In an era of rising global insecurity and social fragmentation, adult learning and education (ALE) plays a critical role in peace-building and community resilience. This essay examines the transformative potential of ALE in conflict and post-conflict contexts, highlighting its contribution to societal transformation, community learning centres, inclusive programmes for marginalised populations, and the development of future visions. Drawing on United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) frameworks – including the 2023 Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development and the 2022 Marrakech Framework for Action – it underscores how lifelong learning can foster critical thinking, empathy, solidarity, and democratic participation. By enabling individuals and communities to navigate adversity, rebuild trust, and engage in constructive dialogue, ALE functions as a catalyst for sustainable peace, social inclusion, and collective action. Investment in adult education is both a human right and a societal imperative allowing learners to acquire important peacebuilding competencies such as empathy, solidarity, and environmental stewardship.
Dosedanje raziskave so pokazale, da udeležba v izobraževanju ni razporejena enakomerno glede na sociodemografske in druge karakteristike odrasle populacije, zato smo na podlagi najnovejših podatkov raziskave o učenju in izobraževanju odraslih (UIO) proučili, katere skupine imajo največjo ali najmanjšo udeležbo v organiziranih izobraževalnih dogodkih. Leta 2022 je bila tako v Sloveniji udeležba po podatkih raziskave Izobraževanje in učenje odraslih v formalnem in neformalnem izobraževanju manjša kot leta 2016, obenem pa je država na področju aktivnosti odraslih v priložnostnem učenju presegla povprečje Evropske unije. Z metodo razvrščanja v skupine (Two-step cluster analysis) smo identificirali tri skupine odraslih, ki se razlikujejo po zaposlitvenem statusu, starosti, izobrazbi in dohodkih. Ugotovili smo, da so bili motivi za izobraževanje v vseh skupinah podobni, medtem ko so se razlogi za neudeležbo v organiziranih izobraževalnih dejavnostih razlikovali. V skupini brezposelnih je bil najpogosteje navajan razlog finančna nezmožnost, kar kaže na neenake možnosti za opolnomočenje in potrebo po učinkovitejših organizacijskih in sistemskih ukrepih.
Despite the long-standing dedication to promoting peace through the work of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the universal value of peacebuilding, the potential of adult learning and education (ALE) in this regard has not been sufficiently realised. This article aims to analyse the existing work dedicated to peace and peacebuilding in ALE by identifying the learning theories used as frameworks for designing such programmes. The starting assumption is that the existence of a theoretical grounding grants the capacity to ALE to contribute to the development of education programmes and activities dedicated to promoting peace. Employing a systematic literature review methodology, ten theoretical frameworks were found: dialogic humanising pedagogy, experiential learning, transformative learning, the Notre Dame University peace education framework, affective learning, multicultural learning, postcritical theory, social education theory, participatory learning, and the 4Rs (redistribution, recognition, representation, and reconciliation) framework. By mapping these frameworks, this paper intends to open a venue for the theoretical consolidation of peace education within the field of ALE.
Izobraževanje starejših v Sloveniji poteka v različnih okoljih, vendar celosten sistem profesionalnega razvoja izobraževalcev starejših odraslih še ni vzpostavljen. Namen prispevka je preučiti poglede izobraževalcev starejših odraslih na njihov profesionalni razvoj ter zaznane potrebe in izzive pri delu. Teoretični okvir izhaja iz koncepta profesionalnega razvoja učiteljev in andragoške vloge izobraževalca starejših odraslih, ki poleg poučevanja vključuje mentorstvo, svetovalni pristop in podporo osebni rasti udeležencev. Raziskava je zasnovana kot kvalitativna študija primera Modre fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani; podatke smo zbrali s polstrukturiranimi intervjuji ter jih analizirali z deduktivno tematsko analizo. Rezultati kažejo potrebo po dodatnem strokovnem usposabljanju, razvoju specializiranih didaktičnih pristopov, priznavanju kompetenc (tudi z mikrodokazili) ter večji institucionalni in finančni podpori. Raziskava izpostavlja potrebo po strukturiranem sistemu profesionalnega razvoja za kakovostno in trajnostno izobraževanje v dolgoživi družbi.
This paper explores the learning experiences of first-generation students in higher education. While existing studies highlight the risks of social exclusion, they tend to overlook what and how first-generation students learn in their transitions to university. By utilising a theoretical framework that integrates biographical and practice-theoretical perspectives on learning, this study addresses a gap in research on how these students navigate their transition to university by learning. The study draws on 24 biographical case studies developed over three years (2019–2022) across universities in Austria and Germany. The findings demonstrate that biographical learning is embedded in concrete practices of becoming: practices of peer support, engagement, and pedagogical accompaniment. These practices of becoming a student simultaneously transform and reproduce social inequalities. The paper concludes by emphasising the importance of understanding first-generation students’ learning experiences in relation to social inequality, higher education, and societal change.
This paper explores how affects shape life course transitions and processes of learning and becoming. Life transitions involve shifting self-world relations, changing social positions, and reconfiguring boundaries, which can be understood through transformative learning and theories of becoming. Drawing on a qualitative longitudinal study with 29 older adults experiencing work-related transitions (unemployment, retirement, encore careers), I analyse episodic interviews and photographic diaries spanning over a period of three years using constructivist grounded theory and situational analysis. The findings show that out-of-work transitions evoke a queer, erratic affective attunement, moving from exhaustion to restlessness, and eventually to calm and joy. Affects are inherent to transitions, emerging within transitional assemblages and as properties of practices like repetition, recognition, and novelty. They act as connective tissue between practices and practitioners, co-constituting the entities undergoing transition. Affects also materialise in bodily perceptions and specific transitional temporalities. The study highlights how examining affective practices enriches the understanding of transformative learning and becoming in work-related life transitions.
This article explores transformative learning processes preceding work time reductions in men in Germany. Drawing on qualitative data from biographical case studies, it investigates how men narrate and make sense of reducing their working hours, and how these learning processes relate to hegemonic masculinity. Building on Hoggan’s (2016) transformative learning framework, the analysis examines the depth, breadth, and relative stability of the narrated transformations as well as their affective, epistemological, and behavioural dimensions. The findings show that while all analysed cases comprise significant learning processes, the orientation and gender-political implications of these transformations vary widely. The examined cases are grouped in relation to the processes of the hybridisation of hegemonic masculinity that allow symbolic distancing from traditional masculinity ideals without challenging structural privilege and more radical breaks with dominant norms. By linking masculinity, transitions, and transformative learning, the article contributes to understanding how men (un)learn masculinity in the context of life-course transitions and shifting gender orders.
Sustainability education often aims to empower individuals to help lead society toward more environmentally and socially responsible ways of living. This paper offers an alternative approach to addressing the challenges of adult learning in sustainability transitions. Rather than learning for sustainability, the processes of learning from sustainability discourses are explored. The paper provides conceptual and methodological insights into using a biographical approach to advance research in adult education and social change. Two empirical examples are provided to illustrate how individuals reframe sustainability and turn it from a public concern to a personal one, thereby developing a sense of agency. The concept of biographical learning is central, as it suggests that narrating and reflecting on one’s life trajectory in the broader context of sustainability discourses can facilitate learning to understand, address, and remain an actor of one’s own life in these times of rapid social change.
The housing crisis increasingly complicates housing transitions for young and older adults. In response, relocation processes are increasingly supported pedagogically, making learning particularly relevant. These processes are structured differently depending on age. This study contrasts relocations to youth and senior housing in Germany, understanding age as a crucial category of difference which constitutes learning in housing transitions. Based on ethnographic research, it sets out to examine how learning is done in relocations through age-coded practices. The findings show that learning in housing transitions is shaped by age-specific expectations and institutional frameworks. While youth housing emphasizes learning as gaining independence, senior housing frames relocation as “fitness” and adaptation rather than learning. This reflects broader life course structures, where learning is linked to youth, while older adults are presumed to already possess the necessary housing skills. The concept of age-coded learning assemblages provides insights into the co-constitution of learning and age, informing pedagogical approaches to transitions.
Na tretjem srečanju Evropskega programa za učenje odraslih (EPUO), ki je potekalo na Andragoškem centru Slovenije in v inovativnem okolju Centra Rog v Ljubljani, je bila osrednja tema področje, s katerim se raziskovalci in praktiki v izobraževanju odraslih prej ali slej srečamo: inovativno učno okolje in vpliv tega na učenje. Ta vpliv je lahko negativen, torej da učenje odraslih zavira, ali pozitiven, torej da učenje spodbuja. Morda si mislimo, da je lahko okolje tudi nevtralno in brez posledic za učenje, a to verjetno ne drži, le da vpliv ni zmeraj na ravni merljivega in zavednega.
Synchronous Hybrid Learning Spaces refer to educational offers which some students attend on campus while others synchronously participate online. This article conducts a systematic literature review to answer the question of what empirical findings are available on the successful design of Synchronous Hybrid Learning Spaces. As field of research, the German higher education context is selected and 17 German studies are analysed. The results suggest that lecturers should (1) ensure that no participants are disadvantaged in terms of the media-technological setup, (2) consider the suitability of the teaching format, learning content and objectives in the design of Synchronous Hybrid Learning Spaces, and (3) define the rules of collaboration to enable interaction among all the participants. Overall, the identified variety in terms of learning objectives, content, and methods makes it clear that more than just media-related aspects must be considered for the successful design of Synchronous Hybrid Learning Spaces.
Despite massive changes in production, workers’ education, especially in South Africa, is misaligned with the radical transformation of the labour process and the introduction of new technologies in the workplace. Understandably, workers’ education in South Africa has tended to focus on wages and politics because black labour under Apartheid was cheap. Based on in-depth interviews and internet sources, this research paper shows that workers’ education in South Africa generally covers what I call redistribution themes, which include wages, benefits, and, in many instances, politics of upward social mobility at the expense of production, which affects workers negatively in the form of retrenchments, changes in skills, and increased work pace. This omission has effectively left production-related matters in the hands of employers, who prioritise advancing and protecting their profit interests.
This study examines the life course transitions of five Turkish migrant women in Germany, focusing on the interplay of migration histories, gendered roles, and educational trajectories in shaping their lives. Employing a life course approach and in-depth narrative interviews, the research reveals the persistent challenges experienced in navigating transitions, significantly influenced by intergenerational migration and education. Gendered expectations and familial responsibilities, compounded by structural barriers in education and the labour market, profoundly shaped their educational attainment, career choices, and integration. Limited guidance, language barriers, and family influences created obstacles, further impacted by marriage, motherhood, and caregiving. This research extends the understanding of the lasting influence of migration history and education on the gendered life courses of Turkish women in Germany, emphasizing the need for inclusive policies that address systemic barriers and promote equitable opportunities.
