Research
We explore how adult education can be made inclusive, digital and effective.
Services
Digital tools, specialist portals and data – for teachers, researchers, students and interested parties.
Institute
We offer research, transfer and infrastructure for lifelong learning.
The article depicts a structural model of health competences consisting of basic and developed skills, which refer to a perceptive-motivational as well as activity-based level. As a contrast to health literacy, the model is detached from the clinical context and intended as a life competence for health. The article also focuses on the empirical model review as well as on the issue of how to acquire competences.
Thinking in statistical patterns is a core competence of the responsible citizen, who is capable of making informed health decisions. At the same time, a lack of statistical skills as well as non-transparent communication of risks undermines the ideal of an enlightened citizen. Thus, educational programmes are responsible for imparting basic concepts of statistical thinking as well as equipping citizens directly and via mediators to enable informed decisions.
The article provides an overview of the constellation of stakeholders in health education. It focuses on the publicly funded section and its current challenges such as the participants' age pattern, as well as the range of services and the relating quality standards.
Based on the development of modern information and communication technologies, the author tries to get to the bottom of the significance of reading and writing skills for the participation in society and the job market. He recognises a growing replacement by auditive and visual formats such as voice recognition and pictograms. Against this background, he calls for the recognition of developing smart technologies as the key for handling insufficient reading and writing skills.
