Alter und Bildung

Differentiating ageing and old age it is argued that a separate life stage “old age” is to be understood as a social construction. Ageing must not be conceptualized as a uniform and unidirectional process. Instead, physiological-biological, psychological, and social ageing are somehow independent processes following different developmental curves. Focussing on old age as a whole makes clear that gains as well as losses are characteristic for this life stage. Both aspects should be incorporated into cultural concepts of ageing. Key issues and positions of the German report on Ageing are delineated. Some empirical results and recommendations refering to labour market policy and education are discussed.

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 of his patterns of interpretation and emotion according to an ever shortening time perspective, which shall be discussed further in the second section of this article. The search for a leading difference between and adults from a observer theoretical point of view – as shown in the third section – hides the continuation of childlike aspects in adults and leads to a construct, which is not able to see the character of leavin in adult life. That is how adult education loses the very substance of the adult and his/her education and formation, which – as shown in the fourth section – is shaped between re-cognition and leaving.

There are only a few studies on the scale and structure of on-the-job-training for elder employees. This article provides basic results using data of the IAB-Establishment-Panel. In addition to human capital theory we try to explain the firm behaviour considering rational choice theory, which allows non-economic explications. After introducing descriptive statistics, the authors test the assumption whether a positive (negative) attitude towards elderly leads to more (less) training. Results indicate that awareness of elder employees itself is more important than a positive opinion.

Education for elderly people has continuously increased in significance against the background of demographic developments. Primarily the group of the “young old“ has been in the centre of scientific exploration and practical educational work. For a long time the theme old age has been shielded. The author shows development lines and blind spots of old age research and old age education and pleads for a re-orientation of the educational approach in the context of relatives care. Thereby she focuses especially on the area of tension of the feminist discourse and she focuses on the basic approaches in women’s education.

The demographic development in Germany will lead to the society servicing more older people than younger people. Against this background the contribution shows in which way institutions of communal adult education are called upon for developing specific offers that consider the different educational requirements and educational necessities of a very heterogeneous age group. By means of examples from the work at adult evening classes (Volkshochschulen) the author clarifies how contents, teaching- and learning forms and targets of educational offers for elderly people can be designed differentiated. As central principles she sees the evolvement of strengths in direction of autonomy, self-determination, sustainability of quality of life and participation. Communal changes need to be co-designed by the elderly.

The German Society for Promotion of Research at Old Age (Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Forschung im Alter – DGFFA) wants to give an impulse for the intensification of the discussion on those aspects of the demographic change, to which the universities/colleges would need to devote themselves to in due time, if they strive to consolidate their future viability in a society of lifelong learning. The presented suggestions in this contribution are components of a position paper that a work group of the DGFFA has elaborated under the title the future perspectives of universities in demographic change.

Citizens’ involvement increasingly gains appreciation in the public perception. Also in the adult pedagogical discourse the attention is raised in the context of lifelong learning. In this contribution the author discusses how learning processes in adult education, that take place in a societal action context, can be supported, guided or even initiated. On the basis of own empirical inquiries the author examines citizens’ involvement as an action- and learning field and asks for learning experiences and leaning benefits in different engagement forms. Concluding, his special focus lies on citizens’ involvement in the life phase after work.