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This paper draws on three data sources – a national survey from Germany of adult literacy and numeracy skills (leo. – Level-One Study), the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competences (PIAAC), and case studies of workplaces in England – to argue for a greater focus by policymakers and researchers on the literacy demand experienced by adults. We consider the heterogeneity of the population of adults deemed functionally illiterate by large-scale national and internatio…
Gender skills for adult education Gender mainstreaming is a central maxim for political action all across Europe. However, little effect is yet to be felt in adult education. Where there is gender-sensitive adult education, this is still strongly oriented towards the differential approach. In view of participation rates in general and vocational adult education, and the division of interests within the segments, which is again gendered, the author speaks of a “doubly divided structure”. For …
Welche Rolle spielen Lernen und Kompetenzentwicklung im Entwicklungsdienst? Der Autor, Verfasser einer aktuellen Studie zu diesem Thema, plädiert für einen Lernzyklus, der sowohl Vor- und Nachbereitung des Auslandsaufenthalts beinhaltet als auch stetiges learning on the job professionell unterstützt.
People with low literacy skills are often experiencing difficulties to manage their everyday life. For example, filling out forms, correspondence or banking may pose huge challenges. But what about the political participation of functional illiterates in a society which is dominated by the use of literacy? The following article focuses on how participants of literacy classes use their possibilities of contribution. These assumptions are based on first results of the qualitative research project…
This article focuses on the example of amateur football to explore the connection between institutional educational socialisation, athletic prowess and habitual educational processes. Involvement in upper-level secondary educational requirements helps create a personality structure which generally speaking is marked by a positive attitude towards performance and which creates a positive linkage between the personal skills acquired and recognition afforded in the educational process in specific …
In the search for strategies to combat skills shortages, employees with simple tasks have often not been focused on. However, making up about 20?% of all employees, this group of workers represents an important qualification potential. It is the purpose of our paper to investigate the question whether expected or existing difficulties in filling vacancies for skilled personnel increase the training activities of firms towards employees in low-skilled jobs. Our analyses show that expected skills…
In PIAAC the assessed basic skill problem solving in technology-rich environments connects two different competences: problem solving and dealing with media. Based on a closer examination of this construct and related concepts the comparison of the terms shows overlaps as well as differences which also come into effect in their operationalization. A comparative analysis of the PIAAC instruments with instruments to assess media literacy, media competence or digital competence illustrates the dif…
The paper is based upon a qualitative-empirical study in the field of basic education for adults (literacy, numeracy, language, and computer skills). The study is located in the andragogical research on teaching and learning. A constitutive characteristic of the examined basic skills courses is the variety of the participants. The variety is both, didactical challenge and potential, for it enables teaching and learning interactions. With interpreting some data examples the paper aims to show ho…
In the future it should be possible for educationally qualified applicants to be able to attend a university without university-entrance certificates acquired in a secondary school. This is meant to help ease the looming shortage of skilled labour in Germany. Facilities in the area of adult education are also to help facilitate the transition to a school of higher learning. The authors of this article report on a promising approach along these lines – the Lower Saxony model project »Open Univer…
Focusing on Germany, the authors provide an overview on the PIAAC key findings. In addition to the findings on everyday skills, an insight on factors such as age and educational qualification, which influence the characteristic of competences, is presented.
