Informal Economic Learning through Scrap Work: Autonomy, Achievement, and Emotional Reward among Collectors

Abstract

This study examines how scrap collectors and traders in Nigeria experience economic learning through autonomy, achievement, and emotional reward. Qualitative data were collected from participants during an ethnographic study conducted between August and October 2025. Guided by interpretive anthropology and self-determination theory, the analysis showed that participants organized work independently, evaluated recyclable materials, managed earnings, accumulated savings, and pursued ownership goals. These work-based experiences strengthened economic self-reliance, competence, entrepreneurial thinking, and intrinsic motivation despite low income and occupational stigma. The findings indicate that informal occupations can function as practical environments for economic and management education. Educational and policy programs should therefore strengthen financial literacy, enterprise development, and worker autonomy without weakening participants’ existing forms of self-direction and independence.