Adult education as a profession is neither clearly defined in relation to neighbouring fields nor clearly structured internally. Thus an ambivalent situation is created: on the one hand there are careers on this side and beyond institutionalised adult education. On the other hand the commitment towards a professional purpose seen as pedagogical in a narrow sense begins to crumble. The author refers to a speech by W. Schulenberg from 1969 and shows perspectives for the profession. They aim at a …
The Greek educational system replicates the historical-cultural and regional segmentation of Greek society. In the past there was a gap between west-oriented Greeks with a high level of education on the one hand and uneducated natives on the other hand; nowadays we find well-off Greek students at western universities on the one hand and, on the other hand, the larger part of the national youth in the backward universities of their own country. In adult education, the traditional gap is perpetua…
Mathematics, natural science and engineering are not among the most favourite learning objectives of either pupils or adults. While they do enjoy a high esteem, they are also perceived as difficult. The authors discuss why this should be so, and give a summary over participation statistics of Volkshochschulen in the past decades, where courses in mathematics, science or technical matters have been on the decline for some time. Against this background, they present aims and methods of their proj…
For 30 years, the author has been director of the communal adult education institute “Volkshochschule” at a middle-size town in Southern Germany. In 1998, the costs of 3 million DM were financed jointly by the town (50%), the participants of the courses (40%) and the Land Baden-Württemberg (10%). In the next three years, the "Volkshochschule" has to reduce the communal subsidy by 12%. The article deals with the financial challenges the institute faces in its new situation of competition at the …
The phenomenon of disordered learning and the resistance against education are reconstructed as a result of purposeful educational determination. Both are collateral costs of institutionalized learning arrangements, at which can be worked anew with educational means on a higher level. Compared with informal and implicit learning, in contexts of formal learning there is a fair chance for resistance against exacting learning demands. So the competence of refusing education might be seen as a base…
The demographic change and the growing demand of skilled workers in Germany puts workers with migration background in the focus of interest in politics, economy, research and, increasingly, of adult education. The following article analyses empirically the relationship between the socio-cultural determinants, which are theoretically embedded in Esser’s model of social integration, and the participation in further vocational education of working adults with a migration background in Germany on t…
This report from England is part of a research project entitled Literacy/Basic Education – State of the Art from a historical and systematic Perspective in terms of Transferability. It focuses on the way adult (il)literacy has been approached, dealt with, discussed and analysed both politically and scientifically in England. It provides a historical overview on government strategy papers and outlines central ideas in theoretical discussions regarding literacy and literacy practices. However, in…
Träger beruflicher Bildung, so der Autor, müssen sich zu Bildungsdienstleistern entwickeln. Mit Hilfe agiler Führung können sie sich als resiliente Organisationen aufstellen, um im gesamtgesellschaftlichen Transformationsprozess erfolgreich im freien Bildungsmarkt zu bestehen.
Wie begründen Bildungseinrichtungen, dass sie Angebote zur digitalen Grundbildung unterbreiten? Dieser Frage sind die Autorin und der Autor in Interviews mit lehrendem und leitendem Personal der allgemeinen und konfessionellen Erwachsenenbildung nachgegangen. Sie zeigen, dass die Begründung entlang dreier Säulen der Legitimität erfolgt.
Die im Aufbau befindliche Nationale Bildungsplattform ist eine Online-Vernetzungsinfrastruktur, die Lehr- und Lernformate anbieterübergreifend auffindbar und nutzbar machen soll. Was erwarten Lehrende von dieser Plattform? Auf Basis der Ergebnisse einer Online-Umfrage berichten der Autor und die Autorin über Chancen und Herausforderungen aus Perspektive der potenziellen zukünftigen Nutzenden.
