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 …
An essential task for administrative staff in adult education is to develop and offer courses. In the field of economic education (basic education), there exist only very few offers and didactic material. Hence, there is a great demand to describe requirements concerning competencies to be taught in this area. Such requirements for competencies may serve as a base for the development of courses in adult education. This article explores the questions on which requirements concerning competencies…
Adult education is more and more affected by social change due to migration. This paper analyses the marginal adoption of the topic by research in the past and describes recent trends, also in practice. Perspectives for institutions of adult education such as widening access to adult education for migrants, organisational development and professionalisation are discussed. Furthermore the author names challenges for research. There should be more cooperation within the field of educational resea…
This paper deals with the relation between the "effort" produced by institutions of further education for successfully realizing inter-organizational participation in networks and the "significance" of participation for the performing of the services of the institutions. A polythetic classification based on the qualitative data material is presented that allows for the differentiation between three different groups of organizations based on the relation between effort and significance. The resu…
Diversity management is a popular management approach. It promises to allow diversity in organisations and thus to appreciate people for what they are. It undertakes to recognise different points of view, ideas, abilities and potentials; not to standardise cultural variety but to reinforce it. For adult education, this concept seems highly promising. After all, one claim of educational management is to promote personality development and personal progress in a business context. However, critica…
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…
Development of culinary competencies. »Food Literacy« as a horizontal task for adult education Nourishment relevant theoretical knowledge and practical skills in preparing dishes are more and more decreasing. At the same time the requirements towards the personal feeding competence are increasing: the variety of offers continuously demands decisions and a time budget for nourishment from the consumer – these become smaller in competition to work times and media using times. The contribution i…
Political Adult Education and its Crises Political education is often attested as being somewhat critical. As was the case of the twentieth publication of REPORT in 1987 in which the main focus – even though at the time it was not identified as such – was on this theme. The issue commenced with a contribution from Horst Siebert; this contribution shall now be the starting point to explore the highlights on the development of the past years and to determine its positioning. This will ensue in…
At the present time those people are retiring who became the managers of adult evening classes institions during the education campaign around 1970. The author approaches the future alteration of generations in the top management positions by a comparison of the general conditions. These were better around twenty years ago: larger scopes for development, established role as a hub of culture and educational politics. Today the permanently solidifying work is distinct of innovation requirements a…
The author describes and evaluates actual streamings of men’s studies at the background – and as a result – of the history and development of women’s studies. Ursula Müller’s main questions are: How is gender construction defined by men’s studies? Is it critical research in the sense of social criticism and self reflection? Her answer: It depends on the author. The position of Ursula Müller is grounding on the concept of Robert W. Connell’s plaedoyer for taking serious men as a specific social …
