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In the last years the issue of adult literacy has gained international and national importance – not least due to the comparative surveys IALS, ALL, and PIAAC, conducted by the OECD. The result was a series of developments in education policy, in particular regarding the promotion and financing of adult literacy programmes. Based on country reports, the present article provides internationally comparative insight into the discussion regarding the promotion and financing of adult literacy progra…
The demographic change and the growing demand of skilled workers in Germany puts workers with migration background in the focus of interest in politics, economy, research and, increasingly, of adult education. The following article analyses empirically the relationship between the socio-cultural determinants, which are theoretically embedded in Esser’s model of social integration, and the participation in further vocational education of working adults with a migration background in Germany on t…
In a representative survey in 2012 the German edition of the Adult Education Survey (AES) collected data relating to the professional development behaviour and the structure of the professional development market in Germany. This final report analyses and comments on the collated data under the consideration of key questions: Who participates why, how often and how long in professional development and who does not? Which professional development provisions are popular? How is the target group o…
Particularly, disabled people belong to those being excluded from social participation. From these peoples’ point of view, the UN-Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities formulates specific challenges for the system of adult and continuing education. What results from these challenges with regard to the various social and individual functions given to adult education and lifelong learning? Answers from the field of adult education, from the pedagogy for the disabled and from socio…
Kursleitende in der Erwachsenenbildung kommen aus unterschiedlichen Handlungsbereichen und Disziplinen. Neben den fachspezifischen Kenntnissen erfordert ihre Tätigkeit ein großes Maß didaktisch-methodischer Kompetenzen, aber auch Kenntnisse über die organisatorischen Abläufe in der Bildungseinrichtung, in der sie arbeiten. Dieser Band behandelt sowohl Fragen des Lernens Erwachsener, der Kursplanung und des Marketing, als auch Fragen zur arbeits- und sozialrechtlichen Situation der Lehrenden.…
The article presents findings of an ethnographical research project concerning the international concept of literacy as social practice. In this project, literacy was analyzed from an individual and a public point of view, focusing on its multidimensional uses and purposes in everyday life. Referring to a broader understanding of literacy as social practice, the study aims at initiating a discussion concerning the purpose and use of literacy among adult educators and practitioners in literacy c…
In the usually clearly word- and text-oriented research field of adult education, for a while now, approaches have been observed, which understand visual presentations as data to be analyzed in a methodically controlled way. These data are used in order to generate and substantiate knowledge about adult education, whereby intensity, contexts, theoretical background and methods or methodology are different. This article presents these approaches in the research fields focusing on students, progr…
Personalentwicklung stellt ein im Rahmen der aktuellen Professionalisierungsdebatte in der Erwachsenen-/Weiterbildung hoch aktuelles Thema dar. Dennoch scheint es in der Praxis der Weiterbildungseinrichtungen bislang vernachlässigt worden zu sein. Dabei gewinnt die Weiterentwicklung des Personals nicht nur im Kontext des Paradigmas des Lebenslangen Lernens, sondern auch mit Blick auf die Gewährleistung von Qualität der Weiterbildungsangebote und teilnehmergerechte Programme an wachsender Bedeut…
Experience cannot be synthesised – it needs time. This aspect moves to the centre of attention when educational training time is not examined from the perspective of its exploitation, but rather in terms of its enablement. This article conceives of adults’ educational time as a qualitative factor whose content requires structuring. The structure of educational training time is at the same time viewed as a deceleration factor. Deceleration is not understood here to mean passive non-activity, but…
Der Beitrag stellt die Entstehungsgeschichte des Konzepts der Community of Practice dar und erläutert grundlegende Elemente einer praktischen Modellierung einer Community of Practice. Der Text geht ausführlich auf die vergemeinschaftete Wissensgenerierung ein. Er zeigt, wie sich diese durch eine ‚Praxis des Teilhabens’ herausbildet und macht deutlich, dass diese Praxis keine formale Struktur aufweist und auch nicht von außen formalisiert und gesteuert werden kann. Als eine sich selbst organis…
