Adult Education Research Articles

The role of adult learning and education in the Sustainable Development Goals

AbstractThe Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), launched by the United Nations in 2015, established ambitious targets to be achieved by 2030, including in education. SDG 4, which focuses on ensuring “inclusive and equitable quality education and promot[ing] lifelong learning opportunities for all”, attracted attention from the adult education sector for the role that adult learning and education (ALE) can play in its realisation, and the potential for the SDGs to boost the visibility and support of ALE. This article reports on a study that explored the role of ALE in lifelong learning in eight case study countries (Australia, Brazil, India, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, South Africa, Thailand and Ukraine). It explores the literature and examines the supports for and challenges of ALE to better understand its potential in helping to realise SDG 4, using a mega-, macro-, meso- and micro-level theoretical framework. Twenty-seven experts in ALE from across the eight countries were interviewed, and data analysis was undertaken using a grounded theory approach. The findings indicate that while SDG 4 was not a strong driver for ALE activities in these countries, initiatives were focused on the same issues targeted by SDG 4. The analysis also points to the unequal policy support given to formal and non-formal ALE activities, and the critical role that ALE networks and associations can play in addressing some of the most ambitious SDG 4 targets.

Cognitive Reserve and Frontotemporal Disorders: Exploring the Relationship Between Education, Physical Activity, and Cognitive Dysfunction in Older Adults.

In this study we investigated the relationship between cognitive reserve (CR) proxies, such as education, physical activity (PA), and cognitive dysfunction (CD) in the presence or absence of frontotemporal disorders (FTD). Previous research has suggested that education and PA may delay the onset of CD and reduce the risk of developing dementia. However, it remains unclear whether these CR proxies can protect against CD when FTD is present. We aimed to explore this relationship and determine whether sustained CR may be evident regardless of FTD. We recruited 149 older adults (aged 65-99years) from community centers where they were voluntarily participating in leisure activities. We used bioelectrical impedance to measure their body composition, and we administered the International PA Questionnaire and the Mini-Mental State Examination to measure their PA and cognitive function, respectively. We used the Frontal Assessment Battery to screen for frontotemporal dementia. Our results showed that people with FTD were older, had lower education, and engaged in less PA, relative to other participants. Regression models revealed that age, education, and PA were significant predictors of FTD. More specifically, FTD was negatively associated with cognitive functioning, and there were significant interaction effects between FTD and education and PA. PA and education were significant predictors of cognitive functioning, and, when values for PA and education were high, they offset the effects of FTD on cognitive function. These findings support impressions that PA and years of education provide an insulating or compensatory effect on cognitive functioning in older adults with executive dysfunction or frontotemporal dementia, highlighting the importance of encouraging both pursuits.

ISSUES OF EXTRACURRICULAR EDUCATION ON THE PAGES OF «THE RUSSIAN SCHOOL» JOURNAL

In the second half of the XIX – early XX century extracurricular education was actively developing in Russia. It was aimed at educating the adult population and included organization of public libraries, public houses, public universities, Sunday schools and other cultural and educational institutions. Periodicals were one of the key ways to promote progressive ideas of the intelligentsia and people’s education. Among the large number of pedagogical journals of that period, “The Russian School” journal deserves special attention, articles on the problems of extracurricular education were regularly published on its pages. The purpose of the study is to study comprehensively the issues of “The Russian School” journal, stored in the funds of the scientific reference library of the State Historical Archive of the Chuvash Republic. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that on the basis of a historical source, such as a periodical, the materials on the theory and practice of extracurricular education are characterized. Materials and methods. A significant source of research is the materials of the periodical press, namely the pedagogical journal “The Russian School”. The research used the method of content analysis, as well as synthesis, analogy, systematization and the principles of historicism, objectivity, consistency and concreteness. Study results. Based on the analysis of the content in various issues of the journal, one can see an active discussion of the role and importance of extracurricular education in the country’s socio-economic development, accentuating the key tasks of adult personal development and education, considering organizational and thematic aspects in the work of new extracurricular institutions. Special attention is paid to the reflections of various authors on extracurricular education on the pages of the journal, since they contributed to this process understanding by a wide range of the public. Conclusions. “The Russian School” journal is a good source, because, firstly, it contains specific factual material, and, secondly, it reflects the views of contemporaries on the problem of extracurricular education development. It also provides correspondence from the field on the state and development of extracurricular education, as well as it contains a variety of information, including theoretical articles, practical materials and statistical data.

Broadening adult engagement and education in science cafés: lessons from an STS — science communication boundary spanning experiment

This essay describes and reflects on a collaboration between a university Science & Technology Studies (STS) educator and a community science café organizer. Our partnership was designed to address two challenges: how to encourage diversity and inclusion in science café audiences and how to create assessments for broader ‘science in society’ content delivered to adult café learners. We used focus groups to develop STS learning constructs and do community engagement needs assessments. We describe the resultant café series development and other outcomes of our cross-domain work in STS, science communication, and science education. We conclude with observations about the power of collaborative storytelling and make general recommendations for how practitioners and scholars can address the described challenges in ways that might ease future collaborations.

Formation of a polypositional team in the conditions of continuing advanced education

Introduction. In the conditions of transformational changes in the higher education system, focused on building a nationally oriented education and ensuring technological and ideological sovereignty of the Russian Federation, one of the basic requirements is the creation of new models of human resource development management and the design of team-distributed work of an educational organization, including the processes of reprogramming, rethinking the results of professional activity to achieve leadership positions of professorships.-the teaching staff of the university.The authors of the article attempt to present a managerial mechanism for the formation of a polypositional team of organizational changes in the conditions of the formation of a new strategy for the development of a pedagogical university with the application of the theory of self-learning organization as a methodological framework for designing the content of cross-functional teams in business education. Based on the analysis of this theory of team building in the organization, the philosophy and essence of the reflexive management mechanism aimed at establishing the position of strategic leadership and achieving results due to the transfunctional (synergetic) effect in situations of uncertainty and multitasking are revealed.The article discusses the mechanisms of forming a polypositional team as a universal network resource for co-organizing positions within the framework of managing the development of a system of continuous advanced pedagogical education and experimental testing of the results of the federal innovation area of the Ministry of Higher Education and Science of the Russian Federation "Network project for training mentors for development" (2022-2027).The аim of the article is determined by the need to present a new organizational and managerial format, the essence of which is to create an educational space for the co-organization of subjects of continuous advanced education, including network design zones: problem, information, design and organizational activity zone (broadcasting and scaling results and experience). The designated organizational format sets the ways and meanings of the formation of a new professional position of the project participants in the preparation of a mentor for development.Materials and Methods. The development of a mechanism for the formation of a polypositional team as a team of professionals - leaders of organizational change is based on the methodology used in business education when managing a team–building system under the leadership of leaders of change, on an interdisciplinary methodology for creating a self-learning organization and on the principles of a convergent approach. At the initial stage, the project participants were offered two methods used to assess the transformational leadership of the organization's leaders, namely: a scale of self-assessment of innovative personality qualities (N.M. Lebedev, A.N. Tatarko) and a test for assessing managerial (managerial) style of behavior (I. Adizes method).Results. A management mechanism for the formation of a polypositional team in the conditions of continuous advanced education has been developed, a methodology for the organization of network design and diagnostics of leadership and innovative personality qualities of the leaders of a network project for the training of a mentor for development has been defined, and positions at the stages of event meetings within the framework of a project experiment of the federal innovation platform of the Ministry of Higher Education have been identified and Science of the Russian Federation "A network project for training mentors for development", that allowed us to substantiate the hypothesis about the effectiveness of the developed conditions for the transformation of the pedagogical profile university and its leading position in the system of regional education and Russian as a whole.Discussion and Conclusions. The degree of novelty of the research results is determined by the authors in two interrelated aspects. The fundamental novelty is represented by a set of provisions and ideas in the proposed universal mechanism for the formation of a polypositional code in the context of the theory of self-learning organization and the justification of the regularity of the relationship of the project-type content in the construction of event meetings and new formats of continuous advanced adult education, which qualify as a solution to the scientific problem of designing strategies and programs for the development of the university of design- of a programmatic nature. The novelty at the level of concretization and refinement of the results is represented by the organization of the project experiment and the methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of the developed conditions for the formation of a polypositional team of continuous advanced pedagogical education, the implementation of which increases the productivity of scientific research and its practical and socio-cultural significance.

Adult offspring's education and parental mortality: A nationwide cohort study of the mediating role of lifestyle-related diseases.

Aim: The mechanisms behind the association between adult offspring's socioeconomic position and their parents' mortality are not well understood. This study investigates lifestyle-related diseases as a potential mediating pathway between adult offspring's education and parental mortality. Methods: This nationwide register-based cohort study consists of 963,742 older adults aged 65 years between 2000 and 2018. Lifestyle-related diseases were measured between 60 and 65 years and those with prior lifestyle-related diseases were excluded. Natural Effect Models were performed to assess potential mediation through lifestyle-related diseases of the association between offspring's education and parental mortality measured by additive hazard estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Between 60 and 65 years, 150,501 (15.6%) older adults were diagnosed with lifestyle-related diseases and 149,647 (15.5%) died during follow-up. Compared with having offspring with long education, short education was associated with 631 (95% CI: 555; 707) and 581 (95% CI: 525; 638) additional deaths per 100,000 person-years for women and men, respectively, of which 15.4% (95% CI: 9.0; 21.6) and 16.8% (95% CI: 14.6; 18.9) were mediated by lifestyle-related diseases. The corresponding numbers for medium education were 276 (95% CI: 205; 347) and 299 (95% CI: 255; 343) with 26.2% (95% CI: 12.0; 40.6) and 27.6% (95% CI: 25.1; 31.8) mediated by lifestyle-related diseases. Conclusions: Lifestyle-related diseases accounted for 15-28% of the association between offspring's education and parental mortality for both men and women.

The Commitment to Promoting a Culture of Equity in Quebec Secondary Schools: Insights from School Stakeholders — A Secondary Publication

This paper presents the results of a research project on the intercultural climate in schools and the academic success of immigrant students in Quebec. The intercultural climate in eight secondary public schools is documented from the standpoint of various school and community stakeholders, students, and parents. More specifically, the paper focuses on the commitment to promoting cultural equity, which is identified through interviews with the targeted stakeholders on exclusionary practices and processes and the practices implemented to counter them. The results identify five areas of vulnerability among certain minoritized groups of students: the transition from welcoming to regular classes for those students learning French, evaluation and support for those experiencing learning or behavioral difficulties, the referral of these students to adult education programs or work-oriented training programs, their participation in extracurricular activities, and their access to special school projects. Nonetheless, some schools do report the introduction of many equity practices in response to the exclusionary ones. However, these initiatives are mostly occasional and voluntary and pertain to interactions between individuals. These findings call for a discussion on the importance of systemic and concerted initiatives towards achieving equity.

A New Agenda on Micro-credentials: Filling the Gaps in the European Approach

This paper analyses the potential of micro-credentials in adult education through upcoming EU policies and initiatives, bearing in mind the increasing use of online learning platforms globally. Understanding national and international approaches to micro-credentials allows undergraduate programmes and teaching practices to flourish in economically less developed countries. The Republic of Serbia welcomes new approaches in the search for acceptable models of distance learning and equality in the labour market.

Lifelong Learning

The concept of lifelong learning has become one of the most widely discussed concepts in the field of adult education. Lifelong learning is about acquiring and updating all kinds of abilities, interests, knowledge and qualifications from the pre-school years to post retirement which promotes the development of knowledge and competences that will enable adaptation to the knowledge-based society and also valuing all forms of learning. It is the broad term for education that is conducted beyond school. Therefor it’s voluntary, rather than compulsory, and is completely self-motivated – with the main goal being to improve personal or professional development. This paper examines the scope of the field of lifelong learning, covering definitions and exploring its benefits. It also gives an overview of the skills that can help individuals become lifelong learners. Our world is changing around us in such a frantic pace that if we do not continue to grow and develop; we will soon be left behind. Lifelong learning is an essential challenge for inventing the future of our societies; it is a necessity rather than a possibility or a luxury to be considered. Three objectives of this paper are: first, to clarify the concept of lifelong learning; second, to focus on the benefits of lifelong learning and its importance; and third, to discuss crucial capacities for the development of the individual as a lifelong learner.
 
 Received: 19 February 2024 / Accepted: 15 March 2024 / Published: 23 March 2024

Introduction of Superior Varieties and Seeds Quality in Shallot Cultivation in "Sumber Hidup" the Farmer Group Sigerongan Village

Members of the "Sumber Hidup" farmer group mostly carry out farming on narrow fields of land with very low yields. One alternative for developing farming businesses on limited land was the use of superior varieties and quality seeds of shallot. To achieve this goal, activities have been carried out to apply science and technology, both in the training/counseling and plot demonstrations (action research) for farmers. The method used in training was adult education with participatory techniques. The resulting output was an increase in the skills and knowledge of partner farmers. The demonstration plot that has been carried out was action research based on the results of research that has been carried out previously. The demonstration plot that has been done was to compare the planting of superior varieties of shallots with shallot seeds originating from farmers. The results of the activity showed that members of the "Sumber Hidup" farmer group who participated in the extension were very responsive to community service activities. Farmers heard and asked several questions related to planting superior varieties and quality shallot seeds on limited land. Participants were very active in every activity such as selecting seeds, making demonstration plots, planting, hilling, weeding and harvesting activities. The process of technological transformation of the use of superior varieties and quality seeds of shallots on limited land has occurred in the "Sumber Hidup" farmer group. The results of the demonstration plot showed that superior varieties produced 5-7 tons per hectare of shallot

European Study investigating Adult Numeracy Education

Numeracy is a critical competency needed by adults to navigate their way through tasks in their personal and professional lives. Hence, it is critical that efforts are made to identify and address challenges that prevent adults from developing the numeracy skills needed to engage in society. In this research we identify the challenges facing adult numeracy eduction across Europe. A survey, which sought to investigate the main challenges faced by adult educators and policy-makers when delivering numeracy programmes, was distributed to leading figures in adult numeracy education in EU states. Twelve countries responded and challenges identified related to the lack of a standardised definition of numeracy, the lack of a standardised framework to support adult numeracy education and the need for professional development for adult numeracy tutors. In this paper we look at how these challenges manifest themselves in different jurisdictions and offer suggestions for overcoming these challenges in future.

СТАНОВЛЕННЯ І РОЗВИТОК СИСТЕМИ НАВЧАННЯ ДОРОСЛИХ МІГРАНТІВ У КАНАДІ

Canada has considerable experience in integrating migrants, including adults, into its society and labour market. In view of this, the purpose of the article is to highlight the path and changes that took place during the formation and development of the adult migrant education system. The author has found out that an adult migrant does not differ from a typical adult student in terms of goals, needs, and preferences for choosing various educational programs or training courses. At the same time, it has been noted that an adult migrant has slightly different motives and a stronger motivation to continue studying further. These are determined by various social and personal factors. The article provides a detailed list of these factors and offers a brief description. In view of the above, it has been traced how the educational needs of adult migrants were taken into account within the adult education system of Canada. Also, the process has been characterized at various stages of the formation and development of the Canadian adult education and training system. The following three stages have been distinguished: language courses for adult migrants without andragogic principles of education; the development of civic education and the introduction of the principles of adult education into the practice of language courses; integration of educational opportunities of formal, non-formal and informal education. Each stage introduced both positive and negative changes in the system of adult migrants’ education, which were characterized and substantiated. Prospects for further research related to the analysis of Canada’s educational opportunities for the integration of Ukrainian migrants who were forced to become refugees due to the war are determined.

ПРОФЕСІЙНИЙ РОЗВИТОК ВИКЛАДАЧІВ ЗАКЛАДІВ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ В УМОВАХ НЕФОРМАЛЬНОЇ ТА ІНФОРМАЛЬНОЇ ОСВІТИ: ІННОВАЦІЙНІ ПРАКТИКИ

The article analyzes innovative practices of professional development of higher education teachers in non-formal and informal education. The relevance of the problem under study is substantiated in the context of instability and uncertainty. It is emphasized that the continuous professional development of research and teaching staff of higher education institutions is an important component of the professionalization of teaching staff in the field of adult education. It is substantiated that non-formal and informal components of education contribute to the professional development of teachers. The essence of innovations as a tool for the professionalization of teachers in the context of non-formal and informal education, which contribute to professional development, is analyzed. The innovations developed at the theoretical and practical levels of scientific research are characterized. The analysis of individual innovations aimed at promoting the professional development of pedagogical and scientific and pedagogical staff of higher education institutions (on the example of the initiatives of the Department of Andragogy of the Ivan Ziaziun Institute of Pedagogical and Adult Education of the NAES of Ukraine) is carried out. The expediency of expanding the network of centers of andragogical teaching excellence is actualized. Attention is focused, in particular, on the testing of author's trainings and professional development programs, the educational initiative «Corporate Training Cluster», the creation of virtual project teams, the development and implementation of thematic video content, and the testing of scientific and methodological support for the professionalization of andragogues. The significance of the proposed innovations for the professional development of university teachers is outlined and the feasibility of their further implementation in non-formal and informal education is substantiated.

МЕТОДОЛОГІЧНІ ПІДХОДИ ДО УПРАВЛІННЯ ПРОФЕСІЙНИМ РОЗВИТКОМ НАУКОВО-ПЕДАГОГІЧНИХ ПРАЦІВНИКІВ КОМУНАЛЬНОГО ЗВО

The article updates the problem of managing the professional development of scientific and pedagogical workers of a communal institution of higher education, since the research of the mentioned phenomenon must be carried out using substantiated methodological approaches. Based on the results of the analysis of scientific and pedagogical literature, it was concluded that modern scientists have not fully studied the issue of methodological approaches to the management of professional development of scientific and pedagogical workers of a communal institution of higher education. In the article, the leading methodological approaches are defined as integrative, innovative, motivational, activity, reflexive, andragogic, competence, humanistic, person-oriented, axiological, acmeological, centralized, decentralized, regional. It has been established that the implementation of the integration approach allows to ensure the coherence of actions between all sections of the organizational structure of the communal institution of higher education. The use of an innovative approach has a positive effect on the emergence of new modern management ways of increasing the efficiency of higher education institutions. Taking into account the motivational approach ensures an increase in the internal motivation of scientific and pedagogical workers, the activity approach ‒ professional selfactualization, the reflective approach ‒ strengthening their ability to self-assess, adequate self-analysis. It is emphasized that the introduction of the andragogic approach allows to strengthen the connection between theory and practice of adult education, to determine ways of improving the qualifications of pedagogical workers. It was concluded that taking into account the principles of the competence approach helps in making balanced competent decisions, the humanistic approach helps to build friendly and tolerant relations between all participants in the process of managing professional development, and the person-oriented approach ‒ the development of individual qualities and abilities. The author also substantiates the significance of the axiological approach to the researched phenomenon (the application ensures the perception of the human personality as a value), acmeological (the implementation helps to achieve professionalism), centralized and decentralized (taking into account allows to find out the degree of influence on the management of professional development), as well as regional (the application provides take into account the peculiarities of a certain region) approaches.

Experiences of Adult Educators in Selecting Appropriate Teaching Methods in Engineering Courses at TVET Colleges in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

ABSTRACT This study’s sought to identify and fix problems with teaching strategies used in engineering courses at a TVET college in South Africa’s Mpumalanga area. A Phenomenological, explorative, and descriptive research approach was used to capture the experiences of educators in choosing effective teaching approaches. Convenience sampling was employed to select 10 educators who participated in two Focus Group Discussions in an endeavor to collect qualitative data. These discussions were conducted through the lenses of Albert Bandura’s social learning theory. Two audio recorders were used to capture the debates, thereafter verbatim transcribed. A computerized software called NVivo was used to do content analysis and theme analysis on the gathered data into manageable themes and sub-themes. Subsequently, the findings revealed the following five themes: preferred teaching methods, the effectiveness of teaching methods, the relationship between teaching methods and pass rate, assessing teaching and learning outcomes, and factors influencing adult learners’ performance: however, by the scope of this article only three were discussed in the forthcoming paragraphs. These themes demonstrated that some engineering educators struggle to choose the best teaching strategies which meet industrial skills requirement. Thus, the authors advise industry and TVET colleges to work together so that educators can teach adults the essential engineering skills.

Open distance education for teachers in Ukraine: the case of the Ukrainian Open University of Postgraduate Education

The Ukrainian Open University of Postgraduate Education (UOUPE) is a self-governing educational institution that aims to provide distance education for teachers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the integration of Ukraine into the European educational space. The UOUPE is based on a design-transforming nonlinear paradigm and a reflexive-positional approach, enabling a community of progressive educators who can respond to modern challenges and change their learning and professional practices. The paper presents the interregional cooperation project for teachers' professional development, which the UOUPE implements in collaboration with the Department of Philosophy and Adult Education of the Central Institute of Postgraduate Education of the University of Educational Management. The paper also reports the results of the first diagnostic stage of the project, which involved 120 teachers from different regions of Ukraine.

Integrating learners into research and quality improvement projects: A joint opinion of the Adult Medicine and Education and Training Practice Research Networks of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy

AbstractResearch plays a vital role in advancing the pharmacy profession and improving patient care. It is a fundamental skill for learners to develop during their training under guided mentorship. Incorporating learners into research and quality improvement (QI) projects can yield numerous benefits for the learner, mentor, and institution. Despite this, there are barriers to integrating learners into research and QI projects which may stem from institutions and individuals. To ensure success when engaging in the research process, strategies centered around clear communication and illustrating the value should be implemented. Successful research programs require planning strategically, setting clear expectations, providing mentorship, and remaining adaptable to overcome barriers encountered during the process. The purpose of this paper is to discuss barriers to incorporating learners into research and QI projects and provide both mentors and learners strategies, tips and examples for success with perspectives and opinions from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Adult Medicine and Education and Training Practice Research Networks.

PARTICIPAÇÃO E MOBILIZAÇÃO DOS FÓRUNS DE EDUCAÇÃO DE JOVENS E ADULTOS NO YOUTUBE DURANTE A PANDEMIA DA COVID-19: ANÁLISE METODOLÓGICA

In the pandemic context, it has become essential to maintain the actions of social movements, including those related to Education. In this sense, the Forums for Youth and Adult Education (EJA) have maintained and strengthened agendas related to EJA, denouncing, claiming, and creating networks of solidarity through live broadcasts on YouTube. Based on ongoing research on the mobilization of Youth and Adult Education Forums on YouTube and the narratives of individuals during the Covid-19 pandemic in the years 2020 and 2021, the article points out methodological aspects adopted based on Content Analysis. The article introduces the research topic on the performance of EJA Forums in live broadcasts and their interaction with individuals from different sectors concerned with the learners of EJA. The techniques used to access these materials are then presented, advancing in the stages of the methodology used. The article explores the process of data collection and organization, essential in the pre-analysis stage of Content Analysis. The account of the procedures for data collection demonstrates the paths taken to create a method in which efforts were made to reconcile web and programming tools, which were found to be essential for conducting the research, confirming the importance of learning about the transformations brought about by digital technologies.

Adult education ecosystem: Terminological field and interdisciplinary thesaurus modelling

Introduction. The relevance of the study is provoked by the rapid expansion of the educational environment, the emergence of new actors and educational service providers, which indicate changes in the institutional landscape of adult education and the development of educational ecosystems. Both in the world and in Russia, there is a growing demand for bridging the qualification gap and retraining a significant part of adults. Therefore, a comprehensive study of continuing adult education, including formal and informal education, that is inseparable from the demands of the platform economy, is becoming extremely important. There is a tendency to transform the idea of an educational ecosystem for lifelong adult learning into a well-thought-out educational policy. However, the problem is that the scientific and methodological substantiation of the ecosystem approach and the subsequent development of managerial work to develop the quality of human capital education are impossible without a unified terminological language of description.Aim. The article is aimed at theoretical substantiation of the terminological field and interdisciplinary thesaurus modelling of the adult education ecosystem.Methodology and research methods. The methodological basis is framed by evolutionary, systematic and interdisciplinary approaches to analyse adult education with regard to complex socio-economic and digital transformations. Using theoretical methods, such as critical, conceptual, comparative, thematic content analysis of Russian and foreign publications, the authors described the categorical field of the problem under investigation.Results. The authors have found that the conceptual and terminological field of the adult education ecosystem is shaped at the intersection of four disciplinary areas (ecology, economy, education, digital technologies). Based on the results, the authors identified the concepts and categories that reveal the processes in adult education; and proposed the idea of an interdisciplinary thesaurus and its conceptual model. Using the developed thesaurus, the authors gave a theoretical explanation for new phenomena and processes in adult education, carried out comparative analysis of the ecosystem with the traditional system of adult education. The authors define the adult education ecosystem as an open multidimensional self-regulating educational environment, where different types of education (formal, informal, corporate training) integrate via modern digital tools, providing symbiosis and co-evolution of participants, new patterns of links aimed at making a valuable offer for learners.Scientific novelty. For the first time, the idea and model of the interdisciplinary thesaurus have been proposed to describe transformation processes in adult education; the concept of “adult education ecosystem” has been revealed; the peculiarities of the adult education ecosystem in comparison with the traditional education system have been identified. The adult education ecosystem is explained as a theoretical construct, a socio-economic phenomenon and a management paradigm.Practical significance. The proposed thesaurus provides a unified description language that is in demand in pedagogical, managerial and scientific discourses. This is of particular importance for practitioners, designers of educational programmes, methodologists, managers, providers of various educational forms in the context of reforming the national adult education system, synchronising supply and demand in the labour market, developing tools for regulation and support of lifelong learning.

Using parent-offspring pairs and trios to estimate indirect genetic effects in education.

We investigated indirect genetic effects (IGEs),also known as genetic nurture, in education with a novel approach that uses phased data to include parent-offspring pairs in the transmitted/nontransmitted study design. This method increases the power to detect IGEs, enhances the generalizability of the findings, and allows for the study of effects by parent-of-origin. We validated and applied this method in a family-based subsample of adolescents and adults from the Lifelines Cohort Study in the Netherlands (N = 6147), using the latest genome-wide association study data on educational attainment to construct polygenic scores (PGS).Our results indicated that IGEs play a role in education outcomes in the Netherlands: we found significant associations of the nontransmitted PGS with secondary school level in youth between 13 and 24 years old as well as with education attainment and years of education in adults over 25 years old (β = 0.14, 0.17 and 0.26, respectively), with tentative evidence for larger maternal IGEs. In conclusion, we replicated previous findings and showed that including parent-offspring pairs in addition to trios in the transmitted/nontransmitted design can benefit future studies of parental IGEs in a wide range of outcomes.