Die jährliche Volkshochschul-Statistik gilt als die reichhaltigste Einzelstatistik für einen Trägerbereich in der Weiterbildung. Sie bietet nach Bundesländern differenzierte Tabellen von Summen oder Verteilungen zu Personal, Finanzierung, Kurs- und Einzelveranstaltungen, Studienfahrten und -reisen, Ausstellungen. Alle Veranstaltungen sind durchgängig nach den Programmbereichen (1) Politik - Gesellschaft - Umwelt (2) Kultur - Gestalten (3) Gesundheit (4) Sprachen (5) Arbeit - Beruf (6) Gru…
Bildung ist wieder auf dem Wege zum Megathema zu werden. Dies gilt in besonderem Maße für die Weiterbildung, deren Beitrag zur Zukunftsfähigkeit der Gesellschaft allerorten beschworen wird. Im 21. Jahrhundert wird sich (Weiter-) Bildung veränderten sozialen, ökonomischen und gesellschaftlichen Herausforderungen stellen müssen. Um den sich abzeichnenden Umbrüchen im Bildungsbereich begegnen zu können, müssen Weichen gestellt werden für eine zukunftsorientierte Bildungspolitik. Vor diesem Hinte…
Adult education is a field that is strongly shaped by tensions between scientific and political demands. The development of competencies as well as the idea of continuing to learn throughout the whole life are topics that have been debated in science and policy for many years and are still of great importance today. This dissertation deals with the relationship between science and European education policy in adult education by analyzing scientific journal articles and political documents from …
So far, numeracy as part of basic education has only been considered peripherally in the German-speaking countries, regarding the scientific as well as the practical approaches of adult education. In this article, theoretical and conceptual lines of the discourse are linked systematically. In addition, it is argued for an extension of the discourse by including the concept of subject-oriented basic education, which is based on the concept of numeracy as social practice. Initial findings from tw…
The latest PIAAC-results confirm from an international perspective the alarming data of the leo. – Level One Study published in 2011 in which 14,5 percent of the German population capable of work could be identified as functionally illiterate. Both studies have an immense impact on political discussions concerning basis education. To point out the strength of both studies for the field of adult education, there will be a brief summary and tabular comparison concerning the research design of bot…
In the usually clearly word- and text-oriented research field of adult education, for a while now, approaches have been observed, which understand visual presentations as data to be analyzed in a methodically controlled way. These data are used in order to generate and substantiate knowledge about adult education, whereby intensity, contexts, theoretical background and methods or methodology are different. This article presents these approaches in the research fields focusing on students, progr…
The education cheque, introduced in North Rhine-Westphalia, is a funding instrument which has been running since 2006 and is based on demand. This article presents the central results of an independent evaluation carried out in 2008. The quantitative aims have been achieved, or are likely to be achieved (212,000 attendees funded, 42,000 small and medium-sized enterprises approached by 2013; increasing attendance of continuing education courses in SMEs by two percent). On the negative side the a…
The development of interest in adult education This article presents results of a project funded by the DFG on the development of interest in continuing and further education. We connect our work to most recent research on biographical genesis of interest and focus occuring during an individual’s participation in adult education. As theoretical approach we refer to the Munich theory of interest and the pragmatist approach. We empirically investigate the opportunities and limitations of a qua…
How to relate Natural Sciences to Adult Education Drawing on an intensive debate on the improvement of scientific literacy going on in Germany for more than ten years, this article deals with possible contributions of adult education. Starting with the marginal supply of science courses for adults, I focus on typical didactical arrangements and concepts. Based on an empirical study, exemplary didactical concepts are analysed regarding aims, topics, course type, and audience. The results are…
Changing the focus on Natural Sciences At present, public debates postulate more attention to natural sciences in the education sector. First, we will examine the precarious status of natural sciences in adult education and than argue that the traditional focus on natural sciences need to be readjusted. This change of focus aims at a general understanding of scientific developments by which both the individual and the society as a whole will gain and maintain its capacity to judge and act on…
