The study examines how the Jordanian government handled literacy and adult education programs in the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022) and how the interventions affect the state of low-literate adults, women, and rural-based learners. Applying a multidisciplinary theoretical framework that combines critical pedagogy, feminist critique, crisis pedagogy, and post-colonial governance, the research examines the governmental and international documentary data. The findings also suggest that the 18-month closure of schools worsened the digital divide, making the impact more significant among women (82 of whom constitute 82 literacy respondents) and rural households, among which only 30 are connected to the internet. The shift of e-learning lay greater emphasis on the provision of educational information in a technical manner instead of providing empowerment and inclusion, and as such, demonstrates how technocentric crisis responses contribute to structural inequity. This study will add to the academic knowledge of how crisis management in adult learning can be used as an informal tool to build supportive and sustainable literacy infrastructures in Jordan and other similar settings in the Global South.

This study examines the discursive and ideological construction of elite multilingualism in the national language policy regarding Swedish for Immigrants (SFI), using the theoretical frames of discourse, language orientations and language ideologies. Informed by a poststructurally-informed critical perspective on language, this study is methodologically framed within critical discourse analysis. The results of this study show how elite multilingualism is constructed as a result of discursive struggle, wherein some languages are positioned as problems in order to position other languages as rights and/or resources. In spite of the complexity manifested in this discursive positioning, an essentialized view of languages as bounded entities prevails as an expression of monolingual nationalist ideologies. Further, an instrumentalized view of language is expressed in a partly neoliberal sense. Considering that a bounded view of language, alongside monolingual nationalist ideologies, implies the hierarchization of languages, it is important for educational stakeholders, such as policy authorities, to understand who are systematically excluded by what languages in what ways. This should be undertaken at the intersection of competing discourses associated with languages that are simultaneously, yet differentially positioned as problems, rights and/or resources.

This study employed a qualititative approach with a single case study to examine the significance of complementary basic education programmes to the beneficiaries’ livelihoods in Tanzania. Using purposive and snowball sampling procedures, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and documentary review with COBET beneficiaries (2003-2018), facilitators and the District Adult Education Officer. The generated data was analysed qualitatively. The findings found that the complementary basic education curriculum provided the beneficiaries with social, survival, and life skills. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the Complementary Basic Education Programme had instilled confidence in beneficiaries, enabling them to undertake tasks and duties in their communities and gain respect. However, beneficiaries also faced several horrific incidents due to the mockery they received when attempting to demonstrate their abilities and talents in society. Therefore, this study recommends the Tanzanian government to increase annual funds for adult education to ensure seamless implementation. Similarly, this study proposes a thorough investigation into how the complementary basic education programme affects beneficiaries’ lives. Furthermore, an assessment study is required to determine how society benefits from the complementary basic education plan.

This study examines the role of social capital in facilitating the learning experiences of Afghan refugees in Canada. Using a phenomenological approach, we conducted in-depth interviews with research participants to uncover the disruption of their previous social capitals and the establishment of the new forms of capital during their resettlement processes. The findings reveal that social ties through family, friends, service providers, and ethnic and religious affiliations play instrumental role in adult refugees’ learning. Social networks contribute to their learnings, such as providing access to the labour market through assisting in finding jobs, passing information about learning opportunities, and providing strategies that eventually expand their cultural and economic capitals. This study sheds new light on the role of social networks in refugee learning and integration in the current policy debate in refugee resettlement in Canada.

Young adults enter higher education in the hope of improving their future job prospects. Therefore, there exists a prevailing belief that maximising the employability of students is an ethical ob­­jective for providers of Higher Education. Furthermore, the incor­poration of graduate outcomes into external league tables has positioned employability as a key indicator of teaching quality. As a result, universities have introduced various initiatives aimed at enhancing students’ employability. However, it has been noted that students demonstrate reluctance in engaging with the employability support services offered by their institutions. To investigate this issue, we explore student engagement with employability support in a widening participation context. Data for the project were collected via an online survey of second-year students within the School of Accounting, Finance and Economics at a modern UK university with a focus on widening participation. In addition, student focus groups were conducted to gain deeper insights. To illuminate our findings, we draw on Simon’s theory of bounded rationality, together with concepts of habitus and behavioural economics. This enables a theoretical contribution by connecting individual cognitive heuristics with the structural constraints which can affect widening participation learners.

This study investigates the transition of China’s elderly education from scale expansion to efficacy improvement, using the pioneering "Shanghai model" as a case to identify replicable pathways. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining policy analysis with two cross-sectional surveys: a primary survey of 562 elderly learners and a supplementary age-stratified survey of 390 learners on AI technology courses. Data were interpreted through the WHO’s Active Ageing framework. Findings reveal a misalignment between learner demands—centered on hobby cultivation (81.5%) and life quality improvement (66.5%)—and a curriculum still dominated by traditional offerings. Proximity to home (40.2%) and institutional reputation (51.8%) are key enrollment factors. Crucially, the study uncovers profound internal differentiation among elders, with interest in AI topics declining sharply from 50.0% (50–59 years) to 20.0% (80+ years), highlighting a spectrum of digital readiness. The research contributes by applying the Active Ageing framework to analyze policy and expose intra-generational disparities. It argues that high-quality development requires a shift from uniform models to differentiated, learner-centric approaches responsive to varied motivations, competencies, and security concerns across age cohorts.

Language use within India’s medical tourism industry has often been examined through the lens of institutional hierarchies, power dynamics, and the broader social structures that shape communication. This paper explores the largely overlooked role of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learners functioning as intercultural mediators within this framework. These adult learners, employed in hospitals that cater to international patients, are compelled to navigate complex linguistic, emotional, and cultural terrains for which they are often not formally trained. While language proficiency and communicative labour are central to the effective functioning of this globalised sector, they remain marginal in policy discussions. Framed within the lens of critical adult education and feminist political theories of labour, this study draws on qualitative interviews and practitioner narratives to examine the nuances of intercultural communication in the medical tourism context. The paper calls for a reimagining of ESP curricula that recognises learners as cultural negotiators and active contributors to knowledge production. In doing so, it contributes to broader conversations on lifelong learning, workplace education, and the role of adult learning in advancing social justice within transnational service economies.

Older adults engage in learning for a variety of reasons, often extending to learning about technology. In education, technology proficiency can enable older teachers to leverage technology in the classroom, resulting in positive teacher and student outcomes. However, several barriers and equity issues appear to hinder the integration of technology among Filipino older teachers. This paper argues that providing diverse technology learning strategies can effectively support a considerable segment of this cohort. Hence, this study aims to explore technology learning clusters among teachers aged 50-60 years from Pampanga, Philippines. A two-step procedure was employed, where 13 older teachers were initially invited to a semi-structured interview for the purpose of item pooling. The generated items were used in a Q-methodology study involving 20 older teachers from public and private basic education levels. Q-sort data were subjected to agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis using the Ward method and squared Euclidean distance. Results from the hierarchical cluster analysis revealed two distinct typologies of older teachers: Self-Induced Technology Learners and Scaffold-Induced Technology Learners, indicating possible technology learning variations that can be tailored to address specific concerns. This study offers implications for ensuring an effective management of older teachers’ multifaceted learning approaches in the post-pandemic setting.

In the Philippines, the growing participation of adult women learners in elementary education degree programs raises critical questions of equity, gendered access, and social justice in higher education. This study examines the motivations and challenges of eight adult women learners pursuing an elementary education degree at a non-urban university. Guided by feminist theory and self-determination theory, data from semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis were thematically interpreted. The findings reveal three interconnected motivations—emotional, functional, and social—and three corresponding challenges—personal, emotional, and social. These dynamics show how financial constraints, caregiving roles, and gendered expectations intersect with autonomy, competence, and relatedness to shape persistence, identity reconstruction, and developing pedagogical agency. The study points out that there are flexible, inclusive, and gender-responsive adult education programs that recognise women’s intersecting responsibilities. Situated within a Global South framework, the research enhances a socially just comprehension of adult women learners in higher education and underscores its capacity to promote empowerment, equity, and the transformation of educator identities in the Philippines.

Lifelong learning, adaptive expertise, and sustainable leadership competence development are increasingly recognised as vital factors for professional and institutional effectiveness. Nevertheless, the dynamic interplay among these constructs remains insufficiently explored, particularly in the context of higher education. Addressing this gap, the present study investigates how teachers’ engagement in lifelong learning is related to sustainable leadership competencies development, with particular attention to the mediating role of adaptive expertise in this relationship. Employing a correlational study design with a cross-sectional nature of data, the study data were collected using questionnaires from 381 participants selected through stratified sampling. The collected data were then analysed using structural equation modelling. The study findings demonstrate a significant relationship between lifelong learning and the development of both adaptive expertise and sustainable leadership competencies. Furthermore, adaptive expertise emerges as a partial mediator in this relationship, indicating its pivotal role in transforming the engagement of teachers in lifelong learning into the development of sustainable leadership competencies. These findings together highlight lifelong learning not only as a professional obligation but also as a transformative process that enables educators to lead adaptively in intricate educational environments. The study contributes valuable empirical evidence and practical implications for higher education institutions seeking to cultivate sustainable leadership among teachers through intentional investment in lifelong learning and adaptive capacity-building.