Within the process of socio-political transition adult education is an important tool for Eastern Europeans to orientate themselves in their rapidly changing social environment and to find new professional perspectives. Nevertheless, there are many obstacles blocking the way to the participation of all ethnic groups of the former Soviet Union in adult education courses. The article intends to show that besides various objective reasons, e.g. the disastrous economical situation, there are sever…
The increasing functional illiteratism among young adults is the background for the project „Gilgamesch“ – a cooperation of the university and the adult education centre in Munich. The learners are organized in small groups, the emphasis of the courses is on verbal improvement, cognitive ordering and handling of knowledge and on the development of individual strategies to overcome writing problems. The project’s theoretical and practical results will be transmitted to various institutions deali…
The author pursues the issue whether gender equity has been achieved in continuing educational participation. According to Friebel, this question can only be answered if the life and work contexts are considered as a biographic regulative of the participation in continuing education. The underlying empirical data is based on the longitudinal study »Hamburger Biografie- und Lebenslaufpanel« (HBLP), in which findings about the correlation of gender, parenthood and participation in continuing educ…
Working in small groups can be regarded as constitutive for learning with cases. Using the example of case-based “train the trainer courses”, this contribution focuses on cooperative learning processes in small groups regarding the contents of the conversation and discussion structure as well as the effects on the competence development of individual adult learners. The presented results provide an insight of the processes of situated, problem-based learning in small groups which are common in …
Adult education centers (“Volkshochschulen”) realize their educational mission nationwide, in a wide range of educational topics and for all citizens. In order to foster equal participation opportunities for all population groups, they face the challenge of adapting their work to social developments. Organizational approaches such as diversity management and intercultural opening provide a framework that considers different levels of continuing education work and discusses their contribution to…
The reorientation of vocational further education through the Hartz laws, with their introduction of education vouchers, the drastic cutting of expenses for vocational education and complementing orders issued by the Bundesanstalt für Arbeit (federal head institution of employment exchanges) add to an increase in unemployment: institutions in Further Education must reduce their numbers of courses, close down branch offices, and dismiss employees; holders of education vouchers remain without fur…
This third edition of the DIE Portrait Continuing Education in Germany has been extensively revised to include up-to-date figures on such key areas of continuing education as numbers of courses offered, participants, institutions and staff employed. The volume also outlines the history of German adult education and provides information on its basis in law and funding matters. Educational researchers, planners, administrators and practitioners, will thus obtain a thorough insight into the conti…
The article deals with the concept of self-competence, the importance of which has been growing in andragogy in the course of the individualization of professional life. Thereby the theoretical and empirical analysis focuses on the ´explanation´ of the term and its effects on the individuum. After the description of fundamental developments which cause the emergence of the topica theorectical and empirical modelling of (self-)competences follows. As a conclusion, consequences for the theory and…
This article explores „biography“ as a separate field of research within adult education. It focuses on analysing the outcome of alphabetization and basic education courses on biographies and coping mechanisms of functional illiterates. At the same time, the importance of biography research for practical work with illiterates is highlighted. The article also discusses a list of requirements that need to be met for an innovative adjustment of such practical work, and thus making better use of it…
From the viewpoint of Akademie Remscheid, a leading provider of further education courses involving education through play, this article presents the facets of the phenomenon of play as relevant to education and illustrates them using several examples of play that can be applied to adult education. The focus is on group games which can be played using simple materials. The central fields of learning targeted by play are identified as social skills, perception, expression, creativity and problem…
