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The paratext of biographical interviews This article profiles everything which the biography researcher intentionally prompts or unintentionally receives during field work from his interview partners in the way of “paratext” which contributes to the design of the subject of research. Thus a notion which is usually used in the field of literature science is in this manner adopted in biographical research.
The author diagnoses the dynamics of acceleration in our society in three parts: technological acceleration, which results in a “destruction of space”, accelerated social change, which leads to a “shrinkage of the present”, and – as a result of both of these trends – an acceleration in the subjective perception of time. The “society on the move” creates a pressure to make use of as many options in life as possible. The author shows that only deciding not to exploit all these options can help e…
The rising importance of continuing education in the knowledge-based society is undisputed, but the broad organisational and legal area of continuing education has not been surveyed adequately to date in statistical terms. This article provides an overview of the heterogeneous landscape of providers and explains the existing data situation. Following this, the problems associated with a separation between providers of vocational from general education are discussed. Finally, the current changes…
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…
Theories of Adult Education On the basis of three selected contributions, the adult pedagogical theory discussion which began in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s will be explored. The issues handled here concern the subject-matter relatedness and conceptuality used, the empirical binding and historical localisation, as well as the influence through the so called sister disciplines. The stages of the theory discussion which are addressed convey an ambivalent picture which moves between confidence, …
A theorist for professional organization and academic research on the one hand and the practical further education specialist on the other hand exchange their views and ideas on the positive and negative effects of a strategic orientation for third-party funds in an interview with „DIE“.
Adult education is also stamped by linear legends, including its implicit models of biography. These are, as shall be shown in the first section of this consideration, concepts of a setting-out-biography. They oversee the aspect of life coming to an end. For that reason adult education often just shows half of the picture of an adult. The adult appears as a timeless entity, being in principle open for development. His “Unteachableness” is not really seen as a result of the structural rigidity o…
The pretentions on professionalization of further education in the area of tension between managerism, evidence based practice and obligation of participants The transformation of the welfare state also leads to a change in professional profiles in further education. This shows among others in the tendencies of de-professionalization, such as in the form of a (re-) subordination of adult pedagogical professional roles and activities under the logics of administration, market and law or other…
