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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…
Looking at persons and at those active in organisations has forever been in the focus of psychological research on organisations. Monika Kil draws attention to the fact that pedagogical psychology, cognitive psychology and social psychology can also contribute towards a structuring of further education institutions that is conducive to learning. Developing a »learning culture « is one aspect of this. A review of further developments and findings opens up new dimensions for a discourse on organi…
Starting out with deliberations on the relationship between the course of life and the constructed biography of an individual, this article intends to elucidate the contexts of learning as they are treated in various (inter-)national studies, by focusing on the individual’s course of life. To clarify which methodological design is most appropriate to study processes of (lifelong) learning and education, it then seems necessary to highlight a particular methodological approach. This leads, ultim…
The author presents the idea of Web 2.0 providing new opportunities for the political participation of citizens. First, he evaluates possible target groups. Corresponding empirical observations reveal a distinction between those who have arrived in the world of digital content and those who have not. Political education focuses on so called »digital outsiders« to avoid long-term representation deficits caused by an increasingly digitalized democracy. In conclusion, necessary competences of poli…
Adult education and its terminology This article focuses on the interaction between the history of ideas and adult education. The question of the disciplinary and the individual self-conception, which can be extended by an approach from the history of the understanding of concepts, is central to this consideration. After discribing the possible usage of general terminology it offers different perspectives and levels for adult educational analysis. As a conclusion it discusses to which extent…
The report presents first results of a study dealing with the whereabouts of former participants of literacy classes. Assuming courses of adult education have a beginning and an end, the authors pursue the phenomena of participants sojourning permanently at adult education courses. Taken data material into account, the reconstruction of possible reasons for staying in the courses finally leads to the demand for an initial consulting – analogical to the starting and learning consultation in the …
Referred back to oneself. Reflexive modernisation and new learning requirements This article probes the relationship between our risk society, reflexive modernity and individual learning. First, social conditions are illuminated (with reference to Beck, Giddens and Lash) which force people to endure uncertainty (Mitscherlich and Marotzki) and gain critical ego strength. Next the author focuses attention on the reality of contemporary ways of dealing with demands, turning to findings from nar…
Education for sustainable development is being practiced exemplary in Sweden, Finland, Great Britain, France and the Netherlands. This outcome is the result of the present attempt of a European comparison in sustainable education. Since reliable indicator systems are absent at present, with which one could measure whether a country practices sustainable development more efficiently than others, the estimation of the author is based on surveys with official institutions and conventional assessme…
