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1. Innovating Teachers' Professional Learning through Digital Technologies. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 237

Author

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (France) and Minea-Pic, Andreea

Abstract

Digital technologies offer immense potential for transforming teacher learning and the delivery of professional development activities throughout teachers' careers. As the COVID-19 pandemic has made face-to­-face professional learning challenging or impossible for teachers to attend in many contexts, online professional learning options for teachers have been receiving renewed attention. This paper puts forward research evidence on the effectiveness of various forms of online learning for teachers and adults, and examines prerequisite conditions for enhancing teacher learning through digital technologies. Teachers' engagement in online learning activities, as captured by OECD surveys, remained limited in many OECD countries before the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper provides a basis for investigating how policies can support teachers' engagement in professional learning using digital technologies and help strike a balance between system-level provision of online teacher professional learning opportunities and the facilitation of teacher-led initiatives.

Published
2020
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2. Mapping Adult Literacy Performance. Background Paper

Author

National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Circelli, Michelle, Curtis, David, and Perkins, Kate

Abstract

Language, literacy and numeracy are necessary for greater workforce participation, productivity and social inclusion. Being able to measure the level of proficiency in these skills, and any changes in the level of skills, is important for getting a sense of how well language, literacy and numeracy programs are working. Two measurement tools used in Australia are the Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALLS) survey and the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). This paper outlines a National Centre for Vocational Education Research study which will investigate whether it is possible to map the performance levels of the ALLS to the performance levels of the ACSF in order to gain more frequent information than is currently available about the literacy and numeracy progression of adult learners against national goals. Appended are: (1) About the ALLS survey and the ACSF; and (2) Delphi method and descriptions of ALLS items. (Contains 1 table and 9 footnotes.)

Published
2011

3. Reluctant Learners: Their Identities and Educational Experiences. Occasional Paper

Author

National Centre for Vocational Education Research and Wallace, Ruth

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between regional people's identities, their experiences of learning, and engagement with learning. Fifteen adult learners describe those experiences of education and the significant impact of their learning identity on their engagement with learning in the long term. The study was based in a regional area of the Northern Territory and includes people from different age groups and backgrounds including Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, long-term residents and migrants from other places. The participants describe their learning identity as it relates to their identity as individuals and members of local, family and global communities. Drawing on interviews with students in regional and rural areas of the Northern Territory, this paper looks at their participation in education and training. The paper suggests that learning strategies which acknowledge rural learners' identities may be successful in engaging regional and remote learners in education and training. [This work has been produced by the author, who received an National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) New Researcher Award to present their research.]

Published
2008

4. Blind Date: An Exploration of Potential Partnerships between Literacy Teachers and Community Service Workers. Occasional Paper

Author

National Centre for Vocational Education Research and Leske, Ann

Abstract

Partnerships between literacy teachers and community service workers have the potential to engage people with low literacy levels in learning. Through interviews and surveys with these two groups, this paper explores their views on literacy, how it impacts on their work, and their ideas about partnerships with each other. Overall, partnerships are viewed more favourably by literacy teachers than community service workers. In addition, if partnerships are to proceed, both groups need to develop a greater awareness and appreciation for each other's roles. This research was undertaken by a novice researcher in the Community of Practice Program and was funded as part of NCVER's Building Researcher Capacity initiative. Appended are: (1) Definitions; and (2) Survey. (Contains 9 tables and 2 figures.)

Published
2010

5. Social Capital: An Analytical Tool for Exploring Lifelong Learning and Community Development. CRLRA Discussion Paper.

Author

Tasmania Univ., Launceston (Australia). Centre for Learning & Research in Regional Australia., Kilpatrick, Sue, Field, John, and Falk, Ian

Abstract

The possibility of using the concept of social capital as an analytical tool for exploring lifelong learning and community development was examined. The following were among the topics considered: (1) differences between definitions of the concept of social capital that are based on collective benefit and those that define social capital as a resource used for the benefit of those individuals with access to it; (2) community development and community division; (3) the role of the concept of social capital in theories of community development; (4) the role of the concept of social capital in research into community development education; and (5) social capital and social cohesion. A social capital framework for analyzing community development was proposed. The framework called for considering the following items when analyzing community development, including adult education: (1) the balance between internal and external networks; (2) the presence and diversity of brokers who are able to operationalize the bridging and linking of networks; (3) the levels of self-confidence and self-esteem of community members and skills in working together, including conflict resolution; (4) norms present in the community (especially norms of inclusion/exclusion and reciprocity); and (5) the extent to which the community of analysis has shared visions for its future. (Contains 60 references.) (MN)

Published
2001

6. Researching 'Inclusion.' Papers from the Annual Conference of the Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults (30th, Nottingham, England, July 3-5, 2000).

Author

Standing Conference on Univ. Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults., Jackson, Ann, and Jones, David

Abstract

This document contains 43 papers from a conference on researching inclusion. The following are among the papers included: "Include Me Out: Critique and Contradiction in Thinking about Social Exclusion and Lifelong Learning" (Paul Armstrong); "The Linking of Work and Education To Enable Social Inclusion" (Dave Beck); "Including Citizenship in the Adult Curriculum" (Roseanne Benn); "Researching 'Inclusion': Reality and Rhetoric; It's All in the Curriculum Approach" (Darol Cavanagh); "Flexibility and Inclusion in Lifelong Learning: Working the Discourses in Further Education" (Julia Clarke, Richard Edwards); "Researching Inclusion: The Development of Adult Education for Women" (Janet Coles); "Peripheral Vision: Staff Development and Part-Time Tutors in Adult Education" (Derek Cox);"Valuing Exclusive Educational Provision for Disabled Adults" (Mark Dale); "Without and Within: Inclusion, Identity and Continuing Education in a New Wales" (Ian Davidson, Brec'hed Piette); "Adding Life to Your Years: Transformative Learning for Older People at the Irish Museum of Modern Art" (Ted Fleming); "The Network Society and Lifelong Learning--The Work of Manuel Castells and Theories of Adult Education" (Nick Frost); "An Inclusive MBA? Researching Curriculum Design and Delivery" (Roger Hall, Caroline Rowland); "Including the Excluding Image: Researching and Teaching Cultural Images of Adult Educators" (Ann Harris, Christine Jarvis); "Re-Visioning the Boundaries of Learning Theory in the Assessment of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)" (Judy Harris); "Reducing Exclusion--Introducing Choice: The Introduction of Distance Learning into Taught Courses" (Christine Hibbert); "Accountability, Audit and Exclusion in Further and Higher Education" (Phil Hodkinson, Martin Bloomer); "Voices from the Community: The Challenge of Creating a Culturally Relevant Curriculum and Inclusive Learning Environment" (Ann-Marie Houghton, Helen Ali); "Opening Pathways to Inclusion: The Importance of Non-Accredited Learning in the Lives of Students in the Local Authority Sector" (Ann Jackson, Belinda Whitwell); "Education in a Uniting Society?" (Nick Small); "'We're Not the Only Ones Learning Here'--An Investigation of Co-Tutoring and the Dynamics of Power within a Class of Adult Dyslexics" (Barbara Taylor); and "Including Mezirow's Concept of Perspective Transformation in the Study of Adult Education" (Miho Tokiwa-Fuse). Many papers contain substantial bibliographies. (MN)

Published
2000

7. Socioeconomic Contributions of Adult Learning to Community: A Social Capital Perspective. CRLRA Discussion Paper.

Author

Tasmania Univ., Launceston (Australia). Centre for Learning & Research in Regional Australia., Balatti, Jo, and Falk, Ian

Abstract

The socioeconomic contributions of adult learning to community were examined from a social capital perspective. The concepts of human capital and social capital were differentiated, and the relationship between learning, human capital, and social capital was explored. The relevance of social capital in describing the wider benefits of adult learning was illustrated through the examples of a study of the impact of the adult and community education (ACE) sector on communities and society in Victoria, Australia, and a study of a group of African women refugees located in a suburb of a large Australian capital city. The studies documented wider benefits of ACE in the following areas: health; education and learning; employment and quality of working life; time and leisure; command over goods and services; physical environment; social environment; and personal safety. Social capital building was shown to be implicated in effective adult learning in the following ways: (1) social capital is involved in program design, management, and delivery whether it is explicitly recognized as such or not; (2) the processes of drawing on and building social capital are part and parcel of the learning process; and (3) social capital can be a direct or indirect benefit of learning. (Contains 27 references.) (MN)

Published
2001

8. Working Knowledge and Work-Based Learning: Research Implications. Working Paper.

Author

Technology Univ.-Sydney, Broadway (Australia). Research Centre for Vocational Education and Training. and McIntyre, John

Abstract

The research implications of the concepts of working knowledge and work-based learning were examined. A research agenda for work-based learning arising from the analysis of "working knowledge" was presented. The agenda listed questions pertaining to the following areas: (1) the conditions bringing about work-based learning; (2) the nature of working knowledge; (3) knowledge formation and learning at work; (4) academic institutions and their knowledge codes; (5) contemporary knowledge formation; and (6) working identity. The impact of the "embeddedness" of learning in the workplace on attempts to research how knowledge is produced in workplaces was discussed, focusing on the following items: (1) what employees deem to be learning practices and how they understand these practices by their various conceptions of learning; (2) the work relationships and social learning that occur among employees and their influence on formation and modification of worksites' learning practices; and (3) the organizational culture that provides a context for learning. The following factors conditioning a learning culture were explored in an analysis of the problem of researching how an organizational "learning culture" is produced in enterprises: environments pressing the organization to change; organizational systems promoting learning; and practices securing employee commitment. (Contains 18 references.) (MN)

Published
2000

9. Lifelong Learning: Making It Work. An Adult Learning Australia Discussion Paper.

Author

Adult Learning Australia, Inc., Jamison. and Brown, Tony

Abstract

This discussion paper is from the Adult Learners Week National Seminar on Lifelong Learning Policy (Canberra, Australia, September 1999) that identified a number of ideas about how to foster national policy development on lifelong learning. It consists of three sections. Part 1 contains "A National Lifelong Learning Policy for Australia?" (Tony Brown), an introduction to lifelong learning policy with a list of questions to focus future discussion; two discussion starters, "Is Lifelong Learning Critical, Desirable, or Just a Good Idea?" (Philip C. Candy) and "A Vision for the Future of Australian Education and Training" (Moira Scollay), each with a list of questions to focus future discussions; and "Discussion and Recommendations of the Seminar Working Groups." Part 2 provides these examples of statements on lifelong learning from Australia and around the world: "Key Issues and Characteristics of Lifelong Learning" (National Board of Employment, Education, and Training, Australia); "Five Key Dimensions of Lifelong Learning in a Learning Society" (Peter Kearns); "Why We Need Lifelong Learning" (Australian National Training Authority [ANTA]); "The Attributes of a Lifelong Learning Policy Framework" (ANTA); "Lifelong Learning for All" (Donald J. Johnston); "Aims and Ambitions for Lifelong Learning" (G8 Summit Koln Charter, Germany); "The Learning Age: Towards a Europe of Knowledge" (Paul Belanger); "Learning to Succeed: A New Framework for Post-16 Learning" (United Kingdom policy document summary); "Lifelong Learning Summit" (Al Gore); and "Launch of Manpower 21 Plan" (Singapore government policy document). Part 3 has these appendixes: seminar program, seminar participants, and references. (Contains 31 references.) (YLB)

Published
2000

10. What Is Happening to Training? What the ABS Training Surveys Tell Us. Working Paper.

Author

Monash Univ., Clayton, Victoria (Australia). Centre for the Economics of Education and Training. and Long, Michael

Abstract

The extent of employer-supported education and training in Australia was examined by analyzing data from the Training Expenditure Surveys (TES), which gathered information from firms, and the Surveys of Education and Training Experience (SETE), which gathered information from workers. The TES showed an approximately 10% decline in the hours of external training provided by employers from 1993 to 1996, whereas the SETE showed a more than 80% increase in the hours of employer-supported external training received by workers over a similar period. The different results yielded by the two surveys were attributed to the different definitions of external training in the two surveys and the different behavior of the components of external education and training. The SETE showed a substantial expansion of external training but a decline in the level of employer support for education. However, because the apparent expansion in external training has occurred through an increase in employer support for fees and materials rather than through provision of paid study leave, participation in employer-supported external training may well have increased while the hours of training for which employees are paid by employers has declined. Thus, the findings of TES and SETE do not negate one another. (MN)

Published
2002

11. Adult Continuing Education: An Integral Part of Lifelong Learning. Emerging Policies and Programs for the 21st Century in Upper and Middle Income Countries. World Bank Discussion Paper.

Author

World Bank, Washington, DC. Human Development Network., Fretwell, David H., and Colombano, Joe E.

Abstract

Adult continuing education (ACE) can be a major force in human capital development and an integral part of lifelong learning. Although recognition of the importance of ACE in developed countries is increasing, the impact of ACE is not well understood in some middle-income countries (MICs), there is a lack of leadership, and the sector is somewhat underdeveloped. ACE must be viewed as a number of interrelated policies and delivery systems reflecting the needs of different clients and components of ACE. Successful governance of ACE depends on involving key stakeholders. Major issues that need to be addressed include equity, access, and support for career progression for adults. Although individuals and/or employers often bear the financial costs of ACE, there is recognition of the need for investment of some public funds to support ACE programs in literacy and foundation education and for some categories of clients to ensure access and promote equity objectives. MICs that are developing ACE as an integral part of lifelong learning must adopt policy and delivery models addressing learning objectives through a combination of short- and long-term programs to a broad range of clients in what are often nonconventional settings. (Contains 20 tables/figures/boxes and 26 references.) (MN)

Published
2000

12. Learning on the Job: How Do Farm Business Managers Get the Skills and Knowledge To Manage Their Businesses? CRLRA Discussion Paper Series.

Author

Tasmania Univ., Launceston (Australia). Center for Research and Learning in Regional Australia. and Kilpatrick, Sue

Abstract

The methods used by Australian farm managers to obtain the skills and knowledge needed to manage their businesses were examined. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 85 farm owners/managers from South Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania, and New South Wales. The farmers interviewed identified a wide range of learning sources in the following categories: (1) training (formal and nonformal educational activities); (2) people who are not part of a training activity (other farmers, acquaintances, employees, consultants, and other experts); (3) print, audio, visual, and electronic media; and (4) experience and observation. Most farmers consulted multiple learning sources before altering their management practices. The sources for learning varied according to the purpose of the learning. Training was used relatively more often by those changing their methods of keeping records. All 85 businesses surveyed had used knowledge or skills gained from participation in at least one organized education or training activity in their farm management practices, including when making changes to their practices. However, people were the most frequently cited learning source for all changes, including new enterprise and record-keeping changes. Women were more likely to report learning from experience, whereas men were more likely to use organized training activities as a learning source. (Contains 22 references.) (MN)

Published
1999

13. Making Judgments as the Basis for Workplace Learning: Preliminary Research Findings. Working Paper.

Author

Technology Univ.-Sydney, Broadway (Australia). Research Centre for Vocational Education and Training., Hager, Paul, and Beckett, David

Abstract

The hypothesis that making judgments is the basis for workplace learning was examined by studying work in a range of occupations with a view to identifying and analyzing the main judgments involved in individuals' work performance. To test the hypothesis, six practicing professionals (three men and three women) were interviewed. Two of interviewees were public servants with division-level responsibilities. The occupations of the other four were as follows: psychiatrist; private school principal; nurse turned ambulance officer; and corporate consultant. During the interviews, the professionals were asked to reflect on the judgments they make in critical work situations. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed in the context of theories regarding workplace learning and logic of action. It was concluded that growth in capacity to make judgments is evident in the following abilities and actions: (1) an ability to separate the stage of presentation of the initial need to make a judgment from the stage of the contiguous actualization of that judgment; (2) an ability to "read" the conative, emotive, and ethical considerations in the light of that separability; and (3) the decentering of the practitioner's sense of identity at one of these stages, but not in both of them. (Contains 34 references.) (MN)

Published
1999

14. The Literacy Equation: Competence = Capability? National Conference of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy Conference Papers (Queensland, Australia, November 7-9, 1996).

Author

Queensland Council for Adult Literacy, Red Hill (Australia).

Abstract

Papers from the 19th Adult Literacy Conference convened by the Australian Council for Adult Literacy include: "A Little to the Right on Writing" (Brendan Bartlett, Margaret Fletcher); "Deconstructing the 'Australian Language and Literacy Policy'" (Helen Beazley); "Comparing Content-Centered and Learner-Centered Approaches in School Mathematics: Picking Up the Pieces in Numeracy with Adults" (Jennie Bickmore-Brand); "Developing Workplaces as Learning Environments: Towards a Learning Curriculum" (Stephen Billett); "Last CALL for All: Before IT (Information Technology) Races down the Superhighway" (Paula Burns); "Using Key Competencies to Solve the Equation" (Ralph Catts); "Quality and Competency Based Education and Training" (Clive Chappell); "Managing the Competency Based, Multi-level, Literacy Classroom: What Works" (Jean Clarke); "Fractions, Decimals and Adult Learners" (Tom J. Cooper, Shelley Dole); "Computing as Literacy--The Computing Practices of Language and Literacy Teachers" (Chris Corbell); "Chickens, Eggs and 'Access': Untangling Competence and Capability through a Re-examination of Skills, Knowledge, Values, Non-formal and Formal Learning in Agriculture" (Ian Falk, Sue Kilpatrick); "Challenges Facing Training" (William Hall); "Office Discourses: Which Attributes Are Given Authority in Institutional Classrooms?" (Ann Kelly); "Flexible Delivery: One Practitioner's Point of View--What Has to Change When You Go Flexible?" (Anne Kiley); "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Adult Education Histories and Their Relationship to the Development of Academic Writing Skills" (Bill Langlands); "A New Work Order: Some Implications for Being Literate in a Global Economy" (Colin Lankshear); "Assessing Front-line Management the Identification of Personal Constructs in the Workplace" (Irena Morgan-Williams); "The Role of Volunteer Tutors in the History of Adult Literacy in Queensland" (Jean Searle); "Parents and Literacy (PAL)" (Julie Spreadbury); and "Choosing Change through Literacy" (Kath White). (MN)

Published
1996

15. IT [Information Technology] in Vocational Education [and] Training. Paper Presentations: Session D.

Abstract

This document contains 15 papers from the information technology (IT) in vocational education and training (VET) section of an international conference on VET for lifelong learning in the information era. The following papers are included: "Adapting the System of Continuing Vocational Education for the 3rd Industrial Revolution--Experiences from the Swedish Pilot Project with AVE (Advanced Vocational Education)" (Mats Lindell); "A Flexible Investment: The Australian VET Sector's Framework for Applying New Technologies in Learning" (Sandra Lerch, Peter Le Cornu); "E-Portfolio: More Than an Electronic Resume" (N. Faye Angel); "A Joint Venture in Distance Education Program between Hong Kong and Australia" (Fun-ting Chan, John Messing); "An Evaluation of a Model Multiple Site Distance Learning Program for Non-traditional Students" (Dale E. Thompson, Betsy Orr, Kit Brooks, Cecelia Thompson); "How to Teach Students in the Information Era?" (K.C. Chu); "Integrating Adult Learning Principles in Web Based Open Learning" (Shyamal Majumder); "Integrating the Strengths of the Web-Based and Traditional Models of Teaching" (T.Y. Leung, Sarah Y.S. Tran); "Web-Site Teaching: Analysis of Its Future Development" (Ying Wai Peter Chiu); "Using the Web to Enhance Language Teaching and Learning and Distributed Cognitions in a Conventional Sub-degree Setting" (Wanda W.Y. Lau); "The Effectiveness of Using Technology to Teach English as a Second Language" (Rita Yuk Kwan Ng); "Web-Based Vocational English: Development, Practice and Problems" (Kim Hung Martina Chan, Chi Ming Lee);"Establishing a Virtual Building and Construction Site for Education and Training" (John F. Barrett, Brian Wilkins); "The Webvolution's Impact on Vocational Classrooms and Administration" (Elaine S. Stith); and "Audio and Video Development for Multimedia and Web-Based Applications" (Teresa Yohon). Most papers contain substantial bibliographies. (MN)

Published
2000

16. Skills for the New Millennium. Paper Presentations: Session G.

Abstract

This document contains 14 papers from the skills for the new millennium section of an international conference on vocational education and training (VET) for lifelong learning in the information era. The following papers are included: "Research on Vocational Education and Training as a Field for Knowledge Development--Starting Points for the CEDEFOP (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training) Research Arena" (Pekka Kamarainen); "Knowledge Development at the Interface of Research, Policy and Practice--Support for Knowledge Development within the CEDEFOP Research Arena (CEDRA)" (Graham Attwell, Alan Brown); "Use of Web-Based Collaboration and Knowledge Transformation Tools to Support the Development of a Learning Community to Enhance Career Guidance Practice" (Alan Brown, Graham Attwell, Jenny Bimrose); "Doing the Research Is Only Half the Job: The Impact of VET Research on Decision Making" (Chris Robinson, Sarah Hayman); "NCVER's (National Centre for Vocational Education Research's) Web Site and the VOCED Research Database" (Sarah Hayman); "The Renaissance of Vocational Education and Training: Miscellaneous Hints for Undernourished Elephants Yearning to Dance" (Robert Sadler); "Tele-Operation of a Manufacturing System for Vocational Education" (Francis H.F. Tsang, Jonathan K.F. Lee); "Worldwide Technology Trend of Electronics Products" (Lawrence Cheung); "The Implication of Advances in Wireless Data Communications on E-Commerce" (Lawrence Cheung); "New Roles of Vocational Education and Vocational Teachers for Technological Change: A Case Study of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education" (Che Keung Yeung, Choi Fung Cheng); "The Occupational Skill Testing and Certification Systems in Hong Kong" (S.P. Fu); "Distance and Open Learning--Web-Based Training (WBT) Development Process Consideration" (Donna Wing Yiu Lau); and "Industry Partnership for Graduation Stage of Higher Vocational Education" (Dan-dan Shi, Xiao-hong Chen). Most papers contain substantial bibliographies. (MN)

Published
2000

17. International Issues. Paper Presentations: Session C.

Abstract

This document contains eight papers from the international issues section of an international conference on vocational education and training (VET) for lifelong learning in the information era. The following papers are included: "The Impact of Globalisation and the Changing Nature of Work on Vocational Education and Training" (Chris Robinson); "In Search of a Governance Framework of Vocational Education and Training for the 21st Century: An International Comparative Study" (Humphry Hung); "Cross Border Activities to Strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training Systems in the Information Era" (L. Efison Munjanganja, Di Booker, Sarah Hayman); "The Competency of Cross-Culture of Expatriates in the Multinational Corporation" (S.T. Tsai, Shu-Hsaio Tsen); "Provision of Professional Training to Meet Global Procurement Challenges in Hong Kong" (Josephine C.S. Kea); "From 20th Century Education and Training to 21st Century Skills Enhancement" (Archibald M. Fleming); "Regional Integration of TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) Systems among Small Island States: Caribbean Initiatives" (Tom McArdle); and "Thirsty Horses and Public Waterholes" (Joyce Marie Turnbull). Most papers contain substantial bibliographies. (MN)

Published
2000

18. Programme Development. Paper Presentations: Session F.

Abstract

This document contains 35 papers from the program development section of an international conference on vocational education and training (VET) for lifelong learning in the information era. The following are among the papers included: "Using Quality Indicators to Create World-Class Curricula: From Concept to Application" (Curtis Finch, Timo Luopajarvi, Paivi Sutinen); "What Is Missing from ISO 9000 International Quality Standards Training in the United States?" (Paul Krueger); "West Virginia Instructional Technology Program Design for Economic Development" (Michael M. Murphy); "A Perception of the Software Process Model" (Albert H.S. Scott); "Design of Internet-Related Courses for IT (Information Technology) Professionals" (Y.K. Choi); "A TQM (Total Quality Management) Study of Faculty and Trainees' Perceptions of Public Vocational Training Institutions in Taiwan" (Li-Mei Huang); "Curriculum Development in Vocational Education: Achieving Balance and Coherence" (Christopher Parkin); "Providing Competency-Based Education for Industry and Its Effect on Classroom Education" (Chin-Yen Lin, Tsung-Juang Wang); "Competency Based Training: An Evaluation of a Post-secondary Teacher Education Program" (Dale E. Thompson, Cecelia Thompson, Betsy Orr); "Perceptions of Participants in a Multi-site Distance Learning Bachelor of Science Degree Program" (Betsy Orr, Dale Thompson, Cecelia Thompson); "A Study of Relation between Assessment Dimension and Management Outcomes--A Sample of Sinyi Real-Estate Company" (Stanley Tsan-Ying Lin); "Exploring a New Pattern of Vocational Education and Training" (Haicheng Yang, Tingrui Wang); "Transforming Educational Practice for a Transformed Employment Environment" (Jeanne Dawson); "Pre- and Post-Assessment in Occupational Courses" (Teresa Yohon); "Transforming Young School Leavers and Mature Unemployed into Skilled IT Workers--The IT Assistant Training in Hong Kong" (Yat-chen Li); "Discussion and Design of High Vocational Education" (Wenyi Qin, Yanchun Guo); "Teaching Statistical Problem Solving in Vocational Education" (Ken W. Li); "Structure and Cultivation of the Knowledge and Abilities of Students of Higher Vocational Technical Education" (Jiyao Zhou, Kaiyu Zhen, Weihua Liu); "Telling Stories in the Use of Portfolio Assessment in Higher Education: Some Implementation Issues" (Annie Y.W. Nicholson, Sharon Bryant); and "The Effects of the Whole Educational Experience on Graduate Employability and Further Study" (Kwok Hung Lai, Michael Hohn Pomfret). Most papers contain substantial bibliographies. (MN)

Published
2000

19. Human Resource Development and Manpower Training. Paper Presentations: Session B.

Abstract

This document contains 18 papers from the human resource development and manpower training section of an international conference on vocational education and training (VET) for lifelong learning in the information era. The following papers are included: "Use of Social and Economic Modeling to Plan Vocational Education and Training" (David L. Passmore); "Retraining for the Unemployed--An Up-hill Battle That Never Ends" (S.S. Kwong); "Manpower Planning in Hong Kong" (Anthony Cheng); "Identifying and Responding to Skills Shortages" (David L. Passmore); "Analysis of Training Needs for Employees of International Five-Star Hotels in Taipei, Taiwan" (Shu-Hsaio Tsen); "An Evaluation on the Effectiveness of a 9-Month Intensive Full-Time Program for the Unemployed" (Che Keung Yeung, Yuet Kueng Cadbury Chan, Lai Ling Lilian Chow, Yuen Bing Leung, King Chung Joseph Chow); "An Examination of the Concept of Providing Leadership Development for All Students as an Integral Part of Classroom Instruction" (Jerome I. Leventhal); "Contingency Theory Is of Little Value in Helping Leaders or Potential Leaders to Perform Successfully" (Eric Cheng); "Continuing Professional Development towards Employee Empowerment in Manpower Training: A New Domain of Organisational Strategy" (Joseph S.L. Yip); "Assessment and Preparation of Career and Technical Education Teachers: Implications for Curriculum Development" (Victor K.A. Gbomita); "What's Happening in Your Teacher Education Program?" (C. Gloria Heberley); "Stress Management for Teachers in Vocational Education and Training Sector" (Gloria Ching Wah Chan); "Mining Labour Market Information for Use in Developing an IT (Information Technology) Manpower Predictive Model" (Gar-yun Garry Suen); "Training for Betterment: A Model for Training of Professionals in a Diverse Organisation" (Freidoon A. Khavarpour, Bruno Gelonesi); "E-Learning in Knowledge-Based Society" (P.F. Tsui, Ian K.M. Yue); "The Development of a Management Competency Model and a Development Centre" (Sara Wong); "Graph Theory, Job-Labour System and Manpower Planning" (Kwai Wing Leuung); and "Overview of Assessment and Quality Assurance on TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) and a Proposal for Turkey" (Sabahattin Balci, Riza Gurbuz). Most papers contain substantial bibliographies. (MN)

Published
2000

20. Social and Ethical Issues. Paper Presentations: Session A.

Abstract

This document contains nine papers from the social and ethical issues section of an international conference on vocational education and training (VET) for lifelong learning in the information era. The following papers are included: "Attitudes of University Faculty Members toward Students with Disabilities" (Marie F. Kraska); "Attitude of Gaming Employees towards Problem Gambling: How It Affects Their Learning at an Awareness Training" (Lisa M. Bybee); "Quantitative Evaluation of the Educational Programmes on Students' Awareness of Social Responsibility" (Loky Tsui, Lee Wong); "Increasing Female Participation in Technology Education: A Hong Kong Perspective" (Ken Volk); "Integration of General Education into the Vocational Training Curriculum" (Kwok Hung Lai); "Flexible Learning: Developing Opportunities" (Lesley Wemyss, Carmel Thompson); "Role of Supported Services in the Provision of Vocational Training for Open Employment to People with Disabilities in Hong Kong" (Eliza Woon-ching Lo Chan); "Exploration of the Aboriginal Vocational Training Implementation Strategem from the Outlook of the 'Tribal Classroom'" (Chou Chin-hung); and "Professional Ethics--A Life-long Pursuit by an Engineer" (C.K. Leung, Jolly Wong). Most papers contain substantial bibliographies. (MN)

Published
2000

21. Learning My Way. Papers from the National Conference on Adult Aboriginal Learning (Perth, Western Australia, September 1988). A Special Edition of Wikaru 16.

Author

Western Australian Coll. of Advanced Education, Perth. Inst. of Applied Aboriginal Studies., Harvey, Barbara, and McGinty, Suzanne

Abstract

These 31 papers dealing with adult aboriginal learning are divided into three sections. The keynote speakers' papers appear first in each section. Section 1, Learning Our Way, contains these papers: "The Invasion of Aboriginal Education" (Christie); "The Drover's Daughter" (Bedford); "Nyungar Women Returning to Education" (Bennell); "Learning Patterns of the Songwriter's Workshop" (Borneman); "Nyungar Language Project" (Calgaret et al.); "Aboriginal Knowledge: Does It Count?" (Crawford); "A Practical Lesson" (Hayward); "Teaching Reading to Aboriginal Adults from Traditional Communities" (Langlands); "Karrayili (Bayulu)" (Lennard); "'Learning Our Way: Coonana Womens' Group' Coonana Aboriginal Community" (Nudding); "Language Programmes for Tradition or for Today?" (Thieberger); and"Empowerment through Learning from a Black Perspective" (Yavu-Kama). Section 2, Our Community Identity and Our Community Soul, consists of: "Aboriginal Adult Education" (Valadian); "An Aspect of Nyoongah World View of Knowledge" (Irrluma); "Even Desert Kids Need Heroes" (Capp); "Tranby College" (Flick); "Aboriginal Education and Training at the Crossroads--Reproducing the Present or Choosing the Future?" (Folds, Marika); "A Case for a National Network about Enclaves" (Hayward); "Aboriginal Ranger Training" (McGlew); "Living a New Way: A Case Study in Community Self-Management" (McMahon, Kogolo); and "Aboriginal Participation in Higher Education--Policies and Practices" (Riley-Mundine). Section 3, Two Way Learning, contains: "'Coming Up Level' without 'Losing Themselves': The Dilemma of Formal Tertiary Training for Aborigines" (Harris); "Legal Control, Learning, and the Aboriginal Struggle for Law" (Broadhurst); "Learning as an Adult" (Carlisle, McGillivray); "External Pre-tertiary Courses for Aboriginal Adults in the Western Australia College of Advanced Education" (Hubble et al.); "Psychological Testing for Intelligence and for Employment" (Kearins); "The Development of Literacy Skills and Competencies for Aboriginal Adults: Some Issues" (Procter); "The Aboriginal Education Unit, Department of Technical and Further Education" (Thorne et al.); "Aborigines Learning to Translate" (Kilham, Richards); "Left or Right Brain: Is There a Neurological Relationship to Traditional Aboriginal Learning Styles?" (Sayers); and "Whose Ideology?: Adult Aboriginal Attitudes to Education on the Carnarvon Aboriginal Reserve" (Saggers, Gray). The conference program is appended. (YLB)

Published
1988

22. Research and Development in Higher Education, [Volume] 2, Papers Presented at the Annual Conference of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (5th, Brisbane, Australia, May 11-14, 1979).

Author

Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia, Sydney. (Australia). and Unwin, Derick

Abstract

Papers from the 1979 conference of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia, whose theme was the promotion of higher education research and development, are presented. Specific topics were staff development in higher education, field experience, assessment and evaluation, teaching methods and curriculum design, and the tertiary student. Papers and authors are as follows: "The Changing Student" (Malcolm Skilbeck); "Research in Adult Education" (Barrie Brennan); "Staff Development for Experience-Based Learning" (Dave Boud and John Pascoe); "European Approaches to Staff Development" (Dietrich Brandt); "Preventing Industrial Conflict in Higher Education" (Tom M. Heffernan); "Intervention and Staff Development" (Ray McAleese); "Learning in General Practice--The Newcastle Experience" (Sandy Reid); "Group Medicine" (Andrew Hill); "Student Response to Continuous Assessment, Examination Format and Peer Marking" (John Coulson); "Evaluation of a Comprehensive Programme for Student Assessment" (Grahame I. Feletti and Graham Colditz); "The Adaptation of Flanders Interaction Analysis to Evaluation of University Teaching" (Heinz-Otto Gralki); "Evaluating an Educational Inservice Program" (Jacqueline Lublin); "The Management of Client Relationships in Instructional Design" (John Hedberg); "Scientific Enquiry in University Laboratory Classes" (Elizabeth H. Hegarty); "Visual Analogies in Higher Education" (Deane W. Hutton); "Curriculum Evaluation in Higher Education: Self Reflection in a Critical Community" (Stephen Kemmis and Clare Hughes);"Self Selecting Mature Age Students" (Allan Pitman); "Student Attitudes at a New and Old University" (J. S. Western and Ernest Roe); and summary of nonformal conference activities (Roger Landbeck). (SW)

Published
1979

23. 'The Reimagining Adult Learning in Community-Based Contexts': A Framework for Social Justice Education in Australia

Author

Tracey Ollis and Annette Foley

Abstract

In Australia, there is no one cohesive program design or curriculum which provides a framework for adult learning in Adult Community Education (ACE) organisations, with the two major states New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria leading the most developed systems. Many adult learners who learn in these education settings return to study to find pathways to employment, or to re-train for a new role after losing their job. In addition, later-life learners may attend because they want to remain healthy, participate in leisure activities, build friendships and remain active and engaged in their later years. Many of the learners are 'second chance learners' who have had prior negative experiences with the neoliberal system which assesses, ranks, and categorises learners according to their academic abilities. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive framework for the delivery of pre-accredited training in Australia, founded on social constructivist theory, learner-centred pedagogy, and course design enhanced by Nussbaum's Capability Framework. We commence the article by delivering a context for adult education policy and social justice education in the development of the ACE system. What we mean by a socially just education is one in which all people access a critical and democratic curriculum with equity and access to resources at its core. In this paper, we argue for the importance of adult learning, which is holistic, flexible, and nimble to cater for diverse learners and learning needs.

Published
2023

24. 'Workplaces in the Mind' as Metaphor: Advising Industry Managers Doing Doctoral Research about Organisational Change Management

Author

Barry Elsey

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to reflect on "good practices" in doctoral research supervision and transfer the author's experience to other academics. The author explains the sources of his approach to doctoral research supervision drawing on traditional practice in adult learning and some reference to phenomenology as a "meeting of minds" between academic and industry mindsets. Design/methodology/approach: This is a reflective paper condensing many years of practical experience advising industry managers doing doctoral research. It is not an empirical study as such but draws on extensive practitioner experience based on many successful PhD completions in the business and management domain. Findings: There are no empirical findings as such, but ample practical experience of doctoral research process and outcomes over 40 years of supervision in both the UK and Australian Universities. Research limitations/implications: Generalisation is limited to the number of doctoral research completions (between 70 and 80). Practical implications: The paper concludes with indicators of what the author regards as "good practices" in doctoral research supervision. Social implications: None is directly applicable, but academe-industry working partnerships might be improved with the author's learner- and customer-centred approach to doctoral research with adults in senior positions in the industry wanting to do research. Originality/value: This paper is based entirely on the author's own working experience as a senior academic in UK and Australian Universities.

Published
2024
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25. Racialised Discourse and 'Adult Learning Principles': Some Thoughts about Difference and VET.

Author

Shore, Sue

Abstract

The issue of how the outcomes of research on vocational education and training (VET) are influenced by categories that frame thinking about research and learning was explored. Special attention was paid to the following issues: (1) the role of researchers' culture and race in identification of adult learning principles; (2) the need for researchers to pay more attention to the notion of whiteness as a way of exploring how researchers' culture and race shape their production of knowledge about VET and how whiteness shapes the development of social and public policy statements, curriculum documents, and other VET texts; and (3) the fact that many white people erroneously assume that nonwhites experience whiteness in much the same way as whites do and that many whites are therefore unable to see the effect of their whiteness on the subject of adult education. It is argued that, despite the difficulties inherent in undertaking contemporary studies about whiteness, VET researchers should write into adult education a more explicit examination of whiteness and its effects. More work is called for on the effects of whiteness as a "discursive system of pressures and constraints" on what can be achieved by programs underwritten by theories and principles formulated by whites. (Contains 20 references.) (MN)

Published
2001

26. Moving from Andragogy to Heutagogy in Vocational Education.

Author

Kenyon, Chris and Hase, Stewart

Abstract

Education has traditionally been seen as a pedagogic relationship between teacher and learner. Although andragogy has provided many useful approaches for improving educational methodology and has been accepted almost universally, it still has connotations of a teacher-learner relationship. Some have argued that the rapid rate of change in society and the so-called information explosion suggests that educators, including those in Australia's vocational education and training (VET) sector, should now be looking at educational approaches where learners themselves determine what and how learning should occur. Heutagogy, which is the study of self-determined learning, may be viewed as a natural progression from earlier educational methodologies and may well provide the optimal approach to learning in the 21st century. The Public Sector Executive Management Program at Southern Cross University, which is a postgraduate course to train students to work as troubleshooters, problem solvers, and general consultants in charge of improvement, illustrates the use of a heutagogical approach. Heutagogical approaches to VET recognize the critical importance of learners in all aspects of the learning process. Educators must help learners remember how to learn, develop confidence in their perceptions, and learn to question their interpretation of reality within a framework of competence. (Contains 20 references.) (MN)

Published
2001

27. Lifelong Learning: Investing in a Better Society. Policy and Funding Proposals.

Author

Adult Learning Australia, Inc., Jamison. and Brown, Tony

Abstract

Adult Learning in Australia (ALA), the lead organization in the field of adult learning in Australia and the national organization for adult learners in Australia, reviewed the current state of lifelong learning in Australia and identified why and how Australian policymakers should develop and finance a national strategy for lifelong learning. The following are among the recommendations that ALA issued to policymakers based on its review: (1) convene a national summit on lifelong learning to develop a national policy on lifelong learning; (2) recognize the leading role that Adult Learners Week can play as a sustained national promotion of lifelong learning and increase government support for the week; (3) fund a national State of Learning survey to monitor progress toward increasing participation in lifelong learning; (4) establish a Community Adult Learning Innovation Fund aimed at widening participation in learning and supporting innovative community-based education and learning; (5) examine ways of better coordinating expenditures on the education of Australian citizens and make use of existing providers of adult and community education (ACE); and (6) amend goods and services tax (GST) legislation so that government-recognized not-for-profit ACE organizations are treated like other educational institutions in relation to the GST on course fees. (Contains 10 endnotes.) (MN)

Published
2001

28. A Challenge for Teachers and Students in the 21st Century: How To Cope with Personal Ignorance and Generate Knowledge in an Information-Centred World.

Author

Baird, John

Abstract

The information explosion and exponential development of information-accessing tools has had a disempowering effect on many people. A major challenge of the information-centered world is for students and teachers alike to learn how to assert responsibility and control over personal practice. Meeting this challenge may require personal reconceptualization of thinking, feeling, and acting with respect to the following aspects of teaching and learning: values and beliefs, intentions and purposes, and approaches and behavior. Selected long-term educational research projects in Australia, Denmark, and Sweden have yielded findings that have made it possible to develop a conceptualization of how teachers and students may operate to increase students' willingness and ability to take enhanced responsibility and control over their own learning. According to the conceptualization, teachers and students alike should take the following actions: acknowledge and accept their personal ignorance and the importance of active teaching and learning; seek and foster challenge in their own teaching and learning; and engage in a purposeful inquiry to generate enhanced metacognition. In addition, teachers should undertake collaborative action research, enact good teaching behavior, and set classroom teaching procedures that foster good learning behavior in students. Students should enact good learning behavior to overcome poor learning tendencies. (MN)

Published
2000

29. Higher Education: Looking towards the 21st Century.

Author

Younis, Talib

Abstract

Trends in higher education (HE) in Scotland and elsewhere in the United Kingdom in the 1990s were reviewed, and possible policy directions for HE in the 21st century were explored. Special attention was paid to the following areas: features of HE institutions in the 21st century; the relationship between the state and HE institutions; curriculum development in support of learning for the workplace; flexible, open, and distance learning; technology and learning; the corporate university; and virtual education. The following were among the main conclusions reached: (1) HE policymakers and managers must base their policy decisions on forecasts of the skills needed in the workplace; (2) education providers must aim to bring equality of access to learning and encourage the state to fund installation of the infrastructure and new technologies needed to extend education to wider communities; and (3) policymakers and mangers wanting to provide their communities with wide, affordable access to learning must look to new technologies with the potential for mass education, including virtual universities based on the creation of partnerships offering courses and learning materials that have been developed by other institutions and subsequently awarding their own credits/degrees by assessing students' prior learning of the materials. (Contains 20 references.) (MN)

Published
2000

30. Distance Open Learning in the Developing Asian Countries: Problems and Possible Solutions. ZIFF Papiere 117.

Author

Fern Univ., Hagen (Germany). Inst. for Research into Distance Education. and Ramanujam, P. R.

Abstract

Problems facing distance open learning in the developing Asian countries were examined, and possible solutions were proposed. The prominent features of distance and open learning in 10 developed nations were identified. Existing distance education (DE) systems in developing nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America were reviewed and found to share the following features: inadequate finances; poor communication and infrastructural facilities; the absence of clear governmental policies; limited use of audiovisual media; a shortage of experts to develop multimedia courses; a lack of financial and academic autonomy for distance teaching institutions; and distance education's low social and academic status because of quality issues. The review indicated that blindly copying Western models of DE is more dangerous than evolving indigenous models for developing countries. The future of DE in developing countries was shown to depend primarily on the ability of DE institutions to respond to the specific needs of learners at different levels. The following actions were recommended for improving DE in developing Asian countries: (1) review existing institutional structures and governance; (2) evaluate existing methods of teaching and learning and existing support systems; and (3) recognize the potential of information communication technologies and evolve appropriate policies for distance open learning. (Contains 30 references.) (MN)

Published
2001

31. Some Implications for Distance Educators. Occasional Papers 3.

Author

Riverina Coll. of Advanced Education, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales (Australia)., Roberts, David, Roberts, David, and Riverina Coll. of Advanced Education, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales (Australia).

Abstract

Issues in distance education at the tertiary level in Australia are addressed in three papers. The need to provide mature students with information before course attendance is discussed by Edward R. Reid-Smith in "Why Educational Advisory Services for Mature Students?" During 1982-1984, new external students at Riverina College of Advanced Education were sent a pre-course informational package that covered time management, motivation, finance, and the family. A "Returning to Study" correspondence course was also offered. E. David Meacham's paper, "Suggestions Arising from an Investigation of Distance Education in the United Kingdom," explores the relevance of external studies in the United Kingdom to educational practice at the Riverina College of Advanced Education. Information is included on external studies and industry, resource-based learning, staff development, design of learning materials, and computer-assisted learning. In "Motivation of Adults: Implications of Adult Learning Theories for Distance Education," Michael Hough considers the problem of motivating adults, with attention to: adult learning principles; needs and interests of adults; the design of adult programs; and implications for tertiary colleges and staff, particularly those involved in correspondence teaching. (SW)

Published
1985

32. Application of 'Principles' of Adult Development and Learning to Distance Education. Working Papers in Distance Education No. 2.

Author

Queensland Univ., Brisbane (Australia). Div. of External Studies. and O'Rourke, B. T.

Abstract

The theoretical fields of adult developmental psychology and andragogy provide some principles or rules for action that may lead to useful improvements in course organization and teaching methodology. An analysis of the principles and the likely effects of their implementation has led to the following speculation: principles that are not likely to disrupt bureaucratic structures within distance education when applied are more likely to be accepted; principles viewed as being potentially disruptive to the power and professional exclusivity of the bureaucracies of administrators and teachers will almost certainly be rejected. Students would benefit from the application of the principles identified. Distance educators have demonstrated that they have the welfare of their students at heart. They must be willing to adopt and implement those outcomes of research that will almost certainly come into conflict with the standardizing, ordering, and controlling practices of the bureaucratic system. (YLB)

Published
1981

33. Learning in Multicultural Workspaces: A Case of Aged Care

Author

Godby, Robert

Abstract

The predicted growth of the aged care sector in Australia, driven by the ageing population, is expected to create an increasing need for workplaces to support the development for all kinds and classifications of workers to undertake their work within multicultural settings. This paper describes and elaborates the necessary and increasing requirement for workplaces to support adult learning in multicultural circumstances. A mixed methods approach was used to collect data from workers undertaking the role of carer in residential aged care facilities across the east coast of Australia. Arising from the collection and analysis of these data are contributions to knowledge including a conceptual model for understanding learning in multicultural settings. This research emphasizes a notion that cultural diversity has a fundamental influence on workplace learning in aged care and identifies practices to support cross-cultural communication, coworking and learning. Further, inter-worker learning is reinforced as a key enabler of performance in aged care work. Such contributions help to understand what influences workplace learning in multicultural settings and how it may be better supported.

Published
2023

34. Educating Australian Adults in an Era of Social and Economic Change

Author

Billett, Stephen and Dymock, Darryl

Abstract

The origins and focuses of adult education across Western countries are often about meeting adults' needs, and for purposes they have nominated, not those compelled by others. Unlike other sectors (e.g. schools, vocational colleges and universities) that were mainly initiated and sustained by church or state, adult education has long been grounded in communities and provided through hybrid institutions. Across Western countries, the term 'movement,' is often associated with adult education's origins, and it is sometimes regarded as a 'fourth sector' of education, apart from schools, vocational education and training and university studies. In recent times, the concept has expanded and diversified, however, making it more amorphous and less distinctive as an educational 'sector'. Nevertheless, one of the continuing features of 'adult education' has been its concern for adults' learning needs and preferences. This paper proposes that the formation and continuity of adult education have been based particularly on three key premises: (1) meeting adults' specific but heterogeneous learning needs; (2) educational purposes and purposes being understood in the local context; and (3) the enactment of adult education being shaped by local considerations. Furthermore, the values underpinning 'traditional' adult education have not only been sustained in what is now more commonly known as Adult and Community Education (ACE) but have expanded into other educational contexts. Informed by considerations of selected research projects the authors have been involved with in recent years, this paper identifies how the three premises have emerged as features of other educational provisions for adults.

Published
2020

35. Lifelong Outdoor Enthusiasts' Engagement with Nature-Based Activities Later in Life

Author

Barbara Humberstone, Geoff Cooper, and Di Collins

Abstract

This study examines the perspectives and experiences of older lifelong participants in outdoor education/recreation. 32 participants, women (11) and men (21), aged 60-84 provided narratives of their lifelong engagements in the outdoors in nature-based activities. They were invited to write freely on their early experiences and their current engagements in the outdoors. The purpose was to explore and understand why and how serious lifelong older participants continued with their outdoor activities. This paper considers participants' current embodied engagements. The evidence suggests that as they age, their bodies become less able to deal with discomfort. Yet, the participants, as a consequence of their lifelong knowledge and experience, manage injuries and ill-health, choosing to adapt in various ways to enable their continued engagement/enjoyment in being active in nature. The study stresses the significance of lifelong engagement in the outdoors and the necessity for opportunities for outdoor nature-based experiences throughout the lifespan.

Published
2024
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36. Beyond the Boundaries. Exploring the Potential of Widening Provision in Higher Education.

Author

National Inst. of Adult Continuing Education, Leicester (England)., Preece, Julia, Preece, Julia, and National Inst. of Adult Continuing Education, Leicester (England).

Abstract

This book contains 12 papers exploring the problem of strengthening the notion of the United Kingdom as a learning society by making the country's higher education system more responsive to the various social groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in all areas of the nation's formal, postcompulsory education system. The following papers are included: "Introduction" (Julia Preece); "Mind the Gap: Widening Provision, Guidance, and Cultural Change in Higher Education" (Rennie Johnston, Fay Croft); "Extending the Guidance Boundaries: An Exploration of Educative and Empowering Guidance Strategies for Learners Who Have Been Long-Term Unemployed" (Ann-Marie Houghton); "Disadvantaged Youngsters: Raising Awareness, Aspiration and Access through a Summer School" (John R. D. Blicharski); "IT (Information Technology)-Based Guidance: Reaching the Parts that Other Guidance Cannot Reach?" (Irene Chapman, Sarah Williams); "What's the Point? Questions that Matter in Community-Based Projects Designed To Counter Social Exclusion and Increase Participation in Continuing Education" (Colin Trotman, Heather Pudner); "As Broad as It's Long: Challenging the Limitations of Traditional Continuing Education Strategies for Widening Participation" (Cal Weatherald, Geoff Layer); "Dismantling the Barriers: Educational Justice and Access in Ireland" (Rosemary Morris, Brian McMahon); "Student Equity: An Australian Perspective" (Margaret Heagney, Margaret James); "Access Strategies under Severe Circumstances: Promoting Access in the Chelyabinsk Region of the Russian Federation" (Maurits van Rooijen); "The Role of Social Theory in Action Research: Working for Change in a University Adult Education Department in a Multi-cultural City" (Jane Clarke); "Youth Views: A University of Bradford Community Action Research Project Conducted with and for Young People from Minority Ethnic Communities in Bradford" (Nadira Mirza, Tony Jowitt); and "Does It Make Any Difference that We Are a University? The Community Perspective" (Julia Preece). (MN)

Published
1998

37. Survival Narratives from Single Mothers in an Enabling Program: 'Just Hope You Don't Get Sick and Live off Caffeine'

Author

Braund, Anne, James, Trixie, Johnston, Katrina, and Mullaney, Louise

Abstract

A growing number of single mothers are seeking entry to higher education via enabling programs; however, these students face unique struggles to make their dream a reality. There is some research on the challenges faced by student-mothers in higher education; however, research specifically on single mothers in enabling education is limited. This research focused on identifying the competing discourses that single mothers faced during an enabling program, and the ways they can be supported. Interviews were conducted with seven women who self-identified as single mothers, describing their personal struggles, alongside their experiences of great accomplishment. What became evident, was despite the difficulties of raising children as a sole parent, the student-mothers gained noticeable confidence in themselves during and after completing their enabling studies. Analysis of the data identified unique challenges faced by this non-traditional group of students and highlighted specific supports that this student group require. This paper details a range of obstacles that impeded their study; related directly to their status as single parents. These hurdles included financial difficulties, lack of support, negative familial relationships, personal health concerns, and study related challenges. In addition, these seven student-mothers identified the key factors that supported their success: forging strong connections with other students, improved self-efficacy, the observed positive 'knock-on' effect to their children, and quality academic support and pastoral care from university staff. Thus, with perseverance and appropriate support, these student-mothers were able to achieve success in an enabling program. This study voices the personal 'survival narratives' of seven student-mothers; revealing challenges and strategies unique to their circumstances, that in-turn, generated a successful student experience.

Published
2022

38. Changing Places? Flexibility, Lifelong Learning and a Learning Society.

Author

Edwards, Richard and Edwards, Richard

Abstract

This book examines different notions of a learning society and the changes in adult education theory and practice that will be required to create a learning society. Recent developments in the United Kingdom and, to a lesser extent, in other countries are cited as evidence that creating a learning society will require new forms of thinking about the theory and practice of adult education. The following are among the topics discussed in the book's six chapters: the relationship between discourse, power, knowledge, and governmentality; poststructuralism and postmodernism; economic, cultural, technological, and demographic changes that have contributed to the growth in interest in the notions of a learning society and lifelong learning; implications of the recent shift from focus on inputs (adult education and its provision) to focus on outputs (learning and learners); ways provision of adult education has changed to support access and participation, open and distance learning, and assessment and accreditation of outcomes in an increasing number of learning settings; the adoption of neo- and post-Fordist models of organizational development and the role of the reflective practitioner as a model for professional development; and contemporary trends and differing notions of a learning society. The bibliography contains 431 references. (MN)

Published
1997

39. Nannagogy: Social Movement Learning for Older Women's Activism in the Gas Fields of Australia

Author

Larri, Larraine and Whitehouse, Hilary

Abstract

In this paper, we explore the concept of Nannagogy, an innovative pedagogy of informal adult learning enacted by the activist 'disorganisation', the Knitting Nannas Against Gas and Greed (KNAGs). The 'Nannas' are predominantly older women who undertake non-violent direct action using fibre craft, knit-ins, lock-ons, and occasional street theatre to draw public attention to the negative environmental impacts of unconventional coal seam gas extraction ('fracking') and of fossil fuel mining. We identify the characteristics of Nannagogy as a hybrid system of lifelong / later-in-life learning and a complex pedagogy of informal learning that can be understood through social movement learning theory (SML) drawing on Paolo Freire's (1970) original concept of 'conscientisation'. Nannagogy is an act of radical adult education that has its antecedents in feminist collective learning strategies such as consciousness raising as well as the formal education strategies of action learning and communities of practice. Nannagogy is highly effective adult learning practice at the intersection of adult learning theory and social movement theory. Data presented in this paper were collected with active KNAG members in Australia as part of a PhD study using surveys, interviews, document analysis of social media (Facebook posts, digital videos, e-news bulletins) and researcher autoethnography. Framing activist adult learning as social movement learning locates environmental and climate justice struggles within lifelong learning practices and enables researchers to better understand the complex processes of informal, situated and often spontaneous adult learning for creating and sustaining movements for social, environmental and political change.

Published
2019

40. Learning to Become Professional in Policing: From Artisan to Professional

Author

Ryan, Cheryl and Ollis, Tracey

Abstract

This qualitative narrative research was conducted with an Australian police jurisdiction. The paper draws on practice theory to interpret the narratives of a group of traditionally trained police officers' perceptions of policing practices, professional practice, learning and professionalism within the context of police professionalisation. Thirty-six police officers from various ranks, including senior management, participated in semi-structured interviews. Many police officers' understanding of professional practice and learning is centred on technique, technical knowledge, image, uniform, and reputation. Our research reveals, the practices of police are embedded in the discursive practices of policing and the institutional constraints of the organisation, that maintain and perpetuate past stories contrary to the agenda to professionalise policing. The research is set in the broader context of national and international agendas driving the professionalisation of policing which sits alongside prevailing conceptions of policing as a craft or trade, learned on-the-job, and police officers as artisans.

Published
2023
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41. Special Issue: 'Getting of Wisdom', Learning in Later Life

Author

Krašovec, Sabina Jelenc, Golding, Barry, Findsen, Brian, and Schmidt-Hertha, Bernhard

Abstract

This specially themed ""Getting of Wisdom," Learning in Later Life" Edition of the "Australian Journal of Adult Learning" ("AJAL") is not so much concerned with the issue of ageing itself, but more about quality of life regardless of age. It is about taking, but also giving back as best as possible at any age. This special issue is a result of the one week "The Getting of Wisdom Exchange", a collaboration between around 100 adult education practitioners and researchers from ten countries from Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Europe. In this issue, papers are presented from Sweden, Ireland, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, Slovenia, Poland, Germany, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Papers cover different topics and open questions about various issues in older people's learning.

Published
2017

42. Practice in the Social Space of Neighbourhood Houses: Community, Relationships and Adult Learning

Author

Harrison, Ursula, Ollis, Tracey, and Ryan, Cheryl

Abstract

Neighbourhood Houses are significant sites of community-based adult learning spaces that are empowering, supportive and caring. They embody inclusive community development processes and adult learning practices that facilitate formal, informal, and incidental learning. Practices in these sites of social inclusion support relationships and shared learning. This paper uncovers the relational practices in Neighbourhood Houses as people develop knowledge, skills and new ways of knowing through their participation. Many participants in this research lacked confidence as learners and were reengaging with learning following former negative and/or incomplete education experiences. They came to learn new skills following personal interests, to re-engage with learning for employment, seeking involvement in the community and reconnecting with others following periods of isolation and loneliness. Drawing on Bourdieu's Theory of Practice we interpret the dispositions, practices and habitus in the Houses that support learner relationships and learning. We argue it is the Houses' intimate and nurturing relational practices that transform learners' lives, families and their local communities. This qualitative case study research involved adult and life-long learners in Neighbourhood Houses across Victoria. In-depth interviews were conducted with 87 diverse participants and from a mixture of rural, regional and urban Neighbourhood House locations.

Published
2020

43. Adult Learning and Circumstantial Activism in the Coal Seam Gas Protests: Informal and Incidental Learning in an Environmental Justice Movement

Author

Ollis, Tracey Anne

Abstract

This paper outlines adult learning in a rural campaign to prevent mining for coal seam gas in Victoria. In central Gippsland, largely known as the food bowl in the State of Victoria in Australia, a campaign against fracking for coal seam gas has managed to gain a permanent ban on fracking. This policy change would not have been possible without strategic locally based community campaigning that has mobilised protesters in many rural towns across central Gippsland. This paper examines how a diverse movement of circumstantial activists; farmers, tree changers and a small group of experienced environmental activists, have been able to resist coal seam gas exploration and fracking by large mining companies. Situated in the 'pedagogical turn' in new social movements, it examines the strategic educative processes that are involved in building a movement for change and the social conditions which enable informal, incidental learning and non-formal learning to occur as activists learn both individually and collectively from one another in the site of protest. Drawing on qualitative case study data and in-depth interviews, this research embodies the dynamic nature of activists' experiences as they learn to challenge powerful discourses of economic development, in a time of neoliberal economic dominance, by resisting multinational mining companies fracking on their land.

Published
2020
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44. Action Learning. Symposium 21. [Concurrent Symposium Session at AHRD Annual Conference, 2000.]

Abstract

This document contains three papers from a symposium on action learning that was conducted as part of a conference on human resource development (HRD). "Searching for Meaning in Complex Action Learning Data: What Environments, Acts, and Words Reveal" (Verna J. Willis) analyzes complex action learning documents produced as course requirements in universities in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States and discusses the credibility of relationship theories of mind and enactment theories of transformational learning. "Employee Strategies in Organizing Action Learning Programs" (Rob F. Poell, Ferd J. Van der Krogt) presents a theoretical framework for the organization of action learning and uses the framework to analyze four learning-project cases from different work contexts in the Netherlands. "Comparing Action Learning Programs at Six Universities on Three Continents: Similarities and Differences" (Robert L. Dilworth) examines action learning programs at six universities in Australia, England, and the United States and draws the following conclusions: action learning has proven its value and deserves broader application in higher education; action learning can be counter-intuitive to academics; action learning can be counter-cultural to organizations because of its underlying egalitarianism; and action learning is a manifestation of adult learning theories in practice. The papers contain reference sections. (MN)

Published
2000

45. Organizational Culture and Climate. Symposium 24. [Concurrent Symposium Session at AHRD Annual Conference, 2000.]

Abstract

This document contains three papers from a symposium on organizational culture and climate that was conducted as part of a conference on human resource development (HRD). "A Comparative Profile of Workgroup Climate in Different Organizational Settings" (Allan H. Church) reports on a comparative analysis of climate data on more than 5,000 groups (representing more than 23,000 team members) that were collected during a 9-year period from 10 different databases and that revealed significant effects with respect to rater (manager versus group member) and industry. "The Relationship between Organisational Commitment and Organisational Climate" (Adela J. McMurray, Don Scott, R. Wayne Pace) reports on a study of 1,413 white and blue collar employees from 42 different countries of origin (response rate, 97.8%) that showed a significant correlation (.66) between organizational commitment and organizational climate. "Action Learning as a Vehicle for Organizational Culture Change" (Susan R. Meyer) reports on an examination of an ongoing 2-year action learning program indicating that managers who participate in the program recognize the need to adopt systems thinking and change their managerial practices in order to break down organizational norms against open, cross-divisional communication and engage in more innovation and problem solving. Two papers contain reference sections. (MN)

Published
2000

46. Adult Education and Radical Habitus in an Environmental Campaign: Learning in the Coal Seam Gas Protests in Australia

Author

Ollis, Tracey and Hamel-Green, Michael

Abstract

This paper examines the adult learning dimensions of protestors as they participate in a campaign to stop coal seam gas exploration in Gippsland in Central Victoria, Australia. On a global level, the imposition of coal seam gas exploration by governments and mining companies has been the trigger for movements of resistance from environmental groups. They are concerned about the impact of mining on their land, food and water supplies. In central Gippsland a group of "circumstantial activists" comprised of farmers, tree changers and other local residents are campaigning against coal seam gas exploration. This unlikely coalition of environmental action groups has made effective use of a variety of community education strategies. This paper commences by outlining some of the key literature on learning and activism drawing on the education tradition of adult learning. We then draw on key concepts from Bourdieu's writing on "habitus" and "field" to analyse the data from this research. We outline some of the learning practices of activists; through their involvement in this campaign, and the knowledge and skills they gain as they develop a feel for the game of protest. We argue circumstantial activists learn both formally and informally in the social environment of campaigning. Of particular interest is the role of more experienced activists from Friends of the Earth (FOE), a non-government organisation (NGO), as they pass on knowledge, experience, tactics and strategies to the novice and less experienced activists in this community campaign. We explore some of the contradictions of the protestors' identification as activists using Bourdieu's concepts of "doxa" and "Ilusio". The paper concludes by arguing learning in activism is a rich tradition of adult education and practice. However, Bourdieu's writing on field and habitus makes an added contribution to interpreting the learning that occurs in the social space of a campaign or social movement.

Published
2015

47. Motivating and Enabling Adult Learners to Develop Research Skills

Author

McCarthy, Grace

Abstract

Adult learners undertaking a coursework masters are understandably nervous about undertaking research projects. However if done well, such projects represent a way to encourage the quantity and quality of practitioner research, which is important in all management disciplines, not only the emerging discipline of coaching. This paper offers an alternative to the individual master-apprentice model to which many research students are still exposed. Addressing the motivational needs identified in self-determination theory (autonomy, competence and relatedness) as well as self-efficacy and incorporating good practices in feedback, it outlines a way to make the process of learning how to do research more engaging than sitting listening to lectures. The paper reports the findings of a survey of the participants in the 2012 cohort who were asked if their competence and confidence in undertaking a research project had changed before and after undertaking the class, and if so, to list what they, their peers or staff had done to contribute to this change. The paper concludes that the approach offers a useful way to help adult learners develop research skills.

Published
2015

48. Literacy, Adults and Diversity. Literacy & Learning Series, No. 1.

Author

National Languages and Literacy Inst., Melbourne (Australia)., Falk, Ian, and Penson, Margaret

Abstract

This book contains eight papers reporting research projects that were conducted by adult language, literacy, and numeracy practitioners with funding provided through one-time scholarships to Tasmanian students in the field of adult language and literacy. The following papers are included: "Foreword" (Ian Falk); "Preface" (Margaret Penson); "How Do Power Relationships, within an Adult Literacy Initial Assessment for CES (Commonwealth Employment Service)-Referred Clients, Influence the Assessment Discourse?" (Maree Watts); "Which Agenda? The Dilemma for ALBE (Adult Literacy and Basic Education) Program Planners" (Ann Brooks); "Institutional Language and Power: A Critical Analysis of Hospital Language" (Steve Holden); "Does Educational Kinesiology Provide Cognitive Outcomes--And Is It Accepted by Adult Literacy and Basic Education Students?" (Rees Campbell); "How Does the Government's Special Intervention Program for the Unemployed Differ from What Tutors Consider 'Best Practice' within Adult Literacy and Basic Education? A Philosophical Enquiry" (Fay Forbes); "What Are the Critical Components of a Workplace Literacy Program in a Community and Health Setting?" (Patsy Hall); "How Can Language Reshape the Mathematical Knowledge of the Adult Learning from the Informal to the Formal?" (Toni-Anne Carroll); and "Diagrams and Text: Report on Recent Research, 1994-1995" (Stephen Coull). Most papers include substantial bibliographies. (MN)

Published
1996

49. Practice in Reading Values: Reflections on Adult Literacy Teaching. Adult Literacy Research Network.

Author

Australian National Languages and Literacy Inst., Deakin., Bradshaw, Delia, Bradshaw, Delia, and Australian National Languages and Literacy Inst., Deakin.

Abstract

These 15 papers cover a wide range of topics and perspectives on the work of Adult Literacy and Basic Education (ALBE) practitioners in Victoria, Australia, in the contemporary ideological and political context. A preface (John Wilson) and introduction (Delia Bradshaw) begin the anthology. The papers are as follows: "...A Critical-Transformative Approach to Social Reality..." (Claire Gardner); "Creating a Literacy Club" (Jean Mitchell); "The Literacy Support Teacher and the Negotiation of Cultures" (Joanne Bradford); "Two-Way Schooling" (Adrian Hyland); "Journal Extract" (Carmel Sullivan); "What Do You Believe Is the Role of Negotiation within an Adult Literacy/Numeracy Program?" (Meredith Greenwood); "Negotiating Curriculum in the Light of the Victorian Adult English Language, Literacy, and Numeracy Accreditation Framework" (Mary Unwin); "The Implications of the Framework and the Certificates of General Education for Adults on Current ALBE Teaching Practices: A Case Study" (Clare Carmichael); "An Adult Literacy Student Program" (Ruth Yule); "Teacher as Facilitator" (Pam Holderhead); "Journal Writing" (Sandra Field); "A Student Program" (Rhonda Martin); "The Journal of ALBE" (John Logos); "Another Way: Initial Assessment" (Bill Keenan); and "New Theories, 'New Times,' So Do We Still Need Critical Literacy?" (Kaye Elias). Some papers contain references. (YLB)

Published
1995

50. Staffing the Practicum: Towards a New Set of Basics through Clarifying Roles.

Author

MacNaughton, Glenda and Clyde, Margaret

Abstract

This paper discusses the practicum component of teacher education, particularly as it is implemented at the School of Early Childhood Studies (SECS) of the University of Melbourne (Victoria), Australia. The purpose of the practicum is to socialize students into their profession and give them the opportunity to acquire relevant skills. The three key players in the practicum are the field supervisor, the tertiary supervisor, and the student. The field supervisor's roles include those of counselor, observer, and mentor. One function of the field supervisor is to provide feedback to the student teacher. The skill of providing feedback can be enhanced by in-service training. The role of the student is based on two premises about adult learning: (1) adults learn developmentally; and (2) adults need different periods of time to assume new skills. These premises constitute the basis for the competency-based approach to practicums used by SECS. At SECS, a student assessment procedure that involves the student, the field supervisor, and the tertiary supervisor has been developed. Field supervisors have positively evaluated the triadic assessment used. A seven-item bibliography is included. (BC)

Published
1990