Lifelong learning-attitudes to practice in the rural context: a study using Bourdieu's perspective of habitus

This article compares and contrasts the views of educational policy makers and consumers within Lincolnshire, an English rural county, using Bourdieu's notion of ‘habitus’ as a vehicle for analysis. The article focuses on the relative importance of education as cultural capital in determining the motivational factors affecting participation in lifelong learning. The article considers lifelong learning in the context of ‘continuing education’. If lifelong learning is characterized into three discrete yet connected phases: the first, ‘full-time education’ from the age of 5 until leaving full-time education at age 16, 18 or 21; the second, the ‘transitional phase’ between school and work at age 16–21; the third, ‘continuing education’ beyond the age of 21; it is the policies and attitudes to this third phase described in this paper. Education for adults rather than simply the education of adults. Interviews with small groups of learners and an experienced manager of lifelong learning policies in Lincolnshire are used to illuminate clear differences between the continuing education providers' expectations of lifelong learning and those of the learners. The conclusions reaffirm the importance of community and cultural tradition in education and highlight the importance of family learning within the rural context.     

Education with production in Zimbabwe: an evaluation of teachers’ and pupils’ attitudes and perceptions

The terms community development and lifelong learning have been in use for several decades and refer to different areas within the field of adult education. This paper sets out to explore the relationship between these two concepts. It examines the ways in which community development work contributes to the development of an overall system of lifelong education. Recent writing on the idea of the learning society points towards a more holistic view of education, which acknowledges learning in all its forms and venues and which values the many and varied ways in which people learn. The nature of this rapidly changing society demands that individuals and communities take up this challenge, so that they can play their part in shaping the future. This paper is based on research which was carried out in the early 1990s, under the auspices of the Community Research and Development Centre, by one of the authors (RM) as part of a DPhil study. It was constructed with a view to exploring the need for a more holistic, integrated approach to meeting the educational needs of those involved in adult education, community development and community regeneration in Belfast. The research set out to investigate the relationship between the various forms of learning, through an examination of organizations engaged in providing formal, non‐formal and informal adult learning opportunities in Belfast. The results confirm that traditional providers of adult education no longer hold a monopoly over learning and that there is an emerging sector of community and voluntary organizations engaged in providing learning opportunities for adults in their communities. There is some indication that whilst the relationship between traditional and non‐traditional providers is complex, the opportunities for learning which they offer are complementary. The voluntary and community sector emphasizes issue‐based and action‐oriented learning within a democratic, participative culture. Non‐formal providers often seek to support such groups, by providing more structured learning situations. Their programmes frequently offer an alternative adult education to that of the formal providers, who are more concerned with traditional ‘liberal adult education’. Whilst formal providers may try to be more community‐based, they are severely confined by their bureaucratic, hierarchic structure. Informal providers, however, also offer opportunities for more formal adult learning opportunities, through links with formal providers. The existence of this network suggests the basis for a system of lifelong education, which incorporates the range of adult learning opportunities.     

全球化视野中“学习社会”与基础教育改革

处在一个人人都需要确立终身学习思想和观念的时代,教育的重要目标之一就是要使现代的人们都具有终身学习的意识,而我们的社会则应该为提供这样一种多样化和多元化的终身学习活动肩负起应有的责任和义务。那么,何谓“终身教育”?何谓“终身学习”?基础教育又应如何立足于终身教育和学习社会的理念来加以改革?全球化视野中“学习社会”的特征是什么?它对基础教育改革又将产生怎样的影响?这一系列问题的提出都具有十分重要的意义并有待于教育理论工作者去作深入的研究和探讨。     

当代终身学习概念的本质特征及其理论发展的国际动向

近年来终身学习的概念逐渐受到社会各界的关注，那么何谓终身学习?终身教育和终身学习理念所蕴藏的基本内涵又有什么不同?为什么围绕同一个概念会出现两种不同的表述?终身教育的地位又为何有逐渐被终身学习所取代的趋向?关于这一问题目前仍还处在一种较为模糊的认识状态。而对基本概念的理解和认识不清，则将在很大程度上影响了上述理念对实践所产生的指导作用。因此对终身学习与终身教育的关系及其蕴涵于概念之中的本质特征作一番梳理和研究则实属必要。     

Lifelong Education: a duty to oneself?

ABSTRACT There is a strong pragmatic argument that in our times, dominated as they are by continuous change, one's education needs to be a lifelong process. But can another, different, argument be made that lifelong education is a moral duty everyone owes to oneself irrespective of any other pragmatic justijication? The answer evidently depends largely on whether the notion of a moral duty owed to oneself is an intelligible one. In effect, it turns out, on examination, to be very problematic. It is suggested rather that a moral duty to educate oneselffor life can be more coherently grounded in another different notion: one of membership in one's community regarded as a ‘learning society’.     

我国社区教育工作者生存现状调查研究

我国在构建终身教育体系和建设学习型社会的进程中,社区教育作为终身教育的重要组成部分,正发挥着愈来愈重要的作用,其中社区教育工作者是社区教育发展的主体和必要条件。基于扎根理论,通过运用NVIVO 11软件,从社区教育工作者专业化发展、激励保障措施、职业发展规划三方面出发,展现社区教育工作者生存发展现状,挖掘他们在发展过程中所存在的问题,以期能给社区教育工作者和社区教育的发展以启示。     

Book reviews

The role of information and communications technology (ICT) in widening participation in lifelong learning, and thereby establishing the UK as a bona fide ‘learning society’, is now enshrined in a series of multi-million pound government initiatives such as the University for Industry, learndirect and UK Online. Although politicians and educationalists have been quick to herald such initiatives as revolutionizing post-compulsory education and extending learning opportunities to ‘anyone’ on an ‘anytime, anywhere’ basis, there has been little empirical analysis of how ICT is actually impacting on patterns of lifelong learning in the UK. With this in mind, the present paper presents an analysis of data from the 2002 National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) survey of 5885 households, focusing on learners' access to technology and the role that technology is playing in facilitating learning.     

UNESCO,the Faure Report,the Delors Report,and the Political Utopia of Lifelong Learning

Two education reports commissioned by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Learning to be, otherwise known as the Faure report (1972) and Learning: The treasure within, otherwise known as the Delors report (1996), have been associated with the establishment of lifelong learning as a global educational paradigm. In this article, which draws on archival research and interviews, I will explore how these two reports have contributed to debates on the purpose of education and learning. In the first half, I will shed light on their origins, the context in which they came about, how they have been received by the education community and by UNESCO member states and how they have been discussed in the scholarly literature. In the second half, I will discuss the key themes of the reports, in particular lifelong learning as the global educational ‘master concept’. In the last section, I will reflect on how the Faure report and the Delors report are still relevant for our debates about learning today. I will argue that the concept of lifelong learning, as put forward by these reports, was a political utopia which is at odds with today's utilitarian view of education.     

台湾终身学习社会的营造

台湾终身学习社会的发展,得益于社会各教育机构与组织的贡献,这些机构与组织涵盖各级正规、非正规及社会教育机构,为民众提供了多元化的终身学习资源与服务。＂贯穿正规教育体制的终身学习＂、＂打破学校藩篱的社区学习＂、＂面向海外的远程学习＂反映了台湾终身学习社会的起源与发展过程。空中教育机构及社区大学是台湾终身教育的两大支柱,台湾通过＂非正规终身学习成就认证制度＂、＂社区大学与空中大学合作＂、＂两岸终身学习合作＂、＂融入国际的终身学习社会＂等途径建设起终身学习体系。     

Dewey,Derrida, and ‘the Double Bind’

It is taken for granted that the complexity of the information society requires a reorientation of our being in the world. Not surprisingly, the call for lifelong learning and permanent education becomes louder and more intense every day. And while there are various worthwhile initiatives, like alphabetisation courses, the article argues that the discourse of lifelong learning contains at least two difficulties. Firstly, the shift from a knowledge‐based to an information society has revealed a concept of learning with an emphasis on skills related to information retrieval, dissemination and evaluation. Learning now is the constant striving for extra competences, and the efficient management of the acquired ones. Secondly, the discourse of lifelong learning suggests the autonomy of the learner. However, educational practices are organized in a way that ‘choosing to learn (particular things)’ has become the contemporary human condition. With reference to Marshall's notion of ‘busno‐power’, it is argued that—contrary to what one likes to believe—lifelong learning has become a new kind of power mechanism.     

An inclusive higher education? Gay and bisexual male teachers and the cultural politics of sexuality

Both the Dearing Report and the UK government's recent Green Paper on lifelong learning—The Learning Age—have made explicit references to an inclusive system of higher education and its contribution to a more inclusive society. This paper begins by examining the understandings of inclusivity displayed in The Learning Age and discusses the limitations of discourses that restrict the inclusion debate to matters of access. It argues that inclusivity rests on not only access but also the experience of higher education and it points to the need for both structural and cultural change. The paper then presents acase study of gay and bisexual male higher education teachers that draws on in-depth interview-based material from a UK study. It explores how inclusive higher education is with respect to gay and bisexual men and considers structural inequalities that remain, for example, in relation to equal opportunity policies and pension entitlements. The paper also considers the cultural practices of the gay and bisexual male teachers, for example, their engagement in cultural production through teaching and research and their attempts to wrestle control over identity construction in day-to-day interactions. The paper concludes by considering how a relational understanding of difference might offer possibilities for the diverse ‘voices’ of different groups to be reconciled with a collective view of what constitutes the ‘higher education community’ as a whole.     

Thought and action in the life of F.D. Maurice,with particular reference to the London Working Men's College

Lifelong learning is realized in different ways in different countries. Socio-economic and cultural factors are important determinants of implementation. Japan is a self-styled ‘maturing’ society with an ageing population. It is wealthy, but undergoing rapid social, economic and technological change that poses a threat to its sense of community. Its economy is faltering for the first time since reconstruction after World War II. In the author's view, based on desk study and a visit to relevant agencies in Nagoya and Tokyo in June 1999, lifelong learning is seen to be a key means for addressing these three central issues - ageing, community and economic change. National bodies have deliberated on the problems and informed themselves of needs and options for development. They have articulated policies to promote and celebrate learning of all kinds at any point of life through adult, vocational and community education. Initial education is perceived to have a key role in inculcating aptitude for, and positive attitudes towards, learning over the lifespan. This paper argues that, in Japan, lifelong learning is viewed as a ‘lifeline’ i.e. a vital means of communication on these issues between the national ‘think tanks’, bureaucrats and the Japanese public. The Bureau of Lifelong Learning of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (Monbusho) seeks to develop and implement policies to achieve these goals.     

我国终身教育立法取向研究

目前,我国终身教育立法需求非常旺盛,许多地方都在积极开展终身教育立法实践。但是,由于终身教育理论和实践仍然存在着诸多问题,导致立法工作举步维艰,甚至在立法方向上都还存在着迷茫。本文主要以中义概念范畴为界,将我国地方终身教育立法大致分为初步尝试阶段(1989-2002年)、集中实践阶段(2003-2014年)和反思探索阶段(2015年至今)三个阶段。对影响终身教育立法的学习型社会发展目标、经济社会发展水平、现有教育法律构成、终身教育理论研究进展、立法主体的需要和终身教育立法面临的问题等几方面因素以及法源修订、终身教育、终身学习、继续教育、社区教育、老年教育、学前教育几种立法取向进行了分析,最后提出了基本法修订、单行法完善、地方法实践等终身教育立法策略建议。     

城市社区实施终身教育模式思考——以云南省终身教育系统构建为例

学习型社会需要建立和完善各级各类教育相互衔接、相互融通的教育体系。社区教育是优化教育资源配置、促进社会教育发展、发挥教育系统功能、推动终身教育的有效形式。教育深入社区,有利于促进社区教育的发展,有利于利用社会上的一切文化的、教育的、科研的、体育的资源,借助机关、企业、民间组织等社会力量,开展丰富多彩的学习活动,以便使人们有可能选择适合自己需要的学习,获得接受终身教育的机会。社区作为终身学习系统的基本构成,研究他运行的模式具有普遍的意义．     

服务全民终身学习:社区教育 的潜力及其激活机制

构建服务全民终身学习的教育体系是中国教育现代化的一项重要任务。社区教育作为服务全民终身学习的重要依托,近年来取得了多方面的新进展。学习型自组织成为社区教育的新兴主体,一方面通过学习型自组织可以将资源转变为社区教育供给;另一方面通过学习型自组织能够开发居民终身学习需求。在学习型自组织发展的推动下,社区层面初步形成了服务全民终身学习的教育体系。为进一步促进社区教育的发展,应将发展学习型自组织作为社区治理绩效考核的重要内容之一;在社区终身学习中采取志愿服务“银行”活动;在条件成熟的社区积极开办社区学院;促进社区教育与学校教育、远程教育等有效衔接。     

CONFINTEA VI follow-up and the role of university lifelong learning: Some issues for European higher education

The Belém Framework for Action underlines, among many other issues, that quality in adult learning and education must be holistic and multidimensional both as a concept and in practice, using various tools such as partnerships with higher education institutions. Bridging adult and higher education is difficult, but the lifelong learning paradigm may help European universities to meet the challenge. This paper argues that European higher education institutions should, on the one hand, educate adults to qualify them for their complex roles in society and economy either through academic programmes or in other, non-formal ways. On the other hand, higher education institutions should promote quality research on adult learning and education and develop active citizenship too. Emphasis was clearly given to the former task in the Budapest Statement in December 2008 as part of the European preparatory process for CONFINTEA VI, and the latter has been articulated by UNESCO for more than a decade. This paper suggests that a balanced position may help universities in setting themselves up as better and more effective learning organisations.     

台湾职成教育及社区教育对我们的启示

台湾的成人教育、职业教育、社区教育及推动终身学习独具特色,对促进经济、社会和人的发展发挥了重要的载体作用,取得一定的经验。面向各类学历、有志习得一技之长的职业培训,注重适应社会发展的实用型人才的培养,终身学习体系的建设,深入扎实地全面推进的社区教育等,为我们留下深刻印象,启示颇深。借鉴台湾经验,丰富、完善我们的工作,对推进教育改革与发展,构建终身学习体系,创建学习型社会,具有一定的参考价值。     

学习型社会视野下社区成人教育的功能及其实现

社区成人教育是建设学习型社会的必要途径和载体,在当前构建学习型社会的背景下,它在促进成人终身发展、全面发展,提高成人生活质量,促进终身教育体系的构建等方面发挥着重要的功能。本文从学习型社会的定义和特征入手,分析学习型社会视野下社区成人教育的功能,提出社区成人教育功能的实现策略。     

Lifelong learning as bungy jumping: In New Zealand what goes down doesn't always come up

From 1984 until 1999, New Zealand's economic ‘reforms’ were a model for others, particularly Canadians. At the centre of this model was lifelong learning which bore little relationship to the social democratic ethos embedded in Faure Report conceptions of lifelong education. In New Zealand, lifelong learning slept in the same bed as the ‘marketization’ of education. The radical excesses of the New Zealand Experiment might have ended with the December, 1999 election of a Labour/Alliance government. This paper traces the genesis of the post-1984 brand of lifelong learning in New Zealand, identifies consequences for universities and shows how educational policy needs to go backwards and forwards at the same time.