Nonformal Education as an Empowering Process with Case Studies from Indonesia and Thailand.

This monograph discusses the role of nonformal education in increasing peoples' powers of self-determination within underdeveloped countries. Chapters I and II review the causes of underdevelopment, ways in which the third world depends upon developed countries, strategies for overcoming dependency, and the role of individuals in promoting their country's development. Chapter III defines nonformal education and relates it to the "empowering" process. Empowering is defined as people gaining an understanding of and control over social, economic, and/or political forces in order to improve their standing in society. In Chapter IV the major characteristics of an empowering process are identified. Chapter V describes specific nonformal education programs in Indonesia and Thailand in which groups of young adults from rural and village areas attended workshops to increase their levels of understanding of and participation in local problem solving. Concluding chapters examine aspects of the Indonesian and Thai programs, including small group structure, transfer of responsibility, participant leadership, experiential learning, and methods which encouraged self-reliance. (AV)