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For some time, recollection, identity and historical awareness have been frequently applied concepts of history. Ever since adult education came into being, it has also dealt with the topic. The research spectrum, conducted with various methods, reaches from the presentation of historical objectives, structures and figures to a critical reflection of individual interests and motivation. In making these efforts, a historical and continually re-forming self-awareness of the discipline can be cons…
Es ist nahezu ein Allgemeinplatz, von der Pluralität der Lernorte zu sprechen und mittlerweile Konsens, die Vielfalt der Orte des Lehrens und Lernens sowie deren Eingebundensein in gesellschaftliche Strukturen und Funktionen zu akzeptieren und wissenschaftlich zu verorten. Es gibt eine diszplinübergreifende Übereinstimmung darin, dass es neben den traditionellen Orten institutionalisierten und organisierten Lernens eine Vielzahl von „offenen“ und „freien“ Lernorten gibt. In jüngster Zeit gewinn…
Firstly, the author explores the terminological field covering the outcome of educational counselling and develops beneficial dimensions, which are visualised as a network. The author stimulates the German discussion with methodological topics and research results originating in British evaluations. Scientific studies used to confirm the positive effects of educational counselling. Finally the report suggests an agenda for researching the benefits in the field of counselling in continuing edu…
In February 2009, a national association of guidance practitioners and scientific experts, known as the German National Guidance Forum for Education, Career and Employment (nfb), presented a widely recognized key issues paper. The following report comments on the paper from the perspective of continuing education research with a special focus on the following issue: Will the structural improvement of continuing educational counselling lead to an increase of participation in adult education? Due…
This article sums up development cooperation in adult education, providing information about the fields in which this cooperation takes place, which funds it uses and which professionals are involved. When it comes to the question of how German adult education exports have affected transitional countries, the spotlight is on evaluation. The authors ascertain that evaluation work has reached different stages in different educational fields. In the sector of vocational education cooperation the f…
Scientific Education This issue combines empirical and conceptual access points to research of an area of education which has been for the most part neglected by continuing education: What role does natural science knowledge play in the context of informal and non-formal learning processes of adults? And what impetus can be derived for the structure and design of teaching-learning arrangements in other areas? This issue provides insight into specific issues, providing a contribution to inter…
This issue of REPORT focuses on current trends in adult and continuing education in various European countries, with a particular emphasis on the situation in Spain, Romania, Finland, Great Britain and Germany. Documenting the results of an international lecture series held at the University of Essen-Duisburg, the essays, for the first time, are presented in English. The articles gathered in this REPORT may serve as a point of departure for further studies in this area of research and contribut…
This contribution summarizes the most important trends in further education in Germany as they were elaborated in a secondary analytic research project of the DIE (Deutsches Institut für Erwachsenbildung – German Institute for Adult Education) in 2007. According to the study, participation in adult education in Germany is increasing after long years of decrease, even though, overall, financing of adult education has been further reduced. Cooperation as well as competition between adult educatio…
Recent international trends in Adult Education (AE) mirror the diverse realities this field is experiencing around the world. This article discusses the trend towards democratization through a revision of existing knowledge in three main domains: theory, research and practice. First, a theoretical framework of democratization as applied in AE will be outlined. Second, recent research developments will be reviewed as they inform the process of democratization through Adult Education which is occ…
