Field Of Adult Education Research Articles

Our Time is Now: How the Events of 2020 Will Shape the Field of Adult Education

Our Time is Now: How the Events of 2020 Will Shape the Field of Adult Education

The signs of frenetic standstill: The concept of change in the discourse of lifelong learning and the tempo of the Czech National Qualifications Framework

The aim of this study is to interpret recent developments in the field of adult education in the Czech Republic through the theory of social acceleration. The study is designed as focused ethnography, drawing upon observation, interviewing, and document analysis. The material is read through the concepts of acceleration and frenetic standstill and contextualized in the discourses on industry 4.0 and recognition of prior learning. The study shows how the notion of constant technological change drives the Czech discourse of adult education, introducing a sense of urgency and pressing for faster developments in the further education of adults. However, the field of adult education exhibits a lack of consistency in its development, translating into absenting sense of progress. Within this context, the Czech National Qualifications Framework (NQF) has produced a steady output of qualification standards even though its internal processes have been prolonged. The tempo of the NQF and the absenting sense of progress can be read as signs of a frenetic standstill, accompanied by a high fluctuation of individuals on all levels of an organizational hierarchy. The study argues that acceleration is not driven by technological change in the observed context as the examined discourses expect. Instead, social acceleration seems to be perpetuating itself as a relatively independent force, eroding institutions that are seen as key in adapting to the incoming transition.

METHOD OF FORMING AN EFFECTIVE TEAM OF EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONAL PROJECTS

Project management methodology is widely used in various aspects of educational activities, including in the field of adult education. In-service training projects implemented by higher education institutions in the field of adult education, mainly at public expense, are limited, on the one hand, in terms of implementation, which leads to the impossibility of increasing project implementation time, then in the amount of funding regulated by relevant provisions and resolutions on the organization of professional training (advanced training) of specialists, and on the other hand, the internal regulations and rules of educational institutions on the organization of training and implementation of educational projects in the field of higher education, aimed at working with students. At the same time, the implementation of such projects is subject to increased requirements for their quality. Under such conditions, the implementation of educational projects of professional development is quite difficult. Teams of educational projects of advanced training are formed mainly of persons selected from among the internal employees of the educational institution, who are able to work with an adult audience. To form such teams, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of adult learning, the peculiarities of educational projects of professional development and the peculiarities of the teams of such projects. Accordingly, the management of such teams is associated with certain personnel risks that may affect the success of the project. In turn, working with teams whose members have a high creative potential requires effective management methods, one of which is the process of forming a single, coherent team of like-minded people who can effectively achieve the project goal. A method of forming teams of educational projects of advanced training, obtained as a result of cross-evaluation of qualities (creativity) of team members of such projects, taking into account their personnel risks and "degrees of trust", is proposed. It is concluded that this method allows the head of the educational project to increase the efficiency of decision-making on team building or planning of executors for the educational project of professional development, by selecting applicants with the highest "degrees of trust".

Examining Intergroup Dialogue’s Potential to Promote Social Justice in Adult Education

Intergroup dialogue (IGD) is a program for facilitating conversations about social identity, institutionalized and systemic oppression, social conflict, and social justice. This article examines how IGD can contribute to adult education’s socially just goals by facilitating transformative learning. An initial review of the literature, followed by a discussion of IGD’s relationship to existing social justice pedagogy, highlights IGD’s transformative aspects in various learning settings within the adult education field. Finally, this article provides recommendations on how IGD can contribute to adult education practice and research while exploring implications and limitations.

The influence of international intergovernmental organisations on Slovenian adult education policies

ABSTRACT The role of international intergovernmental organisations (IIOs) in global and/or European adult education policymaking has received significant attention in the field of adult education (AE) in the twenty-first century. However, empirical AE studies examining the impact of different IIO policies on country-level AE policies and practices, and the implications of under- or overestimating of that influence, are still scarce. The present study analysed the influence of three selected IIOs – the European Union (EU), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – on Slovenian AE policies, as a developed EU country, during the 1991–2018 period. We analysed historical and contemporary policies using documentary analysis and expert interviews, focusing on theoretical concepts of policy transfer and risk. Our findings indicated that the influence of IIOs on Slovenian AE policies has differed through time; policy transfer has come from multiple directions; IIOs have stimulated policy transfer through governance instruments; the contextual opportunities and risks Slovenia has faced – independence, EU membership, and the world economic crisis – have been supporting factors for IIOs’ policy transfer; and IIOs have promoted policy transfer and presented themselves as risk experts, able to manage the risks Slovenia is or could be facing.

Interactive methods of teaching foreign languages to adults

The article analyzes the scientific resources in Pedagogics of Ukrainian and foreign scholars who have carried out their research in the field of adult education; the meaning of “adult education”, “andragogy”, “adulthood” have been defined. Theoretical issues of teaching foreign languages to adults have been analyzed, the main factors that influence the effectiveness of foreign language acquisition have been clarified and the essential principles of teaching adults have been structured. The article singles out the distinctive characteristics of an adult learner, highlights some approaches to their classification and presents a few of them in more detail. In terms of adult learning organization the role of a teacher and his main objectives have been outlined. It is stated that the key role of a teacher is that of a facilitator and moderator. Apart from that the article represents the classification of teacher roles in the process of teaching foreign languages. Furthermore, the content, organization and conditions of interactive learning have been outlined and classification of interactive techniques which are appropriate to language learning have been described. The main attention is drawn to the principle of group collaboration that is defined by the authors as a favourable environment for successful language learning. The possible results of interactive studies are outlined and a few examples of its methods and forms are offered. The methods represented in the article contribute to the effective teaching and learning processes and possess a clear structure, functions and benefits. Such methods as case-study, role-plays and project have been researched. The role of modern technologies in education is depicted from other scholars’ perspectives. However, the part which they play, multimedia techniques in particular, to improve adults’ language skills is not diminished by the authors of the article.

ОСВІТА ДОРОСЛИХ В УМОВАХ ПАНДЕМІЇ COVID-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed almost all aspects of human existence and it is no longer possible to return to the «norm». The impact of the pandemic is particularly pronounced in the field of education, which has undergone the most comprehensive changes and transformations at this time. Approaches, forms, teaching methods and even the educational environment itself have changed. Adult education as a component of the overall holistic system is also influenced by global effects: not only the requirements for learning of adults have changed, but also the conditions to obtain it. The share of online programs and educational offers in the Internet has grown significantly. The pandemic has increased the importance of basic skills and competencies in modern society, including digital literacy, lifelong learning, critical thinking and others. The analysis revealed the potential of online learning in the field of adult education, which is able to respond quickly to societal changes and acquire a qualitatively new format. According to the results of the analysis, five main positive effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on adult education have been identified: 1) a significant increase in the number of adults studying online; 2) improving the digital competencies of adults; 3) the emergence of new educational platforms and the improvement of existing ones; 4) changing the role of the teacher - tutor, coach, mentor, training consultant; 5) equalization of social inequality in society. The available cases for the creation of educational programs have revealed the need to develop high-quality digital content for teachers and students, innovative methods and techniques for working with it in a pandemic.

Koncept životne sredine u andragoškoj literaturi i univerzitetskom obrazovanju andragoga

This paper is based on the assumption that to facilitate the contribution of andragogy and adult education to the processes of "societal transformation", we as researchers and university teachers are required to question our own understanding and integration of the concept of the environment as one of the key dimensions of sustainable development in this area. The paper starts by asking the following questions: In what way are the environment and the relation of the human kind and environment conceptualized in andragogical literature? Does the integration of this concept contribute to the disappearance or the balance of knowledge about the environment within adult education, in a general sense and in university education, in particular, and in what way does it contribute? In our search for answers, we employed the qualitative trend analysis to conceptualize the environment in the works of authors in the field of environmental adult education, originating from the last decade of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. We shall analyse terminological and conceptual relations among environmental and ecological constructs, as well as their relation to the concept of sustainable development.

The Labor Movement As an Educational Movement: A Conceptual History of Sivistys Within the Finnish Workers’ Educational Association 1920s–1960s

AbstractEducation and popular adult education have been central in the development of Nordic societies, and as such, emphasis on education has also been an essential component of the Nordic labor movements. The article focuses on the conceptual history of sivistys (Bildung), a key concept and a characteristic element of the Finnish workers’ educational movement through the Finnish Workers’ Educational Association during its era of political education from the 1920s until the 1960s. Workers’ education took the concept sivistys from 19th century projects for people’s education, and thus tied workers’ education tightly to the broader field of Nordic popular adult education. In fact, the Finnish workers’ educational movement received more influence from Nordic people’s education than international socialist theories and programs for workers’ education – of which the use of the concept sivistys is a clear example.

Організація освітнього процесу в закладах вищої освіти в умовах пандемії

The organization of the educational process in higher education institutions in a pandemic is analyzed. It is focused on the relevance of using distance learning. It operates on the basis of modern psychological, pedagogical and information and communication technologies. Based on the researches of scientific and pedagogical sources, global and national trends in the development of distance education in Ukraine are named according to certain features. Global trends include globalization, integration, internationalization, informatization. National trends identify the renewal of regulatory and legislative support for distance education, regulatory policy for the provision of distance learning and educational services and practices for ensuring their quality. Attention is drawn to the problem of teachers’ digital competencies development, finding ways to form and develop the readiness of teaching staff in the field of adult education to carry out professional activities in terms of distance learning. The analysis of normative documents regulating distance learning is carried out. The results of the Polish-Ukrainian study on “Students in the terms of the COVID-19ˮ, organized by the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Pedagogical University to determine the features of distance learning in the terms of COVID-19 pandemic is described. The study covered 412 various specialties students of the Faculty of Pedagogical Education. The survey reflected the issue of distance learning assessment and the tools used by teachers. It was found that the most teaching staff used Zoom, Viber and the MOODLE platform, which meets all the basic criteria for e-learning systems. During the quarantine period, the University administration created all the conditions for the use of this platform. It is concluded that it is necessary to update the legal framework for distance learning, to adapt practical and seminar classes to the conditions of online learning, to increase the level of digital literacy and readiness teaching staff to use distance technology, to provide scientific and methodological support for the educational process in terms of distance learning. Keywords: distance learning, pandemic, digital literacy, technological competence, Internet technologies.

Andragogy: A Theory in Practice in Higher Education

Adult learning principles develop through an analysis and synthesis of adult education, andragogy, teaching, and learning in higher education. This research investigates foundational assumptions relevant to the field of adult education with a focus on andragogy in higher education. Characteristics of adult learners and principles of adult learning in higher education bear focus through the lens of andragogy. As such, andragogy as the preferred learning style of adults, andragogy vs. pedagogy, and cognitive learning develop relational significance to adult learners in higher education. As a result, the implications of linking learning styles and reflections of andragogy as a learning style are considered.

A SUGGESTED FRAMEWORK OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COST SYSTEM IN ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS-AN APPLIED STUDY IN THE PUBLIC AGENCY FOR ADULT EDUCATION

Organizations’ interest on environmental issues when evaluating advanced programs and strategic plans has become a matter of urgency and essential. There is increasing interest lately environmental costs and how they are measured and shown in the financial statements, as well as incorporating them in decision-making and performance evaluation process. This is by designing a system to manage the environmental costs of adult education programs, where measurement of environmental costs helps organizations to increase profits and to use resources more efficiently and also improve the environmental performance. The reports on the direct and indirect environmental costs are prepared and produced as well as environmental costs from exercising many and varied activities and programs within institutions and beyond. The study depended on inductive deductive approach which is based on the collection and analysis of data and the use of appropriate to the nature of the data relating to the study of the problem of statistical and mathematical methods have been relying on data collection methods through: Financial-reporting direct and indirect issued by the General Authority for Adult Education costs , The final accounts for the fiscal year 2010 to 2014 issued by the General Authority for Adult Education, Studying references of Arab and foreign periodicals in the field of adult education, accounting and environmental costs. The study sample applied on the General Authority for Adult Education and its branches nationwide, which includes 27 prefecture-level branches in the governorates under study Results of the study concluded that a relationship exists between the cost of the educational process for the student and the cost of direct and indirect for adult education programs, through the need for a system of environmental costs of the General Authority for Adult Education. The researcher recommended in this study the application of the proposed framework for a system of environmental cost management of the adult education program of the General Authority for Adult Education, where this system accurately shows the direct costs of third-party costs directly to the educational process of the education program Akabarozlk and through the development of financial and environmental reports, and a list of financial and environmental status of the process educational programs for adult education.

A PERSONALIZED APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF THE PROBLEM OF EDUCATIONAL AND PEDAGOGICAL FORECASTING IN UKRAINE IN THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY

The article is devoted to the study of a personalized approach to the problem of educational and pedagogical forecasting in Ukraine in the early twentieth century. The author emphasizes that a personalized approach to the study of the problem of educational and pedagogical forecasting in the early twentieth century is the main prerequisite for the development of forecasting pedagogical thought, which must be specified. I.Ya. Franco saw the direction of educational influence in the mastery of scientific knowledge, the harmonious improvement of the body in the process of physical labor. S.F. Rusova, as the coryphaeus of preschool pedagogy, laid the foundation for the content of the educational process through the introduction of the native language, national holidays, and Christian values of the Ukrainian people. G.G. Vashchenko took the Christian ideal as the basis for predicting pedagogical phenomena and processes. P.P. Blonsky defended the independent nature of pedagogical science. І.І. Ogienko stressed the importance of native education, the formation of Christian virtue, justice, and diligence. B.D. Grinchenko defended the inseparable connection of education with the life and culture of other peoples. L. Ukrainka had the same opinion. The teacher insisted on the importance of considering the role of the teacher in the public school, sharply raised the issue of the struggle for social and national liberation of the Ukrainian people. T.G. Lubnets is considered the luminary of the theory of pedagogy. H.D. Alchevskaya entered the history of pedagogy in Ukraine as a prominent figure in the field of adult education, organizer of Sunday schools. І.М. Steshenko advocated the nationalization of secondary and higher education. Minister P.M. Ignatiev defined the organizational and pedagogical principles of educational and pedagogical forecasting through the reform of the education system.

\u201cThe lockdown of physical co-operation touches the heart of adult education\u201d: A Delphi study on immediate and expected effects of COVID-19

This article is based on the first wave of an ongoing worldwide Delphi study which is currently analysing the immediate and expected effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult education and adult learning. While the methodology of Delphi studies varies a lot, in a nutshell, the core idea of a Delphi study is that it explores the future of a particular field in a collaborative way. The authors contacted more than 50 international experts in the field of adult education for a qualitative online survey between April and May 2020, asking them to provide information, observations, expectations and advice. While the findings show many cross-national similarities, there are also many differences. Clearly, adult educators are still trying to understand the implications of the crisis, which they perceive as unprecedented.

The confluence of popular education and social movement studies into social movement learning: A systematic literature review

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to systematically review and trace the lineage of theoretical debates around social movement learning in the field of adult education. We compiled articles, books and conference proceedings on adult education and social movements from Google Scholar using the software Publish or Perish and manually filtered the data to only include those that explicitly address the topic. Based on the data, we identified key literature that scholars cross-referenced, which extended the review to include the literature from the 1970s until today. We argue that the theoretical debates about social movements and education can be characterised by four phases: 1) popular education within and for social movements, 2) the Old/New Social Movement debate and its radical influence on adult education, 3) conflict and pushback between scholars, and 4) social movement learning as a confluence of literature. We argue that it is only when scholars writing about popular education interacted with scholars promoting the idea of ‘new’ social movements that the current proliferation of ‘social movement learning’ emerged. Thus, the knowledge production of social movement learning itself has been a result of a dynamic and historical movement in the field of adult education.

Varieties of employment: a comparison of skill-based activities at work among youth and young adults in Canada

ABSTRACT According to practice engagement theory within the field of adult education, everyday workplace activities offer an opportunity for skill development among youth and young adults; yet, prior research highlights the prevalence of routine and low-skill work within entry-level jobs. Utilising data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), the objective of the following study is to demonstrate how workplace literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving activities differ among people aged 16 to 34 in Canada. Latent class analysis provides a typology of literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving activities at work and generates insight into how socio-demographic and employment factors are associated with each group. The findings highlight that employment cannot be uniformly characterised as low-skill. Rather, there are unique employment groups with differing literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving activity characteristics. Nevertheless, socio-demographic factors do matter for gaining access to employment that involves daily skill-based activities. While age, parental education, immigration background, and education level are significantly associated with the latent classes, economic and employment characteristics reduce the magnitude of these associations. Together, the results suggest that access to skill-based activities at work are more or less accessible for certain groups and connect to other aspects of early-career job quality and occupational segregation.

Demographic Challenges in Rural Europe and Cases of Resilience Based on Cultural Heritage Management. A Comparative Analysis in Mediterranean Countries Inner Regions

Abstract The project Cultrural+ (an Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership project in the field of Adult Education) is funding research and education to deal with major demographic challenges in some regions of the participant countries (Extremadura in Spain, Tràsos-Montes in Portugal, Central Massif in France, Thessaly in Greece and province of Latina in Italy). The paper will discuss the particular problems that European depopulated areas are facing and how cultural heritage and cultural tourism could act as resilience factors. Research is showing that though the different countries’ regions face similar demographic challenges, strategies and planned actions are different. The levels and indicators to measure and understand depopulation processes are also diverse, as are the levels of actualization of the data in each country. International comparative interdisciplinary research allows transfer of best practices cases and models as the “learning territories” and to deepen in the analysis and prospection of the socio-cultural major changes that are affecting the European countryside. This paper analyses the criteria that can help evaluate and acknowledge best practices.

Mentor Concepts to Further Leadership Development in Adult Education Contexts

AbstractAdult education leaders need to provide visionary and ethical leadership while advocating for the field of adult education. Thus, mentoring concepts might assist in developing leaders in adult education formal and informal contexts.

Self-Directed Learning: A Core Concept in Adult Education

In adult education, the concept of self-directed learning has great importance. This term arose in the field of adult education in the 1970s and is still a widely used term in the field. Annual symposiums have been held by the International Society for Self-Directed Learning since 1986, dedicated to the promotion of self-directed learning. The society also publishes an international journal of self-directed learning. A term of more recent origin is self-regulation, used by some authors sometimes interchangeably with self-direction. This review article focuses on the term self-directed learning, which is the term most frequently used in adult education. Many consider the tendency for self-direction to be a fundamental difference between children and adults in a learning situation. This article deals with some factors that affect the understanding of self-directed learning. At the beginning is given a short case story and an account for different perceptions of self-directed learning. This is followed by a clarification of different aspects of self-directed learning, such as why it is advisable, what affects the tendency to self-directed learning, and if self-direction is essentially innate or learned. The situational aspect is dealt with separately as a relatively self-contained aspect of self-directed learning. The presentation is based on a literature study.

Training an Andragogue as a Specialist in Adult Education

The problem of adult education is actualized in the context of today, due to the introduction of continuing education and the need for lifelong learning. One of the priorities of education is always relevant to the preparation and development of the staffing potential of the education system, including adult education. The leading specialist in this field is andragogue as a specialist in training, counseling, providing social assistance and performing organizational and managerial functions in the adult environment. The relevance and demand for the training of andragogues is conditioned by the growing influence of education on the course of socio-economic, political, and cultural development of the world community. In order to find out the real state of andragogue preparation in Ukraine, the authors developed and tested a questionnaire of online adult education experts using the Google form. The results of the study show that representatives of state institutions, non-governmental organizations and public associations have enough scientific and practically oriented experience in the field of adult education. Their activities are centered around providing adult education and counseling services to careers, mobility, retraining and life trajectory design. The need for training andragogues as specialists in the field of adult education capable of effectively organizing the adult learning process has been identified. Respondents identified significant personal qualities of the andragogue: organizational and communicative abilities, broad outlook, emotional stability, availability of analytical, prognostic and project skills and cognitive activity.