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Following Piaget and recent research on psychodynamics, the author establishes theses on distinctively suitable adult learning. She recapitulates essential theses from her book »Zur Konstruktion des Erwachsenen« (On the Structure of Adults) and refines them with regard to autonomy as a learning incentive. The author believes that learning processes, which are characteristic for adults, occur mainly when old structures are overcome and learning procedures are modified. The learning incentive is…
Subjects move and act in spatial contexts and through their actions, they create spaces. This also applies to adult learning and to the professional practice of adult education, yet the systematic incorporation of spatial aspects into adult education research to date has remained marginal. This publication takes the category of space as a focal point, with the various chapters defining and honing its meaning for adult education. It brings together the relevant theoretical discourses, summarizes…
Die Herausforderungen für die Demokratie nehmen zu und wandeln sich. Politisch Bildende müssen sich stetig weiter qualifizieren, um unter diesen Bedingungen dauerhaft wirksame Arbeit leisten zu können. Der Beitrag stellt die Ergebnisse einer Untersuchung zu Wirkungen von Fortbildungsangeboten für Praktiker*innen der politischen Bildung im Bundesprogramm »Demokratie leben!« dar. Die Autor*innen analysieren »Resonanzen« bei den Praktiker*innen und darüber hinaus und nennen wesentliche Einflussfak…
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…
Continuing education and justice The question as to the connection between education and justice has always been important, even before education was established as a functioning sub-system of society. This applies in a similar manner to the sub-field of “continuing education”. The REPORT examines different approaches to the difficult topic of justice and the required linkage between a discussion based on standards and norms and empirical data (which is too unreliable). The articles especially…
Caught between Two Stools. Adult Education for People with Intellectual Disabilities The report analyses connecting factors for the manifestation of an inclusive approach in adult education for people with mental disabilities. It presents existing organisational forms and qualification paths. The core challenge is seen in the development of an inclusive professionalism which combines the expertise and competences existing in both general adult education and help for the disabled. The develop…
Professionalization in adult education and the memory culture The discussion of the adult education and its history opens for a closer look at the process of its professionalization. The position of the temporal delimitation and the focusing on the contents come into focus. It turns out that the history of woman education is not represented explicitly in textbooks on the history of the adult education. Focussing on historical factual knowledge and experience knowledge, the analysis of memor…
Adult education is more and more affected by social change due to migration. This paper analyses the marginal adoption of the topic by research in the past and describes recent trends, also in practice. Perspectives for institutions of adult education such as widening access to adult education for migrants, organisational development and professionalisation are discussed. Furthermore the author names challenges for research. There should be more cooperation within the field of educational resea…
Maxims as a "soft" instrument for quality assurance in honorary organised adult education It is reported of the results of a model project of rural adult education that had the aim of developing close to practice quality criteria for honorary staff in this field.
Designing consultancy Research on consultancy for adult education and extracurricular youth education? Besides a scientific debate, the following contribution is about facing the challenge of the action competence consultancy in the context of making pedagogues professionals. The aim is to modify and design existing interdisciplinary knowledge for consultancy in the context of adult education. How consultancy in the practice of adult education can be analysed interdisciplinary and which po…
