Pisa für Erwachsene

PISA and adult education – temptations and open questions

“The PISA results are an invitation for the debate and for developing the research rather than conclusive judgeements on the miracle recipe to improve the educational performance” (Heller 2003, p. 30).

Earmarking for the discussion of policies of adult education after PISA is that the results are taken to express most different positions in little differentiated way. To this also the typical reception problems contribute, such as the mixing up of correlations with causations that can not at all be justified by the correlations. In the contribution those kind of reception problems are gone into as well as the possiblities of the misuseage of policies of adult education. With special attention in reference to the adult pedagogy the possible consequences of the PISA results are observed as well as the dealings with the results.

The results from the PISA study and the future of adult education

The results of the PISA study have made it clear how urgent the individual as well as the society as a whole depends on a secure system for after school learning and a secure system for lifelong learning. In the contribution perspectives of the development of the qualification demand on behalf of the employment system are scetched with a view to globalization tendencies. In front of this background it is necessary to filter those results of the PISA study that are relevant for the future of the general and vocational adult education. Finally these are chosen as a starting point for indications for adult education.

The competence concept of PISA and IALS
New impulses for adult education through international comparative studies

In the contribution the literacy concept, which is new to the German education discussion, and some of the results of IALS are presented, whereas parallels but also differences are shown to the PISA study. The causales for the central result of the missing basic competences are questioned, whereas clues are given to contexts between antiquated teaching methods and often lamented stagnative tendencies of the German society. Finally conclusions are drawn from the results and it is debated which contribution the adult education can make.

PISA for adults?
Remarks about the consequences of PISA for adult education

The PISA results shown by the OECD for the school area also have consequences for adult education. For the development of adult education itself but also for a holistic concept of lifelong learning it will be of importance to be able to refer to specific international comparative results. The contribution describes measures of policies of adult education that were initiated following the PISA results and it scetches developments and perspectives for a PISA for adults.

Competence or authorization?
PISA – a challenge also for adult education and research

PISA also provokes adult education and adult pedagogy to a new evaluation of the prerequisites of participation in adult education and the meaning of “making up for” by means of adult education, of a heterogenous programme which has received less attention since the reform of education. Therefore this contribution scetches the state of the art of the compensatory education for adults (basic education, school graduations, literacy) and research questions are named for a further development – if they are required. One background question is, whether actually competences or authorizations should be primarily mediated. Behind this stands the aggitation about questions of the possible equal opportunities but also the increasing inequality through adult education which is hardly made a subject of discussion in basic terms.

Profession-biographical formation competence and deliberation on these

On national as well as on international level (OECD) there are currently deliberations on the subsequent study for adults (for example PIAAC study of OECD). Besides the rather cognitive domains such as for example literacy, numeracy or problem solving, it proves as significant primarily the survey of vocation biographical formation competence of adults against the background of the labour market political changes and the from this arising requirements. In this contribution for one thing basic deliberations will take place on the detection of competence. For another thing a specification of the "vocation biographical formation competence" takes place as well as first deliberations on operationalisation.