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The paper examines critically the dimension of empowerment in the European discourse, starting from some operational definitions used in official documents. The author analyses the shift in the European documents from 2000 to recent years, from a lifelong learning vision to an adult education approach, basically labour market-oriented, thus leaving aside the social cohesion and self-emancipatory dossiers. Against this background, a theoretical approach derived from the categories of transaction and reflexivity is suggested, setting out from the works of John Dewey. This paper investigates whether the categories of experience, problem posing and emancipation are more suitable for a long-term project on adult learning than the categories of activation, problem solving, and empowerment.

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.

Quality of educational services is highly dependent on competent teachers. Thus, the competency-based framework for teacher education has become an important issue across Europe. This approach in Europe has greatly reflected in the field of adult learning and education. There are five research projects dedicated to identifying competences of adult learning facilitators, involving regional countries or all the Member States of the European Union. Based on the results of the five research projects, this paper has a twofold aim: (1) to describe those research projects and their identified competences for adult learning; and (2) to analyse the common competences identified by all the five research projects. The distinct scopes of teacher's competences and teaching competences are offering the framework for analysis. We found ten common competences that are particularly relevant to teaching roles of adult learning facilitators in Europe. Moreover, the analyses revealed that adult learning facilitators need to possess teacher competences that are relevant to institutional administration. Our conclusion is that there are common competences for adult learning facilitators which are relevant to both teaching and teacher competences.

The paper offers new insights into the Europeanisation of adult education, as an area of intervention and a component of the European education policy and sector, by tracing routes and processes that underpinned this pathway. The analysis provides some original findings, by pointing to four moments (thematisation; lifelong learning dimension; European agenda; political centrality/absence of policies; a new opportunity?) and two trends: on the one hand, one points out the creation of a European Education Area which has regulatory processes and instruments typical of a market; on the other hand, it is against this backdrop the European Agenda for Adult Learning set out action lines around "quality" and "participation." The 2015 mid-term review states it is unlikely that pursuing the political choices made thus far will lead to the achievement of such a goal. Some recent developments, "New skills agenda for Europe" or "Upskilling pathways: new opportunities for adults," may become associated with significant steps to stronger commitment and sustainable policies to increase adult participation in education or, in contrast, and underlining one of the main arguments here advanced, with the continuity of the dual condition of political centrality and fragility of Adult Education, which goes back a long way.

Purpose: While women in most European societies still carry the largest burden in caring for the family, there is also an important unrealised learning interest among women. This has an impact on women's labour market and career opportunities. This paper aims at analysing empirically the role of family obligations in women's ability to realise their learning interests and how this differs across societal and institutional contexts across Europe. Design/methodology/approach: The paper makes use of the second wave of Adult Education Survey from 2011, including data from 22 European countries. The article focuses on women aged 25–55 – an age group most affected by parental obligations. Logistic regression models are used to compare the effect that children in the household have on women's learning barriers across country groups of different family policy arrangements. Findings: The results confirm empirically the situational nature of family barriers to learning as they grow and decline depending on the age of children. However, the level of intensity and the period when family-related barriers remain relevant for women vary across European countries. Originality/value: This paper provides new insights into how women's caring obligations shape their labour market and career opportunities, focussing on the ability to take up adult learning. Involving data from 22 countries, including Eastern European countries, provides a broad look into the differing contexts shaping women's opportunities across Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult learning and open education have become key elements on the European Agenda. This paper presents the first results of a foresight activity that aims to contribute to an understanding of how ‘Opening up Education’ can improve adult learning in Europe in the future. It argues that to open up adult learning two main challenges must be overcome: the extent to which learners need guidance and, depending on the learning goals, the extent to which learners need recognition and certification. On the basis of these challenges, four non-exclusive scenarios are presented, illustrating different versions and contexts for open adult learning. The main conclusion of the paper is that in order to enhance the quality of adult learning and to avoid the risk of social exclusion, policy-makers need to develop a framework that allows learners to flexibly move between different learning scenarios. Learners also need to acquire ‘Open Education Competences’. Finally, a roadmap is presented outlining how this future vision could be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper offers new insights into the Europeanisation of adult education, as an area of intervention and a component of the European education policy and sector, by tracing routes and processes that underpinned this pathway. The analysis provides some original findings, by pointing to four moments (thematisation; lifelong learning dimension; European agenda; political centrality/absence of policies; a new opportunity?) and two trends: on the one hand, one points out the creation of a European Education Area which has regulatory processes and instruments typical of a market; on the other hand, it is against this backdrop the European Agenda for Adult Learning set out action lines around quality and participation. The 2015 mid-term review states it is unlikely that pursuing the political choices made thus far will lead to the achievement of such a goal. Some recent developments, New skills agenda for Europe or Upskilling pathways: new opportunities for adults, may become associated with significant steps to stronger commitment and sustainable policies to increase adult participation in education or, in contrast, and underlining one of the main arguments here advanced, with the continuity of the dual condition of political centrality and fragility of Adult Education, which goes back a long way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social class is a major determining factor of people's life chances. Much sociology-based research shows that socio-economic position is still one of the best predictors of who will achieve success, prosperity and social status and, in particular, who will enjoy the highest levels of educational outcomes. Survey data and qualitative studies alike confirm that many people continue to see class as a feature of everyday life, in ways that are connected with their understanding of learning and its possibilities. However, despite its continued significance in people's lives, class has virtually disappeared from modern adult learning research. This paper concludes that in an era when governments across Europe are setting about the dismantling of social support and collective protection produced by social democracy and trade unionism, class analysis presents an important means of understanding change and changing understanding. The existence of persistent social class inequalities in access is a repeated theme of research into higher education (HE) participation. Moreover, socioeconomic inequalities persist in spite of the considerable enlargement of higher education systems that has taken place in many countries since the 1950s (Field, 2003; Alon, 2009; Boliver, 2011; Reay 2012). Moreover, survey data and qualitative accounts confirm that many people continue to see class as an everyday aspect of their lives, in ways that are connected with their understanding of learning and its possibilities. This paper looks at the ways in which experiences and constraints of social class were experienced and 'storied' by a group of non-traditional students in higher education. It starts out with reflections on the current status -- or rather absence -- of class as a key category of critical analysis in adult learning. We then examine briefly the question of class in the context of mass higher education. While much has changed in the social composition of the undergraduate population as a consequence of expansion, taken as a whole there seems to have been relatively little change in undergraduates' socio-economic status. While the overall number of students from broadly working class backgrounds has grown, their relative share of the undergraduate population has not greatly altered (Boliver, 2011). In England, it seems that the proportion of students from poorer families declined during the expansion period of the mid- to late-1990s and recovered to its original position during the early years of the current century (Chowdry et al., 2013). In Scotland, Ianelli concludes that similar fluctuations mean that 'overall the relation between social class of origin and educational attainment has not significantly changed over time' (Ianelli, 2011: 257). What does this mean for the experiences of students from working class backgrounds? We explore this question through a discussion of RANLHE interviews in Scottish higher education. We interviewed a sample of 83 students from three HEIs -- one a highly selective institution, one a former central institution (roughly akin to a polytechnic) and one with a mixed mission emphasising both teaching and research. We recruited students through direct email contacts (both targeted and general), appeals in newsletters, intermediaries such as course leaders, and -- once we had started -- by snowballing; some also approached us, having heard about the project by word of mouth. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, with hesitations and repetitions included. We read and re-read the transcripts, which included responses to a standard question on class. Posed late on in the first or early in the second interview, the interviewer asked 'How you would describe your background in terms of class?' and the student's reply was then followed up. The interviewer did not provide a definition of class, though the follow-up discussion could explore definitional issues if the interviewee raised them (hardly anyone did, at least not explicitly). Responses during this initial discussion of class gave us a baseline for a preliminary thematic analysis which, in turn, provided a springboard for undertaking an iterative thematic and contextual examination of the ways in which different people spoke about class or -- in some cases -- deflected a discussion of class. We distinguished between how people spoke about membership of a particular class and how they talked about class as a phenomenon. The students in our sample spoke about class in relation to their own educational disadvantage and/or experiences/perceptions of HE. Often they discussed class obliquely, or in ways that can be understood through socio-cultural perspectives. One arts student, for example, talked of relating the circumstances of Tracey Emin's childhood (material disadvantage, abuse) to the context in which she grew up and being completely alienated during a class discussion by what she perceived as classist and misogynistic contempt shown towards Emin by fellow students. In addition, class affected student experiences in more material ways, both for mature students who had worked themselves and for young students who came from working-class families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Review of Education / Internationale Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Adult learning is seen as a key factor for enhancing employment, innovation and growth. The aim of this paper is to understand the points in the life cycle at which adult learning takes place and whether it leads to reaching a medium or high level of educational attainment. We perform a synthetic panel analysis of adult learning for cohorts aged 25–64 in 27 European countries using the European Union Labour Force Survey. We find that investment across the life cycle by cohorts older than 25 still occurs: participation in education and training as well as educational attainment increase observably across all cohorts. We also find that the decline with age slows down, or is even reversed for older cohorts, for both participation in education and educational attainment. Finally, we can identify cross-country differences in approach. In Nordic countries, adult learning is achieved primarily through participation in education and training without adding to formal educational attainment. In central Europe, adult learning occurs primarily in the form of increasing educational attainment. In Ireland and the UK, a combination of both approaches to adult learning is observable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professionalisation of adult educators has become a major topic in Europe. A number of European projects have addressed this issue mainly from a developmental perspective by producing curricula, training programmes and other tools for professionalisation purposes. Rarely these projects have been based on extensive and systematic empirical research. This paper reports on the European project "QF2TEACH" which focused on cross-country research into core competencies of adult educators. In the first two sections the general background will be explained and the particularity of the QF2TEACH project will be highlighted. Part 3 presents in greater detail the research methodology and the main outcomes. The paper concludes (4) with a summary and outlook on ways of working further with the research findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Applied Research in Health & Social Sciences: Interface & Interaction / Sveikatos ir Socialinių Mokslų Taikomieji Tyrimai: Sandūra ir Sąveika is the property of Klaipeda State College and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents a comparative assessment of the current policies on the quality of the non-vocational adult learning staff (NVAL staff), in four south-eastern European countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Turkey), The paper focuses on three vital topics: 1. Selection procedure and working conditions of adult learning staff (reference to issues of recruitment, professional expectations and employment situation of the staff involved). 2. Opportunities and obstacles for professional development and evaluation (reference to career paths, monitoring, assessment and evaluation of the professionals involved). 3. Societal situation for the profession (focusing on attractiveness and social impact). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy-makers in Europe and beyond are increasingly preoccupied with finding ways to foster lifelong learning. Recent work has drawn attention to the pedagogical benefits of apprenticeships which combine opportunities for learning in the workplace and in specialist educational institutions. This paper suggests that the combination of employment and attendance on part-time courses in higher education also has pedagogical and motivational strengths. Those looking for ways of widening participation have often been slow to recognise the strengths of the mixed approach. Furthermore there has been little analysis of its appeal to individuals who, for various reasons relating to social and economic change, are reluctant to participate in full-time courses. It follows from the arguments presented that more resources and effort should be invested in increasing the opportunities available to people across the socioeconomic spectrum to participate in both education and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the policy approach in Urban Regeneration Partnership tends to be viewed as participatory governance using an urban studies lens, this article posits an alternative theorisation that takes an adult education perspective. We draw from Lefebvre’s notion ofspace, Engeström’sCultural Historical Activity Theoryand Holand et al.’s concept ofpositionalityandsocial identityto theorise Urban Regeneration Partnership asexpansive participationthat acknowledges discursive struggle and contradiction in authentic democratisation. We argue for a multiscalar understanding of citizenship that attends to sociocultural conditions, challenges hegemonic spatial modalities and inculcates conditions for transformative agency. Our theorising is illustrated using data from a doctoral study examining one Urban Regeneration Partnership in the Republic of Ireland. Three themes emerged from the study: market-led discourse of transformation versus a narrative of community; rhetoric of empowerment versus the unequal positioning of residents, and the dominant hegemony of official knowledge versus community-based experiential knowledge. The article examines whether the academy can make a difference in people’s lives through challenging the prevailing orthodoxy, revealing unexamined assumptions and offering alternative frameworks for deeper understanding of the policy cycle in Urban Regeneration Partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are a number of EU documents on the term and way of implementation of lifelong learning. However, the characteristics of learning from adult education perspectives are not sufficiently emphasized and are undertheorized in them. Numerous new, theoretical works have been published on adult learning in the related adult education literature since the millennium, which have not yet been integrated into the lifelong learning policy. This article analyses the documents of the European Union on lifelong learning from the aspect of how compatible they are with the most recent adult learning theories assisting the deeper understanding of the characteristics of adult learning. According to the recommendation of the author, the present transformation of Europe experiencing recession should be thought of as a learning process, of which the newest, innovation-oriented adult learning theories say a lot. These are, for example, the process-, biography- and change-oriented theories which contain the elements of transformative learning theory as well, and are also compatible with action-learning theories focusing on solving the tasks and problems of the workplace through learning. Further relevant theories can be the theories of innovation management and the flow theory. It would be worth integrating the relevant elements of these theories into a new, innovation-centred concept which would include the innovation indicators of adult learning/adult education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The European Commission predicted that the ratio of people aged 65 and more as a percentage of the population aged 15-64 is expected to increase from 25% in 2007 to 54% in 2060. This change in demographics will have an impact on adult education and training because adult education will to a great extent be expected to include older people in the future. How will adult learning and training adapt to this new trend? Will the learning and training for older people be institutionalized, or will it be positioned in the informal sector? Or could this be organized from the top or by political decisions considering the importance of the motivation, psychological, and health status of the participants as well as the understanding of the degree of flexibility and understanding from the trainers and educators? The intergenerational gap that will exist between older participants and younger professionals might be overcome but should be taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emphasizes the significance of learning to older adults in Europe. Factors that motivate older adults to participate in learning activities; Educational movements in the country; Contribution of older people to educational activities.

Presents a comparative study of the conceptions of andragogy, or adult learning, within a European framework. Roots and evolution of andragogy and its identity as a science; Modern concepts of andragogy in various European countries; Differences and similarities in modern conceptions of andragogy.