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This paper argues that lifelong learning can be a torch for education that is relevant, appropriate and appreciated by many Africans if conceptualized within the African Indigenous Learning (AIL) framework. Such learning is entrenched deep in the practices, cultures and ways of knowing of many Africans. The fundamentals or the ideals of lifelong learning in AIL can be presented in three dimensions of time, space, and I/We. Woven together, these concepts present a context in which lifelong learning is defined by aspects such as learning-in-action (immediacy of application); interactive methods; and a time that is only valued in respect of events that constitute it. Generally, an understanding of lifelong learning from the western perspective hinges on the linearity, economics and individualism of learning and these concepts may not be well promoted within the framework of AIL. It is not difficult to imagine the impact of borrowed concepts of learning on Africans if applied uncritically. Africans cannot afford to be oblivious of the differences in contexts between them and the western world. Context, therefore, is central to the application of lifelong learning. The authors of this paper have a full understanding that people in different parts of Africa may view lifelong learning in different ways. Thus, the term 'African' is used to underscore the importance of context. The authors also note that the advantages of lifelong learning to Africa are obvious vis-a-vis learning as a human right and a social justice. While these ideals are helpful, Africans cannot be subservient to how lifelong learning comes packaged from the western perspectives. To illustrate some differences, some ideals of lifelong learning in the AIL are introduced through the case of an adult education compensatory programme, and a three dimensional model is proposed for applying these ideals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peter Jarvis is a towering figure in the study of adult and lifelong education and a leading and original theorist of learning. This paper sets out his intellectual and professional biography, maps the main contours of his work and introduces fourteen papers by leading scholars devoted to his work. Five broad phases in Jarvis’ life are identified: (a) youth, self-education, Methodist ministry and early teaching and research; (b) founding of theInternational Journal of Lifelong Education, authorship of important textbooks on adult and professional education and linking of academic communities in different countries; (c) early research on and theorisation of learning; (d) engagement from the early 1990s with debates on lifelong learning and the learning society; and (e) return to theorisation of learning, particularly from the perspective of globalisation, from around 2000. Recurring themes include ethics and responsibility, the essentially social nature of learning, democracy, and authenticity in human relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A national white paper was published in 1998 with 14 action plans to be the blueprints for developing lifelong learning. These were based on continuously strong recommendations of academics and lobbying groups in Taiwan. Many national policies were formulated and implemented based on the white paper and its action plans, and this has paved a way towards establishing a learning society. The Lifelong Learning Law took effect on 26 June 2004 and has laid a foundation for improving lifelong learning. However, mainly because of the frequent transfers of national governments, national lifelong learning policy-making is becoming unstable. It is essential for academics and practitioners in Taiwan to search for more critical and influential arguments to pursue policy-makers to develop lifelong learning. Enhancing the interactive relationship between lifelong learning and social changes would be the key to achieve that. The author analyses significant and concrete phenomena of Taiwan's social changes such as shift of population structure first and then explores how lifelong learning policy-making can reflect the changes and lead the changes to achieve the vision of education for all. In Taiwan, the crucial challenges of lifelong learning would be how to make sustainable policies to respond to more multicultural groups of the social population. Since the ingredients of population are changing in the context of sociocultures, enhancing the interactive relationship between lifelong learning and social changes is getting critical. These Taiwan's current issues could be found the similarities in other counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the research on intergenerational learning of Traditional Knowledge (TK) through informal education. Using qualitative methods, case study was used to explore storytelling by nomadic herders to educate the youth in Mongolian rural areas. This case study consists of 22 interviews with nomad herders, their children, and urban older adults with more education. The first part provides an overview of the TKof pastoralists and the impact of modernisation. The second part addresses the concept of a TK system as informal and nonformal learning within lifelong education , as well as its contextualisation in Mongolia. Thereafter, the research methodology and the study design are outlined, and data presented. The last part identifies the issues of TK transmission within the intergenerational informal learning practice of nomads. The findings suggest that intergenerational informal learning programs are necessary as part of lifelong learning, to promote Traditional nomadic culture and knowledge, and develop incentive policies for participation. The article concludes with recommendations to develop intergenerational informal learning for TK transmission. This study contributes to a richer understanding of lifelong education, particularly the usefulness of older and younger generations transmitting as well as learning nearly forgotten knowledge and values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lifelong learning appears frequently on university statements of desirable graduate outcomes. It is also referred to as a desirable outcome for Australian law graduates. This paper examines academic staff perceptions of lifelong learning as part of a broader study about assessment practices in a recently established Australian law school. Findings indicate that participants value lifelong learning, and that some of their perceptions of assessment principles and practice are broadly aligned with the lifelong learning paradigm. However, responses also indicate a lack of precision about how students’ capacity for lifelong learning ought to be developed, as well as a tendency for participants to conflate the ‘self-management’ component of lifelong learning with a more traditional, higher education concept of learner autonomy. The paper argues that imprecision and confusion about how to assess relevant skills and attributes will continue where lifelong learning is understood only in general terms, or as a sub-set of generic, graduate attributes. It therefore recommends that some unpacking of the concept be undertaken, at the institutional level, and that possible assessment models and exemplars be provided for the different lifelong learning domains, including: self-awareness; self-management and judgement; self-efficacy and motivation; and relevant generic graduate skills such as research and/or information literacy, critical thinking and problem solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the report entitled, Inquiry into the Future of Lifelong Learning (IFLL), that was published by the National Institute of Adult and Continuing Education (NIACE) in September 2009. The report is an outcome of a decision taken by the NIACE to initiate an inquiry into the future of lifelong learning in Great Britain. The report has been prepared keeping in view a vision of society in which learning plays its full role in personal growth and emancipation. The first four chapters of the report outline the basic principles and provide a rationale for lifelong learning.

This article focus on how the Swedish population is shaped into desirable citizens as resources for the nation's prosperity. The aim is to analyse how health operates as a governing technique in discourses of lifelong learning. Within such current discourses the population is today described as generally well-educated and healthy, but not educated or healthy enough. When constructed as being in need of enhancement, measures of learning are suggested for regulating certain groups of the population into becoming what is regarded as desirable. Making use of Foucault's notions of governmentality and genealogy, white and green papers from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs from 1930s and today (2017) are analysed. The analysis shows that although the population is described as having different problems originating from ignorance, the solutions that are suggested in the different time periods are basically the same. The relation between learning and health is described in different ways in the 1930s and the present. In the 1930s learning is explained merely as a means to achieve a healthy population while in the present health is described both as a prerequisite and as an effect of learning. Further, there is also a difference in how the governing is conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored drivers of participation in job-related lifelong learning (LLL) among low-educated mature-aged employees and compared them across four Nordic countries. Workplaces can be low-threshold, effective arenas for development of their skills in work and learning. The paper builds on the Bounded Agency Model and theories of learning motivation, human capital, and workplace learning. We used data from the Survey of Adult Skills (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The average participation rate was 36%. Results of the logistic regression analyses showed that income, skills use at work, sector and gender were significant drivers of participation in all countries. Additionally, being under-skilled was significant in Finland and parents' education in Sweden. Totally, these variables explained a quarter of the variation in participation. Thus, the drivers of participation appeared more similar than different across the countries. Implications of the findings are discussed in relation to how to support skills development among low-educated older workers, and to some challenges in cross-country comparative research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of mayors are adding ‘learning’ to traditional city responsibility for sewers, roads, parks, garbage and dog-catching. However, just like in the 1970s, there is uncertainty about what is meant by ‘learning’ and considerable variance embedded in the notion of ‘city’. Some Learning City advocates look to UNESCO’s Faure and Delors reports for advice on how to interest citizens in learning in informal, nonformal and formal settings. Hence, older preoccupations (such as the learning society) are enjoying a discernible renaissance. Other authorities depend on OECD (money-oriented) notions of learning. In China, there is an infatuation with Peter Senge’s notion of ‘learning organisation’. In this paper, the task is to examine the Learning City as a place and a process, analyse the political orientations and scope of well-known Learning Cities and reflect on UNESCO Learning City world conferences held in Beijing, Mexico City and Cork. Finally, the author highlights scholarly issues needing research and urges adult educators and advocates of lifelong learning to get involved with Learning Cities before their places are nabbed by ‘smart city’ enthusiasts raving about digital literacy and entrepreneurs motivated by the smell of money. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth analysis of participation in non-formal learning in different European Union member states. The paper also seeks to extend analysis of the training gap by pursuing the distinction between the supply and the demand for skills. We use aggregate data from the Adult Education Survey (Eurostat) carried out in different European countries between 2005 and 2008. Analysis indicated that inequality in participation reflects the distribution of occupations (or workplaces with different requirements) more than the available qualifications of the workforce. The analysis infers that in market-centred societies, the market’s impact on participation in non-formal learning and inequality in participation is more important than the output of the education system. Our result confirms previous findings that innovation has a stronger impact on the non-formal learning participation of lower skilled workers, because workers with higher education levels have sufficient skills and do not need to be trained or re-trained to be able to manage innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that while the Inquiry into the Future of Lifelong Learning that was commissioned by NIACE makes some helpful recommendations for broadening the scope of lifelong learning to include considerations around well-being and happiness, the reports do not provide a sufficiently critical or philosophical analysis of the challenges facing the field of lifelong learning today. Perhaps because it is intended to inform policy makers and the general public, the Inquiry reports are written in language that seems to be carefully designed not to offend or alarm anyone, appealing to the reason and good sense of readers who might be swayed by persuasive argument to be supportive of wider notions of lifelong learning. Despite its critique of viewing education only in economic terms, financial concerns are used consistently as justification for recommendations with the report. The main difference is that economic issues are presented within a broader social context. While the report makes some beneficial recommendations, the contributors have not taken this opportunity to assert the importance of critical adult education taking the lead in informing the future direction of lifelong learning in the UK. This paper focuses particularly on the theme of well-being and happiness, using a critical feminist analysis, to point out ways in which this argument could be developed to provide a deeper analysis of some the concerns raised in the Inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Korean lifelong learning in practice is gradually adapted by neo-liberals and the discourses of the economic market. Considering that the public foundation of Korean education is fragile to cope with the market challenge, the whole picture of Korean learning ecology is rapidly distorted towards the establishment of the learning market and the challenge it presents to public education. This paper attempts to grasp the evolution of the lifelong learning ecosystem in Korea and to explain the meaning of the learning market in this context. I am going to argue that (1) the emergence of the learning market changed the traditional learning ecosystem significantly; (2) the discourse of lifelong learning in this context also rapidly deconstructs the code of 'education' and replaces the learning system to fit to learning capitalism as a part of the knowledge economy; and (3) the Korean case clearly reveals the changes in the complex ecosystem of lifelong learning in this way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a critical feminist theoretical framework is used to explore the challenges of creating democratic learning spaces that will foster active and inclusive citizenship for women. Three democratic considerations are addressed to assess how adult educators can create more inclusive opportunities for lifelong education for women. The first consideration is the need for a careful examination of structural inequalities that create disadvantages for women in pursuing lifelong education. The second consideration is the need to create a broader and more gender inclusive understanding of the scope of lifelong learning possibilities, so that women's learning experiences are not devalued. The third consideration explores how to take up gender as a complex variable within the broader discourse of inclusion. This paper is informed by preliminary results from a current SSHRC (Social Science and Humanities Research Council) study on lifelong learning trajectories for women in Canada and a CCL (Canadian Council on Learning) study on active citizenship for women in Nova Scotia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the discourse of lifelong learning as it has emerged in many countries (especially Europe) over the last few years, with its concentration first on learning for work and latterly on learning for citizenship .The failure of lifelong learning to pick up on the earlier tradition of adult education is noted and some reasons for this are suggested. The paper argues that a social transformation approach to lifelong learning based on a diversity paradigm rather than a deficit or a disadvantaged paradigm is possible within its existing conceptualisation, especially within the fields of the reflective practitioner, learning and identity and the learning organisation/society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is concerned with the politics of lifelong learning policy in post-1997 Hong Kong (HK). The paper is in four parts. Continuing Education, recast as 'lifelong learning', is to be the cornerstone of the post-Handover education reform agenda. The lineaments of a familiar discourse are evident in the Education Commission policy documents. However, to view recent HK education policy just in terms of an apparent convergence with global trends would be to neglect the ways in which the discourse of lifelong learning has been tactically deployed to serve local political agendas. In the second part of this paper, I outline what Scott has called HK's 'disarticulated' political system following its retrocession to China and attempts by an executive-led administration to demonstrate 'performance legitimacy'--through major policy reforms--in the absence of (democratic) political legitimacy. Beijing's designation of HK as a (depoliticized) 'economic' city within greater China must also be taken into account. It is against this political background that the strategic deployment of a 'lifelong learning' discourse needs to be seen. In the third section of this paper, I examine three recent policy episodes to illustrate how lifelong learning discourse has been adopted and has evolved to meet changing circumstances in HK. Finally, I look at the issue of public consultation. The politics of education policy in HK may be seen to mirror at a micro-level, the current macro-level contested interpretations of HK's future polity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper was provoked by Ted Bailey's article, 'Analogy, dialectics and lifelong learning' which appeared in the March-April 2003 edition of this journal. Dr. Bailey argued that students can be enabled to learn the key concepts of the subjects they are studying through the dialectical operation of analogy which makes new knowledge accessible by comparing it to familiar experience. It is the aim of this paper to show that dialectics extend far beyond this particular application, and that indeed they may be said to underpin the very concept of lifelong learning itself. The paper begins by examining the concepts of the dialectic and the double-dialectic, relating these to the writings of Giambattista Vico. The dialectical interplay of Nature and History is seen to be the foundation of human knowledge. This unitary view is then contrasted with specialism in the categorization of knowledge. The implications for lifelong education are considered, and illustrated through an example of a curriculum project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the influence of the marketplace on discourses in lifelong learning and raises questions about the future direction of these discussions, drawing upon critical and feminist analyses. A brief overview of how the notion of lifelong learning has shifted from an emphasis on cooperation and shared development to a discourse of competition and individualism is given. Drawing upon the works of various educators, an overview is given of some of the ways in which the marketplace has influenced lifelong learning discourses and has become a pervasive presence in academia. Both critical and feminist analyses are used to examine how justice, equity issues, and critical thinking are suppressed when the marketplace becomes a predominant influence in education. An assessment of questions raised by educators working to challenge this marketplace orientation in lifelong learning and suggestions for further areas of research conclude the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to explain, or at least put in political context, the current approaches to Lifelong Learning as developed by the New Labour government, by locating them in the process of internal ideological transformation of the Labour Party. Secondly, it seeks to identify the strands in current New Labour thinking in relation to Lifelong Learning. The paper questions many of the assumptions which underpin these approaches and concludes that New Labour's approach will lead to different experiences of Lifelong Learning for different people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuing professional development (CPD) is a substantial, but hitherto largely unappreciated component of lifelong learning and education (LLL/LLE). CPD encourages analysis of the LLL/LLE of those with high education in early years. It draws attention to the influence of particular organisations, professional associations and regulatory bodies, not only as suppliers of LLL/LLE, but also as facilitators of perpetual cycles of learning and in so doing connect lifelong learning with individual identities as professionals. This study highlights the importance of bringing a sociological perspective into understanding participation in LLL/LLE through consideration of a wider range of stakeholders. Data is presented on these organisations' CPD policies from a large-scale survey carried out in the UK triennially between 2003 and 2018, in addition to interviews, focus groups and other surveys of employees of these organisations in the UK, as well as in Australia, Canada and Ireland reported in many publications. The development path of CPD and the changes this has led to for the exercise of professionals' lifelong learning and for the functioning of these organisations themselves is analysed. CPD policies and programmes are portrayed as a structured system distinct from university continuing education and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we outline a pilot project aimed at exploring the role of contextual factors in the facilitation of creativity and innovation within a range of South African art forms. Interviews with 11 people who have rich experience of the South African art domain delivered an insightful perspective on the contextual factors driving lifelong creativity and its continuous realization in innovative outcomes within these art forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based arts projects can act as powerful learning opportunities in a variety of lifelong and life wide contexts. Many of these projects involve artists, who usually undertake a leading role to ensure that some type of transformation takes place for those involved. The impact on the leaders—in this case the artists—is difficult to identify, even if they have been involved in several community-based arts projects. In this paper I provide insights drawn from my doctoral thesis. There I explored the cumulative impact on artists who work on community-based arts projects, what transformations and learning occurred for them as a result of working on these projects, and how those experiences contributed to their identities. My study involved hermeneutic phenomenological/narrative research approaches based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 visual artists. Data were analysed using a recursive and spiralling process and were subsequently presented thematically as a neonarrative. The findings discussed in this article relate to the artists’ attempts at reconciling aspects of their individual, social and cultural identities by challenging their own as well as the community’s perceptions of artists. The cumulative effect of being involved in community-based arts practice also provided the artists with ongoing identity capital in that they came to realize that they learnt about themselves by connecting with others. The findings contribute to the emerging debate that challenges the narrow view of measuring the value of community-based art projects based on instrumental and public worth, and invites exploration of the private and intrinsic impact on individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The (un)reality of open/porous borders is starkly represented/manifested in the experiences of immigrant women in lifelong learning contexts. While globalization effectively destroys some borders, it simultaneously creates new ones. State institutions respond to global reconfigurations of borders at local levels by establishing policies that exclude women from working in their fields unless they participate in re-education programs. At the same time the global competition among states within the discourses of the knowledge economy for attracting 'the best and the brightest' entice women to leave (or the effects of Western imperialism force them to flee) their homes with the promise of economic wellbeing or physical safety. Within this environment, lifelong learning can (dangerously) serve to privilege some forms of learning, knowledge and citizenship while devaluing others. This paper draws on research conducted between 2004 and 2006 in two immigrant service organizations. We explore possibilities for developing policies and practices that redress symbolic and cultural injustices with respect to immigrant women in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the evolution of lifelong learning and the development of continuing education among higher education institutions in Macau. Future directions for development are also identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The philosophy and practice of lifelong learning has a long history in China, being traceable to Confucius's idea (circa 500 BC) of 'education for all'. However, very little research has been done on the development of the Confucian idea of lifelong learning in ancient China, or on its influence on current practices of lifelong learning within the wave of educational globalisation. This paper contains three parts that explore these topics. The first describes how Chinese people perceive and practise lifelong learning in the Confucian tradition. Apart from an updated review of Confucian ideas and practices, the development of Confucian tradition in selected dynasties is also examined. The second analyses characteristics of Confucian heritage learning cultures and their strong impact on present-day Chinese learners, including: pursuit of lifelong learning, teacher authority, collaborative learning, and the function of effort in successful study. The final part discusses negotiation and integration of Chinese and Western learning cultures in a globalising world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, from historical and philosophical perspectives, presents Confucian education philosophy, a philosophy that is argued is a philosophy of lifelong learning. Examined and illustrated are the Confucian concepts of Sage, a Confucian ideal human model, and Jun Zi, a Confucian realistic educational result. Through Sage, Confucius presented us an ideal model of humanity, a model that uses lifelong learning as its method and processes. The Confucian model encourages becoming the undivided 'I' with the universe, the unity of 'I' with other human beings, and the wholeness of 'I' with 'self'. Through Jun Zi, understood as a realistic educational end, Confucius demonstrated that lifelong learning and lifelong education are necessary processes in enabling human beings to realize and practice their true nature—that is, living happily in and with the worlds of different kinds: universe, nature, society/other human beings, and self. The examination of Confucian multi-dimensional educational purposes and the practices of lifelong and life-wide learning denote that Confucius' educational philosophy rests upon a belief that the human beings are the ends, not the means, to being in the world. Therefore, Confucian educational philosophy presents us an alternative lens through which to view and ponder the limit of current practices of lifelong learning and lifelong education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the development of policies and practices related to lifelong learning in the last 10 years in China. It gives a brief introduction of the vital societal changes and offers a review on outstanding achievements in school education, which can be regarded as the context and infrastructure of lifelong learning enterprise. It analyses in depth the relevant national strategies adopted by the central government, which have been the fundamental guidelines for the practice of lifelong learning. After exploring the flourishing lifelong learning activities promoted by the government, industry and other nongovernmental agencies, it finally discusses the state-led promoting model of lifelong learning in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role and position of continuing education in the lifelong learning society of Hong Kong. The first section describes the basic components of Hong Kong's lifelong learning system, which is composed of two interconnected sub-systems—namely, conventional education and continuing education—integrated under a common qualifications framework. The second section illustrates the contribution of the Federation for Continuing Education in Tertiary Institutions, an organisational alliance formed among key continuing education providers to assure quality in the sector; enhance communication among government, industries and the professional bodies; map strategies for developing human capital; and widen access to higher education by providing high-quality continuing education programs. In the final section, the HKU SPACE case study highlights 'sharing of quality education resources with overseas collaborators', 'achieving self-financing status through economies of scale', and the 'provision of flexible, multiple-level, well articulated and quality education services' as key features of the Hong Kong model of continuing education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to growing population movements the UK Government has introduced a number of measures designed to facilitate the social inclusion and integration of refugees into UK society. This paper explores some of the lifelong learning issues for refugees and argues that the current discourse of social inclusion and exclusion gives rise to narrow and prescriptive learning opportunities which fail to address the barriers facing refugees in the UK. Using the concept of social capital as an explanatory framework, I will argue that for refugees to become integrated and useful members of society requires a shift away from the present focus on formal, individualised education provision to a greater recognition of informal and social learning opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, 'lifelong learning for all' figures prominently within the education and training policies of governments throughout the developed world and is presented as a powerful solution to a wide range of economic and social challenges. Norway is often regarded as a country that has perhaps made more progress towards this ideal than many others. Norway invests considerable resources in its education system and has already achieved a highly educated population by international standards. Its experience may be instructive therefore of the problems that more advanced countries confront in attempting to further progress the lifelong learning agenda even under relatively favourable conditions. Drawing upon a range of secondary material and interviews conducted with key stakeholders, this paper explores the main achievements, problems and challenges that Norway has faced in attempting to implement a recent reform of adult and continuing education and training, entitled the Competence Reform. To date, the reform would seem to have had only a relatively limited impact especially with regard to low-qualified workers in sectors with poor training records and relatively high concentrations of 'learning-deprived' jobs. In reflecting upon this experience, Norwegian policy makers appear to be reaching the end of a cycle of policy and academic thinking concerned mainly with boosting the supply of skills through the education system and are now embarking upon a new and challenging agenda aimed at increasing the utilisation and development of skills within the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines New Zealand experiences and understandings of lifelong education and lifelong learning over the past 30 years or so. It investigates the place of lifelong education and lifelong learning discourses in shaping public policy in Aotearoa as well as questions about the similarities and differences between the discourse in New Zealand and in Europe and the UK. The aim of the paper is to throw light on the following questions: what effects, if any, have notions of lifelong education or lifelong learning had on public policy discourses on tertiary education and the education of adults? Is there evidence to suggest that notions of either 'lifelong education' or 'lifelong learning' have provided a vision or sense of purpose or set of guidelines in developing public policies? Have they served to justify or legitimate new initiatives or funding arrangements? And, if so, what is the nature of this influence? Finally, in the light of this discussion the article also examines the question whether notions of 'lifelong education' and 'lifelong learning' as they have featured in the academic and policy literature are predominantly located in a Euro-centred discourse and hence how they might be reconstituted to reflect more adequately discourses of learning and education in other parts of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops work carried out under the aegis of a European Commission-funded university continuing education (UCE) network. It compares the ways in which UCE has developed in three countries within Northern Europe. The authors firstly review the developments of university education in general in Finland, the UK and Sweden, paying particular attention to the factors that historically have influenced UCE. They then focus on developments and policy imperatives of the last decade. A number of convergences and divergences in policy and practice in the three countries are pointed to. In both Finland and the UK, UCE is well defined by state or quasi-state agencies and is an activity that has been located within well-defined structural units in most institutions. Universities in these two countries have a diverse mission based on a national lifelong learning agenda. By contrast, in Sweden, whilst there is a longstanding international tradition of adult education rooted within democratic movements and a recognition of the importance of equality of access, the provision is to a large extent embedded in universities and not manifest as UCE. What provision that does exist as UCE is patchily distributed across the university sector and nonuniform in character. UCE provision within Finland and UK to varying degrees in becoming more diverse in its make-up. The presence of new providers in a 'CE market', an emphasis on UCE as an economic instrument, moves towards the accreditation of provision and the loss of a particular identity for UCE are amongst factors creating increasing heterogeneity of provision in these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editorial. Comments on the lifelong education program in Africa. Availability of adult education to the people; Importance of education among adults; Impact of education on humanity.

This report describes the current state of affairs and reform in Japan in 2007 of the theory, policy, and practice of lifelong education. As in most countries, Japan has been talking of decentralisation in government, of giving more local autonomy to communities and of promoting individuality in education. In line with these aims, the government has said it promotes lifelong learning for the economic security, wellbeing, and the quality of life of the people in the new millennium. The fall in birth rate and rise in the proportion of old-aged pensioners have supported the general reform towards lifelong learning. However, recently it seems that the government has switched to focus on more tightly controlling school education which had been liberalised during the past 10 years—leading some to feel that the government was using recent adolescent crime and delinquency as a guise to recover centralised influence in schools. Some observers have interpreted this re-focus on school education reform as abandoning the drive towards individual autonomy and lifelong learning. The new revisions to education laws and the prevailing socioeconomics surrounding education are summarised. Based on a full literature survey, theory and analysis on how to initiate the social intrinsic motivation to lifelong learning, this study shows that the government is likely on the right track by pushing through the reform laws to set minimum standards in education—as the only foundation upon which lifelong learning can flourish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article emerges from a recent review of evidence, conducted by the authors and others, on the lifelong barriers to widening participation in higher education in England. This has led us to a consideration of the quality and relevance of the research activity in this large field of endeavour, and to the creation of a typology of the kinds of widespread problems we then encountered. These include pseudo‐research, poor quality reporting of research, deficiencies in datasets, analytical errors, a lack of suitable comparators, obfuscation, a lack of scepticism in general, and the regular misattribution of causal links in particular. The article discusses each of these, and illustrates them using generally high‐profile research studies and publications. We found a substantial proportion of non‐empirical pieces. Of the remainder, we found a substantial proportion that did not report sufficiently well their methods or their findings. Of the remainder that were empirical and did explain their methods and findings sufficiently, we found a substantial proportion in which the findings could not support the conclusions drawn from them. The article ends with a plea for a great deal more ‘learning’ and openness to new ideas among those engaged, lifelong, in researching lifelong learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new South Africa has formally embraced the concept of 'lifelong learning' in its education and training policies. But what is the concept of 'lifelong learning' that has informed these policies and what progress has there been in implementing them? Have these new policies brought significant changes to education and training for adults? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid development of digital technologies affects the lives of all people and often leads to people being in unequal positions regarding digital skills training opportunities. Older adults' motivations for learning digital skills vary, but they are generally connected with expectations of upcoming benefits. This study investigates the self-perceived benefits of older adults, information and communications technology (ICT) teachers and peer tutors who have participated in digital training sessions in older-adult organisations or adult education centres. The data included 226 respondents (136 women, 90 men; older adults 53–90 years old, mean age 71 years, SD 6.74; ICT teachers 30–68 years old) from Finland. According to the results, participation in digital training events supported development of digital literacy and wellbeing of the participants. Most older adult peer tutors described an increase in their wellbeing. The findings of the study indicate that participation in digital training sessions in later life is beneficial, as it supports the growth of independence and positive interdependence in new types of learning communities that strengthen older adults' learning and wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have demonstrated that there is a positive relationship between learning activities and health in general and that learning has a positive impact on the psychological, mental and social aspects of health. Despite this, there are still unanswered questions about the relationship between and the concepts of health and learning. The aim of this review has been to map and synthesise research on the relationship between learning and health for older adults in organised or institutionalised education using a conceptual analysis model. The results demonstrate that intrinsic values like learning for its own sake and the joy of learning are emphasised. Moreover, individual factors of health are emphasised and several different concepts are used to explain health. In the final synthesis, four logics are identified concerning the relationship between learning and health: Learning as Quality of Life, Learning as Social Networks, Learning as a Means for Coping and Learning as a Means for Reducing Risk. In conclusion, there is a need for a more in-depth understanding of the ontological and epistemological grounds for learning and health in the field in order to strengthen the cumulative knowledge production about the relationship between older adults learning and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities and graduate education are increasingly viewed as part of the emerging lifelong learning and education system and we see the evidence of this as the average age of graduate students increases. We are also seeing an increasing emphasis on education for employment in the lifelong learning and education literature, and this discourse is now infiltrating universities and graduate education; graduate education is increasingly referred to as graduate training and is being recast as vocational training. In this meditation I examine these changes in graduate education in light of the developmental needs of graduate students in the second half of life viewed through the lens of Jungian psychology, and discuss implications of the developmental needs of graduate students in the second half of life for graduate education. This is followed by examining the implications that changes in graduate programs have for graduate students in the second half of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review analyses the report Learning through Life from the point of view of the sustainable development theme and from a 'South' perspective. The review recognises that the report is written to influence UK policy-makers and practitioners; it has captured the results of a broad-based inquiry, and it therefore has had to proceed within that remit. It introduces some refreshing and innovative ideas to shift the terms in which lifelong learning is considered to be more integrated across the lifespan in the UK. It has located the discussions broadly within the national and global financial and environmental crises and has offered suggestions for ways to encourage individual and collective engagement with lifelong learning as integral to a form of sustainable development. It has implicitly offered a 'critique' of the current provision of lifelong learning within the contemporary economic and political conditions rather than a 'critical' analysis that explicitly advocates radically different ways of being and doing business in the UK and globally. Given the extraordinary times within which we are living and the heightened awareness of the need for bold planetary responses to the economic, political and environmental conditions around the world, the report does not offer 'a great leap forward' but rather offers what have been referred to as 'momentary palliatives for immediate pain' that are not in themselves 'steps towards creating the new successor system that we want'. However, these are not to be sneered at, but to be worked with alongside deep engagement in both debates and experimentation in the search for alternatives that can produce a more democratic, egalitarian learning planet, which can sustain life for centuries to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes lifelong learning as a socio-personal process and a personal fact. As such, it is conceptually distinct from an educational provision, which constitutes one kind of institutional fact. In making this distinction, this article seeks to elaborate a major flaw in the precepts for conceptualisation and enactment of the report Learning through Life, thereby proposing it as being ill-informed, partial, of limited use and dangerous as it could lead to the misrepresentation, marginalisation and undermining of a broadly premised provision of adult learning. The emphasis on educational provisions rather than individuals' learning and the diversity of settings in which individuals learn stand as major flaws that seemingly arise from the authors' perspectives and stakeholder interests. Largely neglected throughout is the scholarship on adult learning and development across individuals' life courses. Instead, miscellaneous and unhelpful sources inform the report. The overall recommendations reflect a view of human development that was abandoned decades ago as being unhelpful, and whose rejection is more now pertinent than ever. Moreover, it largely rehearses in educational discourse and unquestioningly the value of taught courses, ignoring the importance and ubiquity of learning experiences outside of courses. Across the report's discussion, and shaping its recommendations, lifelong learning is presented as an institutional rather than a personal process. It is erroneously claimed to be something that social institutions do rather than individuals. In doing so, a misinformed and inaccurate account of lifelong learning emerges and a narrow conception of how learning might best be promoted and supported is advanced. The great threat within this document is to promote a form of learning support that lends itself to regulation and control. The peril here is that other circumstances and settings in which learning occurs will be ignored or marginalised. In all, not only is this report an opportunity lost, but it also represents a significant threat to an important and viable field of human and societal development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows how migrant women engage in learning through social spaces. It argues that such spaces are little recognised, and that there are multiple ways in which migrant women construct and negotiate their informal learning through socialising with other women in different informal modes. Additionally, the article shows how learning is shaped by the socio-political, geographical and multicultural context of living in London, outlining ways in which gendered and racialised identities shape, construct and constrain participation in lifelong learning. The article shows that one way in which migrant women resist (post)colonial constructions of difference is by engaging in informal and non-formal lifelong learning, arguing that the benefits are (at least) two-fold. The women develop skills (including language skills) but also use their informal learning to develop what is referred to in this article as 'relational capital'. The article concludes that informal lifelong learning developed through social spaces can enhance a sense of belonging for migrant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of globalization and transnational migration, many countries are becoming increasingly ethno-culturally diverse. Unfortunately, lifelong learning has failed to integrate cultural difference and diversity into educational environments. Rather than facilitating immigrants' adaptation, lifelong learning has become a vehicle for assimilating immigrants into the dominant norms and values of the host society. To build inclusive and socially just lifelong education, this article proposes transnational lifelong learning for recognitive justice and inclusive citizenship that offers a promising alternative to distributive and retributive approaches to lifelong learning. This framework questions the claim that a universality of citizenship transcends cultural difference and particularity. It suggests 'pluralist citizenship' as an alternative form of citizenship that recognizes transnational flows of migration and concomitant diasporic allegiances and affiliations. In rejecting the deficit model of lifelong learning, this framework acknowledges and affirms cultural difference and diversity as positive and desirable assets. Transnational lifelong learning seeks to balance freedom of mobility with protection, recognition and membership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores what it means for academic leaders to work in post-secondary institutional contexts. Four themes emerge: balancing daily dissonance; learning experientially to lead; creating learning spaces; and needing moments of grace. The research reveals that leaders seek deeper understandings of their work and their characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Canada, as in many countries, public continuing education of the non-vocational general interest type for people in post-work languishes on the margins of political discourse. This case study of one such traditional program for seniors run by a school board in Ontario explores the experiences of older adults and the meanings they attach to their learning. The goal is to better understand the roles and effects later life learning has in promoting health and well-being at both the individual and community levels. This study analyzes qualitative data collected through interviews, classroom observations and documents, referring to the micro, meso and macro levels of theory in adult education, psychology, health and social gerontology. The three main learning outcomes identified include: 1) the effects of enduring interest, 2) classrooms as social support networks, and 3) the awareness of the right to learn. The article examines how these outcomes function as health promoting mechanisms for individuals and communities. The results indicate the vital role played by affordable and accessible public continuing education program for retirees, especially seniors at risk. They also suggest the need for further quantitative research to measure the impact of learning on health and the quality of later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the situated meanings of literacy and lifelong learning in the lives of a selected group of first-generation immigrant Iranian women in Canadian institutions of higher education. Drawing from the participants' narratives, the results of this study suggest that, for these women, lifelong learning was greatly influenced by their early socialization experiences and was negotiated in the face of challenges that cross the faultlines of culture, gender, and otherness. Data analysis revealed three major themes: the interconnection between culture and women's perceptions of the value of lifelong learning in their lives; learning and education as a 'gendered' process; and learning as a discourse of empowerment. The results of the study showed that while immigrant women benefited from opportunities in the host country, they also questioned Diasporic Iranian cultural assumptions about literacy, gender, and identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a report of a qualitative research study into the aesthetic and spiritual dimensions of the lifelong learning practices of eight experienced educators. The research is grounded in a narrative tradition of research on teacher development where teacher learning is viewed as a creative, holistic, relational endeavour in which the personal and professional are intimately connected. It makes connections between narrative inquiry, holistic education and teacher development, and makes a contribution to the body of knowledge in teachers' knowledge/ learning by demonstrating that in the experience of the study's participants, meaningful lifelong learning is an ongoing process of creating and recreating the self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adults' motivation to participate in continued education is of immediate interest, as lifelong learning is now considered as the solution to the pressing problems of increased levels of unemployment, not least among unskilled workers. Many theories concerning motivation and adult education maintain that individuals are innately motivated to learn, and conclude that motivation problems result from various dispositional, situational and structural impediments. If such barriers are removed, adults will be naturally motivated to educate themselves. This article argues against these theories and maintains that motivation should not be regarded as something residing within the individual. It is rather a construct of those who see it lacking in others. A critical reading of the literature shows how motivation theory stigmatizes people held ‘unmotivated’ in that the theories ascribe motivation problems to the individual, while assuming the basis upon which the problem is formulated for granted, and making those who formulate the problem invisible. Instead of a problem solver, motivation becomes a euphemism for direction and control. This article suggests that motivation should be seen as a relational concept, rather than as residing within the individual. Adults' motivation, or lack of this, is best understood in relation to those who formulate the problem. Instead of asking what motivates adults to study, research should focus on who states that this is a problem, and why, and the reasons for this conclusion . This approach makes the operations of power visible, and demonstrates how the discourse of lifelong learning, as a necessary political response to economic and technological determinism, constructs adults as inadequate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anniversary of the International Journal of Lifelong Education can participate in a conceptual landslide from lifelong education to lifelong learning. Contemporary discourses of lifelong learning etc. are abstractions behind which new functions and agendas for adult education are set. The ideological discourse of recent policies seems to neglect the fact that history and resources for lifelong learning are different across Europe, and also neglects the multiplicity of adult learners. Instead of refusing the new agendas, however, adult education research should try to dissolve the abstractions by broadening its scope of interest, by focussing on differences of learners, by age, gender, ethnicity, social experience, and differences in context, by socioeconomic environment, culture etc. Practically, it is argued, this means embracing the new focus on informal learning and work related learning. Adult education research must fulfil its potential conversion from normative philosophy to critical and empirical social science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of a 'learning society' is one that crops up increasingly today in the ongoing debate about the future of education in the postmodern world, together with its twin notion, 'lifelong learning'. This article discusses the contemporary discourse within which this debate tends to be contextualized and finds several worrying factors about it: namely that it has a vocationalist, managerialist, thrust, is oriented towards the requirements of the market and the global economy and the needs of employers, and subjected to the principle of peformativity. The article concurrently examines recent trends in adult and continuing education that confirm this agenda, and asks how it can be resisted. The possibility of creating a counter-utopia or counter-discourse to it which replaces performativity with justice is proposed, but this runs into the objections of postmodernists against the employment of master narratives. The article then examines whether there are alternative resources within 'postmodernism' itself which do not fall foul of these objections within which an oppositional discourse could be constructed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]