Adult Education Policy Research Articles

Discourse(s) of inclusion in adult education curricula – the case of Sweden

ABSTRACT This article explores historical shifts in the discourse of inclusion in the policy of Swedish Municipal Adult Education (SMAE). Drawing on Foucauldian concepts of discourse, governmentality, and subjectivity, a critical discourse analysis was conducted on the so far three existing curricula for SMAE. A positive shift in language use was established in the three historical discourses revealed in the analysis. However, the three discourses share a common feature of understanding inclusion through the perspective of ‘deficit’ and ‘othering’, as well as governing through a controlling exercise of state’s power through different demands of responsibility. The findings point to the need of a new understanding of inclusion in SMAE in which diversity and individual characteristics for learning are central concepts.

Adult Education Program Implementers’ Understanding and Usage of Strategy Policy Documents in Addis Abab City Administration, Ethiopia

This study was targeted to assess adult education program implementers’ understanding towards adult education policy documents and usage of the documents in Addis Ababa City Administration. In order to guide the study qualitative method was applied. Accordingly, qualitative data was gathered using interview and document analysis. Qualitative data like views of respondents and result gained from document analysis were discussed by narrating the evidences/responses in words. As the findings of this study reveals, majority of adult education program implementers lack understanding about the policy documents of adult education sector; there is no established and sustainable awareness creation system and capacity building program for newly employed and other personnel; non-existence an established structure to lead adult education program according to the designed strategy documents are some of the results of the research. In order to overcome the challenges mentioned above adult education implementing organizations have to launch continuous professional development (CPD) program for implementers of adult education program. Consequently, implementers of the program can get first-hand information on the policy documents on one hand and they can also upgrade their profession on the other hand.

The implications of critical theory for adult education policy

The German tradition of critical theory (often called the Frankfurt School), represented by such authors as Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, and Oskar Negt, have given crucial contributions to social and cultural theory in investigating and conceptualizing contradictory conditions of modern Western societies. This paper will discuss the ways in which these critical theorists have approached adult learning and education. Important elements are the role of adult learning in confronting the past and the present of Western societies (Adorno, Horkheimer) and the potential of experience-based learning in supporting open and democratic cultures and communities (Negt). Except for Negt, adult education was a minor topic for these critical theory scholars. Nevertheless, their contributions include important comments on and implications for adult education policy, including questions such as the responsibility of states for education, the democratic character of educational institutions, and the relationship between skills for work and for civil life. Critical theory holds important insights in the societal embedding of adult education and consequences for the objectives. These insights can guide (and have guided) critical research in adult education policy, but they need to be combined with policy analysis concepts and systematic empirical work.

Study and career counsellors: the hub of Swedish adult education

ABSTRACT This article explores how the Swedish policy of municipal adult education (MAE) is interpreted, translated, and enacted in study and career counselling. The data consists of semi-structured interviews with adult education leaders and study and career counsellors. Swedish MAE is characterised by extensive marketisation, with many different providers, which makes the education system complex. The findings show that a study and career counsellor is characterised as a key person for both the students and the organisation, with a role as a marketer and ‘map reader’ for applicants, in addition to responsibilities in admissions, the validation and mapping of students’ knowledge, and quality work. The counsellor becomes a hub in a system that applicants and students find difficult to navigate and fulfils a vital function in the marketing of adult education and quality work. Thus, this complex system requires more resources for counselling to function to the benefit of the individual student. However, there is no clear regulation for how counselling should be organised, which means that counselling is organised in different ways in different municipalities with different providers. This in turn means that the availability of adequate counselling may depend on the municipality in which you live.

The educational policies for youth and adult education in Brazil on the perspective for 2030 agenda: arguments for a dialogue

RESUMO O artigo versa sobre as articulações entre a política nacional e a supranacional para a educação de jovens e adultos (EJA) na agenda internacional, especialmente a Agenda 2030, por meio de seus Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável — ODS, ressaltando algumas reverberações na aprovação das legislações educacionais ocorrida no período de 2015 a 2022. O objetivo deste estudo, de cunho teórico e crítico, foi identificar as interseções existentes entre a legislação educacional voltada para a EJA e o ODS-4 (metas 4.4 e 4.6). Para isso, adotou-se a pesquisa documental de caráter exploratório, sendo analisados também os documentos da Agenda 2030 e da lei nº 13.005/2014. Os resultados apontam para um movimento de alinhamento com a agenda global para a educação e as resoluções e decretos aprovados no período analisado, que em seu conjunto revela o enfoque na formação técnica e profissional e uma concepção minimalista de alfabetização das pessoas jovens e adultas.

ADULT EDUCATION IN DENMARK: MODERN DISCOURSE OF LEGISLATIVE SUPPORT

Sustainable and rational adult education is now a crucial component of the European education system due to the demands of a modern, innovative workforce that must be highly educated and adaptable. This article provides a comparative examination of adult education contemporary situation in Denmark and Ukraine. The author’s research interests are in the sphere of the legal frameworks supporting the structural patterns, guiding principles, financing, and acknowledgement of Danish adult education. For the establishment of adult education policies in Ukraine, the Danish setting is essential because of Denmark's unique experience in developing a democratic adult training system that is a part of lifelong learning. In data collection for this study, the author has analyzed multiple legislative sources in European and Danish educational environments at various time points from 2000 to 2023. The conducted research demonstrates that the legal framework in the modern Danish environment encourages adult education in a way that shapes it into a very effective system. On the other hand, significant legislative, structural, and technological changes are needed for adult education in Ukraine, particularly in light of the ongoing aggressive war. This comparative study will contribute to a better understanding of the educational situation with adults in advanced European countries and will help to justify new approaches to the training of adult citizens in Ukraine.

Levels of policy drivers: Introducing and demonstrating an analytical framework for education policy spread

A plethora of scholars investigate how policies spread globally. This paper establishes an analytical framework to structure empirical macro-quantitative research on global education policy spread and enable this analysis to be more comprehensive. Different theories and concepts of drivers for education policy are structured into three distinct levels of origin: the domestic, and the horizontal and vertical interrelational level of policy drivers (LoPD). Analyzing education policy spread considering these levels, it will be argued, enriches analysis normally focusing only on one single level. An exemplary empirical application on the spread of Adult Basic Education policies suggests the merits of this framework. While not contradicting existing theories, it allows a more thorough analysis of mechanisms of policy spread. Hence, the LoPD framework can serve as a springboard to analyze policy spread in a more structured and holistic way. Thus, it can focus macro-quantitative research on education policy spread on optimizing measures.

Individualising processes in the making: policy complexities and tensions of municipal adult education in Swedish for immigrants

This article examines individualising processes in the context of Municipal Adult Education in Swedish for Immigrants (SFI). Demands to adapt education to individual students’ needs are increasingly evident in adult education policies, requiring accountable authorities’ active engagement in enacting effective organisational frameworks while accommodating the labour market’s needs. Such endeavours are often sources of tensions. Conceptual tools from cultural-historical activity theory are employed to address the complexity and multiplicity of individualising processes. An analysis of policy documents and interviews with municipal actors shows that individualising processes are played out through tensions found in three areas of object formation: making of an individual student; making of an effective education; and making of a coherent society. Hence, the study unpacks how individualising processes elicit transformations of SFI education through destabilisation/restabilisation cycles in the involved actors’ activities, concluding by highlighting the concept’s dynamic and potentiality for development in contemporary adult education settings.

Lifelong learning: The red-headed stepchild of Lebanon’s National Strategy for Older People

Decades of governmental neglect mark the socio-political realities of older people in Lebanon. They endure poverty, illiteracy, ageism, exclusion from healthcare and social security, and are absent from public spaces. Against the backdrop of these realities and Lebanon’s ageing population, the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs, in collaboration with other stakeholders, recently developed the first-ever National Strategy for Older Persons in Lebanon 2020–2030 (NSOP). This strategy aligns itself with regional and international efforts promoting older people’s health and social and economic participation, aims to reduce social disparities, achieve justice and equal opportunities, and promote positive welfare. In light of the paucity of scholarly works examining local policies on the intersection of ageing and adult education policies, this paper proffers a strategy analysis of the NSOP with particular interest in the stature it affords lifelong learning. To that end, two research questions are raised: (1) How does the NSOP imagine the role of lifelong learning in fulfilling its agenda? (2) What disconnects exist between the NSOP’s vision of ageing and the imagined role of lifelong learning in realising it? Answers are sought via a double-layered manifest and latent analysis of the NSOP document. Conclusions suggest the NSOP’s prescription and description of lifelong learning opportunities, including goals, provision and programming, are shorthanded and ambiguous. The NSOP’s ‘radical ethos’ also staggers on normative ageing ideals enshrined in existing cultural values yet claims to defy them. This policy discussion problematises the ableist and economic function of lifelong learning within the NSOP and, thereafter, the latter’s potency in mitigating the doomsday scenario older people in Lebanon endure. Ultimately, action mechanisms on policy, governance, capacity-building and research levels are suggested.

How the concept of the “chain of command” is construed through problematizations in Swedish adult education policy

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on how the chain of command is construed in Swedish municipal adult education. With a qualitative research approach and by drawing on the theoretical and methodological framework ‘What’s the “problem” represented to be?’ (WPR) approach, the aim is directed at identifying, interrogating, and reconstructing problem representations. The empirical material consists of contemporary key adult education policy that focuses on the chain of command and was analyzed in NVivo. Ethical considerations as well as data credibility, validity and reliability reflections were made in the form of WPR-guided self-reflexivity. The results indicate that both heads of education and principals are held responsible for the ‘weaknesses’ of the chain of command. Different solutions are also construed to solve the ‘problem’ that calls for increased trust between the actors in the chain of command. However, this trust seems to be underpinned by a request for more follow-ups, rather than a trust in the principal’s pedagogical leadership. The way that these issues are construed as specific kinds of ‘problems’ and ‘solutions’ has effects on the individuals that are involved in adult education. Based on the analysis, the need for policymakers to work on understanding the unintentional consequences of policies is stressed.

‘And suddenly it’s not so flexible anymore!’ Discursive effects in comments from school leaders and staff about distance education

Distance education has received a lot of attention in contemporary policy as something that makes it possible for more students to participate, but also involves a certain set of challenges. When it comes to distance education, Swedish municipal adult education (MAE) stands out with its long history of flexible education, often provided on distance. Applying Bacchi’s poststructural WPR approach, the aim of this study was to scrutinise how distance education is construed, and the discursive effects of this, in comments by MAE school leaders and staff during a quality audit. The analysis shows that it becomes difficult to question or think differently about distance education within the flexibility discourse in adult education. Moreover, the blame for students’ lack of goal attainment and increased dropouts seems to be put on external providers, municipalities, and the students rather than on the way that the adult education system is organised or the demands around flexibility in adult education policy. What seems to be left out is a discussion about the pedagogical and didactical implications of distance education.

Taking stock of youth and adult educational policies in Chile and Peru in a changing landscape

This article explores the framing of youth and adult education (YAE) policies in two Latin American countries, namely Chile and Peru. It takes their participation in PIAAC as a contextual starting point to unravel the problems explicitly or implicitly framed in YAE policies and their root causes, as understood by key policy stakeholders. We found that policy documents specifically addressing YAE are not only scarce, but also the existing ones tend to be either too broad or too narrow in relation to how YAE is understood. The results suggest that in both countries, there exists a widespread disregard for YAE, a limited perspective on the field, and a generalised lack of funding for YAE. Under these conditions, participation in a study like PIAAC is primarily motivated by considerations unrelated to education, thus resulting in a very limited impact on YAE policy.

Economic policy to support lifelong learning system development & SDG4 achievement: Bibliometric analysis

In order to set economic policy goals, it is important to understand the difference between adult education and lifelong learning, and how much research on SDG 4 combines lifelong learning and economic policy. The purpose of the article is to determine the main directions for justifying the lifelong learning system development, including for achieving sustainable development goal 4 (SDG 4). Based on scientific research data from the Scopus database using the VOSviewer software, this article analyzed the theoretical foundations for substantiating the temporal and geographical interrelationships of the categorical-conceptual system of such terms as “SDG 4”, “adult education”, “lifelong learning” and “economic”. This made it possible to identify the main trends in scientific research and cluster directions of international research on the relationship between adult education, lifelong learning and economic policy. The following trends were obtained: adult education as a driver of economic development; as a social phenomenon and as a source of innovation. The following clusters were identified: adult education as a part of life-long education; adult education under the influence of physical and age-related changes; adult education as part of professional education; the learning process, which is not related to professional activity. As a result of the analysis, an insufficient level of attention among scientific studies devoted to adult education within the framework of SDG 4 was revealed. The article confirmed the need for economic policy to support the lifelong learning system, as well as the difference between the concepts of adult education and lifelong learning. Acknowledgment The educational outcomes in this publication were created with the support of the EU Erasmus+ program within the framework of projects ERASMUS-JMO-2021-HEI-TCH-RSCH-101048055 – «AICE – With Academic integrity to EU values: step by step to common Europe» and ERASMUS-JMO-2022-HEI-TCH-RSCH-101085198«OSEE – Open Science and Education in Europe: success stories for Ukrainian academia». This study was funded by the grant from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine “Modelling educational transformations in wartime to preserve the intellectual capital and innovative potential of Ukraine” (registration number 0123U100114). “Convergence of economic and educational transformations in the digital society: modeling of the impact on regional and national security” (state registration number 0121U109553).

성인문해교육 관계자의 교육요구 분석

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze the educational needs of J-do adult literacy education officials according to the size of the region so that adult literacy education policies and continuous and effective projects can be established according to the characteristics of the region. Methods This study analyzed the survey contents of 150 officials in charge of literacy education at J-do Adult Literature Education Institute. Education needs were measured on a Likert 5-point scale for 16 variables using the survey tool for adult literacy education support policies developed by Heo Jun, Lee Ji-hye, and Gil Hye-ji (2020). Data processing used the SPSS 26.0 statistical package to derive the priority of adult literacy education needs by regional size through the corresponding sample t-test, Borich demand, and The Locus for Focus model analysis. Results First, in regions with a population of 100,000 or more, Borich's demand priority analysis and The Locus for Focus Model analysis revealed the actualization of instructor fees, budget for literacy education institutions, learner support (education costs, counseling, etc.), expansion of literacy education facilities, and short-range learning opportunities. Second, in areas with a population of more than 50,000 and less than 100,000, variables were derived to secure facilities dedicated to literacy education and to provide learning opportunities for short-range literacy education. Third, in areas with a population of less than 50,000, the budget for operating literacy education institutions, expanding literacy education contents, supporting learners (education expenses, counseling, etc.), promoting literacy education, and event variables were derived. Conclusions As a result of analyzing the needs of adult literacy education by regional size, J-do found that none of the 16 variables appeared in common. The highest priority was “realization of instructor fees” in areas with a population of 100,000 or more, “secure facilities dedicated to literacy education” in areas with a population of 50,000 or more, and “budget for operating literacy education institutions” in areas with a population of less than 50,000. If the results of educational demand analysis vary depending on the size of the region, the policy promotion must also vary by region, so it is necessary to analyze educational needs according to regional characteristics to promote adult literacy education policies suitable for regional characteristics.

Iekļaujoša pieaugušo izglītība: nākotnes attīstības perspektīvas. Latvijas gadījums

Under the influence of the pandemic, adult education institutions around the world were forced to switch to a distance learning mode, which culminated in the unprecedented rapid digitization of the adult education sector, including in Latvia. Adult education institutions have adapted to changing circumstances by converting current programmes to online mode and creating new programmes to meet the needs of learners during the pandemic. Even after the lifting of restrictions set by the pandemic, most Latvian adult education institutions continue to implement online courses, and also include online components in the face-to-face learning process. The aim of the study is to analyse the future development perspectives of adult education in Latvia in the context of solving the challenge of inclusion. During the research, the author concluded that online learning can contribute to the development of inclusive education, which has been put forward as one of the main education priorities in Latvia, because learners can participate in learning, regardless of their location. However, not all learners have the necessary skills and equipment to participate in online learning. The results of the expert interviews showed that the pandemic has generally promoted the development of online adult education programmes. Taking into account the advantages of online learning (saving time and various resources, etc.), this form will continue to develop even after the pandemic. According to experts, the combined form of adult education, when the face-to-face form is supplemented, or in certain cases replaced, by online learning, would be optimal for adult learners in Latvia. At the same time, experts pointed out that adult education in Latvia needs to address various challenges, such as the quality assurance system, development and implementation of adult education policy, and raising the qualifications of pedagogues.

Engaging Low-Skilled Adults in Education and Training: Exploring Participation Rates, Challenges, and Strategies

The need for non-formal education (NFE), which does not result in a formal degree or certificate, is substantial as labour markets often require adult workers to take an initiative in advancing their jobrelated skills. Yet, NFE opportunities are more often pursued by highincome and high-skilled adults than their low-income and low-skilled counterparts. For this study, we used data from the 2012 Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) for Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the US, to compare participation rates in NFE by medium/high and low-skilled adults. Additionally, to gain insights of adult education and training policies that promote NFE, international key informant interviews (n = 33) and document reviews were conducted. Findings include (a) as compared to high-skilled adults, low-skilled adults are less likely to participate in NFE (b) as compared to the US, low-skilled adults in Norway and the Netherlands are more likely to participate in NFE, and (c) NFE is often more acceptable to low-skilled adults, possibly due to previous negative experiences with formal education. These findings are especially relevant to the increased need for retraining and reskilling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has negatively impacted low-skilled workers more than their higher skilled counterparts (OECD, 2020a).

Non-formal education: The review of current studies

Introduction. Non-formal education is gaining a new impetus in the establishment of a sustainable knowledge society. The article reveals major concerns of non-formal education as an element of life-long learning and adult education policies as well as its effective implementation into the national educational mainstream.Aim. The aim of the research is to conduct a detailed overview of various current studies, exemplifying the international experience in non-formal education and the case-studies of its adoption along with the mechanisms for its validation in different countries.Methodology and research methods. The work was based on the methodology of comparative analysis and qualitative content analysis of official UNESCO, CEDEFOP, etc. international statistical and analytical reports, academic and empirical studies. An analytical review shows policy changes towards the development of non-formal education as well as an international and available in individual countries experience of its studying and implementation.Results. Based on the compatibility scopes principle, three levels of analysis of non-formal education (macro-level/global, meso-level/institutional, micro-level/personal) were identified so that the key issues and trends in its development could be pinpointed at every stage. The conducted research leads to the conclusion that non-formal education practices are acquiring institutional forms. The level of non-formal education development in different countries varies. However, there are general trends towards solving a number of similar social problems by means of non-formal education, such as bridging the supply and demand for competencies in the labour market, social inclusion of different segments of the population, and others.Scientific novelty and practical significance. The novelty of this study is seen in the resource capacity of non-formal education, the potential of its implementation for the vocational re-skilling, upskilling and further training of various socio-demographic groups, its global development trends and prospects. The practical significance lies in the application of mechanisms for recognising non-formal education outcomes. The highlighted trends and the best international experience can provide non-formal education integration into the educational mainstream, create experimental learning platforms and accelerate practical educational policy measures.

The Role of Environmental Adult Education in Community Development

This paper examined the role of environmental adult education in community development. In this study, the concept of adult education, its objectives and its relevant was properly stated, it also investigates the concept of environmental adult education, its objectives and principles, the concept of community development and its objectives, and lastly the role adult education in community developmental drive. In conclusion, this study discovered that, our environment is full of activities daily by man, industries and other natural occurrences which needed to be properly managed and controlled. In view of the above the following recommendation where made: that Government at every level should ensure that environmental laws are enforced to cut down some of this environmental hazardous activities, the policies of adult education should be pursuit squarely, measures should be put in place for checks and monitoring, the role of every adult in the society should not be under-mind, which calls for mass campaign or sensitization of the need for human capacity development, development of indigenous people in our communities should be paramount in the pursuit of this environmental issues as the only solution or a way out the problems we are facing these days especially in Rivers State and other part of the country.

The Role of Environmental Adult Education in Community Development

This paper examined the role of environmental adult education in community development. In this study, the concept of adult education, its objectives and its relevant was properly stated, it also investigates the concept of environmental adult education, its objectives and principles, the concept of community development and its objectives, and lastly the role adult education in community developmental drive. In conclusion, this study discovered that, our environment is full of activities daily by man, industries and other natural occurrences which needed to be properly managed and controlled. In view of the above the following recommendation where made: that Government at every level should ensure that environmental laws are enforced to cut down some of this environmental hazardous activities, the policies of adult education should be pursuit squarely, measures should be put in place for checks and monitoring, the role of every adult in the society should not be under-mind, which calls for mass campaign or sensitization of the need for human capacity development, development of indigenous people in our communities should be paramount in the pursuit of this environmental issues as the only solution or a way out the problems we are facing these days especially in Rivers State and other part of the country

Female’s self-concept as online learners in the context of lifelong learning in prisons

ABSTRACT Adult education and training policies have supported inclusive practices for universal access to opportunities for the development of important lifelong learning (LL) skills. The implementation of these policies is especially relevant for socially vulnerable groups, including individuals who are incarcerated. Taking this situation as a reference, a study was developed to answer the questions: How do female adults who participated in an LL e-learning training course in prison perceive themselves as learners? What are the learners’ perceptions about the online learning training, framed in an LL context? Data collected through two questionnaires and a focus group revealed a history of academic failure and negative repercussions of incarceration on the self but also showed evidence of the ability to learn through technology and an effort towards self-improvement. The results indicate that the development of digital learning skills in prison may foster psychosocial development, which is crucial to perceiving a self with the ability for LL.