Adult Education Providers Research Articles

A community work approach in adult education

Adult education needs to adopt a community‐work approach if it is to be effective in reaching people traditionally labelled as ‘non‐participants’. This paper examines the use of community‐work methods to involve sections of the population previously unaffected by adult education provision. The background is the publication in 1975 of the Alexander Report ‐ The Challenge of Change ‐ by the Scottish Education Department. This report stressed the need for a wider section of the population to take up adult education. Tom Lovett's work in Liverpool and Ireland is used as an example of how to reach more people. Projects with a Scottish context underline that the approach cannot be standardized. Finally the ‘success’ of the East End Adult Education Project is attributed to its community‐work approach.

Conceptions of self within China and the United States: Contrasting foundations for adult education

Cultural, social, political, and psychological influences are shown to result in different conceptions of self within China and the United States. The Chinese construction of self emphasizes continuity of family, societal roles, the supremacy of hierarchical relationships, compliance with authority, and the maintenance of stability. Identity is, largely, externally ascribed, subordinated to the collective, and seeks fulfillment through performance of duty, ordained roles, and patterns of filial loyalty. Within the United States the individual is recognized as the starting point for construing the social order, and the self is considered a psychological construct as much as an artifact of cultural, social, and political influences. These differences are shown to provide different foundations for thinking about the provision of education for adults.

The educational counselling of unemployed adults

Nineteen years ago, funded by a Charitable Trust, based in Scotland but with Northern Ireland interests, the then Northern Ireland Council of Social Service established the Educational Guidance Service for Adults, the first Service of its kind in Europe. The Service, now a grant-aided independent organisation, has twin roles, to provide information on all kinds of learning opportunities for adults, and to offer continuing support, guidance and counselling to clients. It is increasingly involved in meeting demands from the growing number of unemployed adults and in co-operation with providers of adult education in promoting appropriate learning opportunities.

The American community colleges: A time of reappraisal

ABSTRACT The paper describes the current extent of the American community colleges and analyses their principal functions: the offering of credit ‘transfer˚s programmes, including two-year courses leading to associate degrees, which enable students who successfully complete them to obtain baccalaureate degrees by two more years' study in four-year colleges and universities; the provision of job-specific courses in a wide variety of vocational fields; and the provision of community, lifelong and adult education, including language and citizen training for immigrants, basic education skills for adults, and cultural enrichment for their communities. It describes the most striking development in the role of the colleges during the past two decades, namely that they have moved away from being primarily concerned with ‘transfer˚s courses to become predominantly vocational training institutions. The current criticisms of the community colleges are described and analysed, including concern about the declining pro...

A contextual framework for continuing education

AbstractThis chapter outlines the provision of adult education in the United Kingdom and enters briefly into a conceptual discussion about the meaning of the term.

Comprehensive surveys of adult education: A recipe for ossifying provision?

This paper cautions against uncritically enthusiastic calls for comprehensive national surveys of adult education provision and participation in Australia. It is argued that the socially essential characteristics of adult education–its diversity, flexibility and responsiveness–are threatened by such surveys. To adequately plan, implement and report a comprehensive national survey, adult education must be highly standardised and categorised. This structuring of the field may conflict with the maintenance of that flexibility and responsiveness which allows adult education to fulfil its social mission in a liberal and pluralistic representative democracy (such as that in Australia). A comprehensive national survey, if successful, may be expected to exert formalising and conservative (of regressive) influences on the field. Under such influences, the field of adult education may become increasingly socially dysfunctional. This could lead in time to the creation of alternative forms of education outside the de...

New Ways in Hampshire

ABSTRACT New Ways is a scheme designed to look at the needs of adults with a mental handicap who would like to participate in adult education provision. It is hoped that by providing support and guidance and creating a climate of confidence in which their integration and social development is supported, individuals can begin to take their place in society. The possibility exists of using the basic concept of New Ways and adapting the methodology to a “Youth” setting, enabling young people with a mental or other handicap to participate fully in provision available to them and developing relationships with other young people, not all of whom will have a handicap. This projects offers young people with a handicap an opportunity to develop more fully as members of society and also offers the opportunity for those more able people within the community to take and share responsibility and explore their own attitudes to “handicap”.

Computer Education for Adults: Policies and Practices

The general field of adult education is the most rapidly growing segment in all areas of American education . . . few institutional providers of adult education have established guidelines for computer education.

Educational Guidance Services and the Provision of Adult Education

Educational Guidance Services and the Provision of Adult Education

Trade Union Education and Its Relationship to Adult Education in England and Wales

Abstract English This paper considers the connections between the traditional academic philosophies and provision of adult education in England and Wales and the form of education developed by trade unions and the Trade Union Congress specifically for trade unionists. It argues that if democratic structures of a society are to survive and be strengthened during periods of rapid social and technological change then all sections of society must have the knowledge and skills to play their full part and be involved in decision making. The British Trade Union movement with over twelve million members is developing a significant education role. Analysis of current trade union educational provision shows that Liveright and Haygood's five categories of adult education i.e. remedial; vocational, technical and professional competence; health, welfare and family; civic political and community competence and finally education for self fulfilment can be identified. But, whereas the philosophy of British Adult Education has been individualistic self fulfilment, trade union education is more likely to stress collective and functional values. Until recently trade union education was entirely financed by the unions and still receives very small amounts of public money, unlike management education. The paper concludes that society cannot afford this under‐investment if a just society is to be obtained.

Adult Education and Training Provision by the European Community

Adult Education and Training Provision by the European Community

The Provision of Non-Vocational Adult Education within English Colleges of Education

(1977). The Provision of Non-Vocational Adult Education within English Colleges of Education. Studies in Adult Education: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 17-29.

Adult Education: Russell and After

The White Paper of I972 Education: A Framework for Expansion ignored adult education, with the excuse that its future was under review by the Russell Committee. The Committee reported the following year, suggesting immediate practical advance towards an integrated provision, by using in a systematic way the elements already there. The aim of the Chairman was produce a limited, pragmatic set of proposals that no Government could ignore. Had it not been for the Barber cuts and the continuing climate of retrenchment in public expenditure, that strategy might have succeeded. As it was, it made a minor impact on the thinking of the Department and on the more enlightened LEAs, but led no fundamental reappraisal. The so-called 'great educational debate' launched by the Prime Minister in 1976/7, was limited the schools. Adult education still seemed outside the constituency of the DES, as the OECD complained in I975. Now in August, I977, after four years' pressure, the DES has at last accepted a major recommendation of Russell, and appointed Richard Hoggart chair an Advisory Council on Adult and Continuing Education to advise generally on matters relevant the provision of education for adults . . . and in particular, promote cooperation ... and review current practice, organisation and priorities, with a view the most effective deployment of the available resources; and promote the development of future policies andpriorities, with full regard the concept of education as a process continuing throughout life. Perhaps the Committee will in due course be successful in persuading the Department give a national lead in establishing adult education as part of the varied and comprehensive educational service in every area called for in the 1944 Act. It will be in the nick of time, before many LEAs price adult classes out of existence in their frenetic pursuit of false economies. The title of the new Committee, and its Chairman's five years' experience at UNESCO, indicate that the approach may now be widened take in for the first time in Britain some at least of the continental thinking of continuing, permanent, recurrent or life-long education which Russell disregarded as a long term concept, but which is steadily gaining ground in educational thought. Before speculating on future possibilities, however, the purpose of this article is review the current situation in the light of the Russell recommendations. The Russell Committee was limited by its terms of reference 'non-vocational adult education', a distinction increasingly realised as being unreal. Its main concern was with the existing agencies, the LEAs and 'responsible bodies', and it gave only subsidiary attention the emerging role of the media in 'education at a distance', and the needs of industry. It found itself concerned with 'barely I% of the national education budget' and some two million part time students, and modestly felt that doubling the provision cater for one in nine of the adult population would not be unreasonable or extravagant.

Adult Educators and Politics

Adult educators who are interested in increasing the extent and variety of learning experiences provided to the public have sought to achieve this goal by innovative programming and an entrepreneurial approach to funding. If major expansion is to occur in the provision of adult education, it can only be brought about on a large scale by legislative action. To bring about favor able legislation it will be necessary for adult educators in their various organizations and associations to learn to work together so that a concerted effort can be mounted to educate legislators and the public regarding the benefits of an increase in adult edu cation opportunities.

Museums and lifelong learning: The adult dimension

It is worth reminding ourselves that the notion of museums and adult education bodies co-operating together is not unfamiliar. Indeed, the two major Adult Education Reports this century, the Adult Education Committee Final Report (1919) and Adult Education: a plan for development (1973), both considered the roles of museums and adult education providers. In the museums sector, the Report by Sir Henry Miers of 1928 and Sir Frank Markham's Report of 1938 also linked the two roles together, although in the case of the former Report the lack of co-operation between the two sectors was noted.