Comparative Adult Education: The Nature and Approaches

Abstract

Adult Education is a field of study and educational practice whose scope and significance are poorly understood. To most people even the educators, the term adult education evokes an image of night classes at the local high school or perhaps another activity prominently labeled as such. The purpose of this article is not to dwell on what people perceive adult education to be, but rather to look at the nature and the approaches that are used in the study of comparative education. It is important to explain first the following concepts: Comparative, Adult Education, Comparative Education and Comparative Adult Education. After defining these concepts, the paper proceeds to discuss some of the approaches that are very relevant to the study of comparative education. These approaches are by nature historical, scientific, sociological, philosophical and methodological. The paper then concludes with a discussion on what comparative adult education is, and what it should aim at in the years ahead.