, transnational social spaces, transnational circuits, transnational communities and so on (for example, Glick Schiller et. al. 1992; Portes 2003; Faist 2000; Levitt 2001; Pries 2001; Vertovec 2009). An essential feature of different transnational spaces is the circulation of goods, people and information over national borders. Transnational social spaces have been defined by Faist (2000: 309) as relatively permanent flows of people, conceptions, and services across national borders that connect both stayers and movers as well as networks and non-governmental organisations. The general idea in studies on migrant transnationalism has been to investigate the cross-border relations between migrants and their non-migrant relatives, friends and community members living in countries of emigration. Therefore, these studies have mainly focused on investigating migrants’ transnational linkages to their former home countries. The viewpoint of this research is, however, that migrants can take part in transnational social formations which do not include only migrants and non-migrants in their countries of origin but also host country nationals and people originating from different countries.

Socio-cultural learning theories put forward the idea that learning is essentially a social phenomenon which should be analysed in its social, cultural and historical contexts. Activity theory, cultural psychology and situated learning approach represent different streams of socio-cultural learning tradition. Individuals belong to different kinds of social communities, such as families, leisure groups, or occupational communities, throughout their lives. Some of these groups can be described as communities of practice which Lave and Wenger (1991: 98) first defined as ‘a set of relations among persons, activity, and world, over time and in relation with other tangential and overlapping communities of practice’. According to Wenger (1998: 73-84), three main dimensions of communities of practice are 1) mutual engagement 2) a joint enterprise and 3) a shared repertoire. A majority of studies on communities of practice have been related to business organisations and workplaces while there are only few studies which have explored informal learning experiences of migrants in the communities they engage in (Jackson 2010; Verma 2010). These studies have mainly focused on migrants’ learning experiences in the host societies while this research explores learning experiences more widely in transnational spaces.

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