Adult learning and lifelong learning (LLL) systems in Latin America face a structural crisis that existing policy frameworks are not equipped to diagnose correctly. This reflection argues that the region suffers a double failure: a diagnostic failure, in which policy responds to symptoms rather than structural drivers; and an anticipatory failure, in which the gap between strategic foresight and action-oriented governance remains systematically unaddressed. Two forces are making this failure more urgent: demographic change advancing faster than official projections anticipated, generating LLL demands linked to an emerging silver economy that policy is not yet designed to serve; and digital transformation that is widening existing educational gaps along generational, territorial, and institutional lines, not simply creating new opportunities. Drawing on anticipatory governance theory and futures studies, and grounded primarily in the Colombian context, this reflection proposes a policy positioning framework for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), identifies a fourfold structural disconnection, and advances a transformative research agenda. For practitioners and policy designers, the central argument is this: LLL systems that cannot read the signals of change before they become crises cannot serve the populations that need them most.
This paper explores the normative visions and alternative worldviews of adult education (AE) amid the current dominant economic-utilitarian paradigm promoted by international organisations (IOs). While IOs have been recognised as influential agenda-setters that primarily reinforce economic and technocratic perspectives on AE, less is known about alternative policy-relevant ideas circulating within networks of civil society actors and academics that also produce policy-relevant knowledge. Focusing on published manifestos, understood as expressions of collective principles and calls to action, the study analyses the normative commitments of these actors regarding the purposes of AE and desired policy directions. Employing an interdisciplinary conceptual framework that integrates Biesta’s work on the purpose of education with Schmidt’s distinction of policy, programmatic, and philosophical ideas, the paper qualitatively examines four AE manifestos published over the period 2019–2024 using deductive and inductive content analysis. Findings reveal how these actors conceptualise the role and purpose of AE, highlighting diverse reform preferences that go beyond economic-utilitarian worldviews. The paper concludes by reflecting on the ‘ideational power’ of manifestos in influencing policymaking and suggests avenues for further research.
Narrative-based interventions may shape students’ motivational and emotional processes, yet the mechanisms through which educational stories influence behaviour remain insufficiently understood. This study examines how an educational video structured around the Hero’s Journey paradigm activates emotional and motivational processes amongst students enrolled in an Enabling programme. Using the Discourse Force Framework and a qualitative analysis of 416 student reflections, we identify four emotional mechanisms: self-transcendent motivation, vicarious emotional responding, affective empathy, and appreciative empathy and three motivational–behavioural processes: adaptive coping strategies, exploratory growth actions, and the cultivation of mastery-oriented study practices. Findings demonstrate that narrative resonance elicits vicarious experiences and emotional alignment that enhance self-efficacy, supporting Bandura’s theorisation of observational learning. These emotional processes appear to catalyse ‘determined hope’, a motivational construct characterised by agency, resilience, and future-oriented goal striving. The study contributes to motivation and emotion theory by illustrating how narrative-based educational interventions trigger specific emotional mechanisms that translate into motivated academic behaviour.
The Complementary Education Agency Act of 2020 established the Complementary Education Agency (CEA) in Ghana. The CEA replaced what was previously known as the Non-Formal Education Unit in charge of adult and lifelong learning. Using the guiding framework that describes three ways of organising education, namely market-led, state-led, and social partner-led, this study examined how lifelong learning is planned for adults in three selected regions in Ghana. In addition, the study focused on the varied stakeholders providing resources to enable the provision of lifelong learning to participants. Resources made available by the state have been very minimal and are on the decline. This paper purposively selected three regions for this study. A total of 30 participants consisting of 10 interviewees from each selected region, associated with the Agency, were interviewed about their perspectives regarding varied ways that lifelong learning is organised. A pivotal outcome of the study showed that resources must be sourced from participants and external funding organisations to support their training. A salient challenge was inadequate staff and volunteers to provide literacy skills to participants among others. Ultimately, without the involvement of stakeholders, the Agency and their district offices will be severely constrained to offer impactful lifelong learning programmes.
This study examines how library-based intergenerational digital projects challenge ageist narratives through narrative identity and situated learning frameworks. Drawing on a multi-site qualitative case study ( N = 30 participants across two public libraries in Lagos State), the analysis integrates older adults’ self-narratives, intergenerational interactions involving youth and library staff, and co-created digital artefacts. Findings identify three interrelated mechanisms through which ageist narratives are disrupted and digital agency is reconfigured: (1) narrative reauthoring, whereby older adults transform resistant self-understandings into agentic identities through digital storytelling; (2) knowledge-reversal scaffolding, in which youth and library staff actively draw on seniors’ cultural and experiential expertise, destabilising deficit-based age hierarchies; and (3) artefact-mediated legitimisation, whereby publicly displayed digital outputs generate community-level recognition of older adults’ competence. Participant accounts show that resistance functioned as a constitutive dimension of agency rather than its opposite, enabling confidence and participation to emerge through co-learning. Micro-affirmations and contextualised task framing further reduced cognitive barriers by embedding digital skills within existing identities. Collectively, these practices challenge deficit models of ageing and position libraries as informal, relational spaces for intergenerational digital learning. The study underscores the value of intergenerational reciprocity in design and public recognition of co-created artefacts in fostering age-inclusive digital participation.
Non-formal adult literacy programme has contributed to reducing illiteracy and provided learning opportunities for disadvantaged Cambodian adults to obtain knowledge and skills to improve their life. However, there remain illiterate adults and literacy teacher's low-capacity issue. Non-formal literacy programme is seen as contributing to adult learning and education, but literacy teaching-learning process from adult learning perspectives remains understudied. This mixed-methods study aims to investigate literacy teachers' practices from adult learning perspectives, considering instructional practices, learning contents, learning environments, learning assessments, and their association with learner's willingness to continue learning using ordinal logistic regression. A survey of 172 literacy learners and interviews with nine literacy teachers showed that literacy teachers' practices in selecting content and creating learning environments were more closely aligned with adult learning principles. There is less alignment between their instructional practices and adult learning principles. Teachers' practices in learning assessments tended to align moderately with these principles. Two main factors - learning contents and learning environments - positively influenced learners' willingness to continue learning, suggesting they are significant predictors of adult learner's intention to pursue continuing education. This does not mean instructional and assessment strategies are not important; but teachers should use them flexibly, considering individual adult learners' contexts.
Latvia's adult education system, established in 1997, has evolved into a comprehensive strategy for lifelong learning. The Lifelong Learning Policy Framework 2007-2013 aimed to institutionalise adult education, focusing on competencies acquired through everyday learning (informal, formal, and non-formal education). The Latvian long-term development strategy 2030 implementation monitoring report in 2012 highlighted the need for future human capital development, which is crucial for building a modern and globally competitive Latvian adult learning policy. Despite lagging behind the EU average, Latvia is showing a steady increase in adult participation, with one in ten adults participating in learning and the share of adults participating in learning doubling in 2022 compared to 2014. The OECD project 'Supporting Employers to Promote Skills Development in Latvia' and the European Commission Technical Support projects have developed in 2021-2023 proposals for an ecosystem of support measures for employers to promote employee training. The projects assessed the current situation in Latvia, development trends, and experiences of other countries, while also considering the views of social and cooperation partners, and industry representatives. The paper appears at Latvia's shift from institutionalised adult education to ecosystems for lifelong learning, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges that are currently faced.
Despite increasing interest in learning cities as a model for urban and educational development, reviews are scarce that consider the theoretical concepts and practical approaches to learning city strategies implemented in various developing and developed nations. While this review of learning cities’ publications highlights their diverse theoretical perspectives, a gap is identified in structured theoretical foundations. Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses framework, this study reviewed an initial 1,853 publications in title and abstract screening, with 50 then eligible for further full-text review assessment. A total of 32 were finally identified as relevant and suitable for further data extraction. The findings also indicate that successful learning city strategies require collaboration between universities and broader communities through institution-led, community-driven, and integrative and practice-oriented approaches, which reflect different governance arrangements. These should include key stakeholders of higher education institutions, citizens, educators, community organisations, and researchers through active roles in multi-sector partnerships, sustainability efforts, technology, civic engagement, and intergenerational learning. Based on these insights, the study finds that cross-sector collaboration and locally driven approaches are essential to building inclusive, sustainable, and knowledge-driven learning cities.
The late 1980s and 1990s marked a transformative period in Germany, characterised by rapid structural change and labour market disruptions in the industrial sector. In this context, continuing vocational education and training (CVET) was widely promoted as a policy tool to support workers in adapting and to mitigate risks of unemployment. Despite these expectations, the effectiveness of CVET in reducing unemployment during this turbulent period remains contested. This study examines the impact of CVET on the risk of unemployment among industrial workers in Germany between 1986 and 1999. Drawing on longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, the analysis applies a propensity score matching approach to estimate the Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (persons who participated in CVET). This method helps to account for observable differences between workers who participated in CVET and those who did not. The findings suggest that participation in CVET had no statistically significant effect on reducing future unemployment among industrial workers after the training. These results are consistent with other empirical studies. The findings highlight the limitations of CVET as a short-term labour market policy tool during periods of rapid economic transformation, while underscoring the importance of considering sector-specific dynamics such as technological changes when evaluating training measures.
Prehospital emergency medical care (EMC) personnel in South Africa are required to participate in continuous professional development (CPD) to maintain clinical competence. This study examined the scope and accessibility of CPD opportunities, focusing on relevance, lifelong learning, and quality assurance. A narrative review of South African and international regulatory documents and scholarly literature was conducted, supplemented by archival analysis of EMC CPD activities accredited by the Health Professions Council of South Africa between 2017 and 2020. Reflexive thematic analysis highlighted equity and adult-learning considerations. Findings revealed significant geographic disparities, with CPD concentrated in urban provinces. Activities were predominantly workshops and guideline updates, reflecting a narrow, compliance-driven model that limits collaborative, practice-based learning. Minimal practitioner involvement in topic selection and an emphasis on continuing education units further constrained contextual relevance and meaningful engagement. Quality assurance processes were inconsistent and largely dependent on the organiser. Drawing on adult education theories, including andragogy, constructivism, social learning, and self-directed learning, the study critiques current practices and proposes a practice-oriented, learner-centred framework. This reconceptualisation positions CPD as more than regulatory compliance, advancing equitable, lifelong professional growth with implications for educators, programme designers, and regulators.
This study emerged from a scholarly interest to conduct empirical observations on sustainability and sustainability education within the larger contexts related to the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the challenges posed by climate change and the dynamics of climate change activism. This investigation aimed to explore the experience, beliefs, and perspectives of informal adult learners in Germany regarding the relationship between climate change activism and sustainability education. The study was conceptually informed by the dynamic relationship between sustainability education and climate change activism. This was a basic interpretive qualitative study. A total of 17 informal adult learners who are concurrently climate change activists in Germany were purposefully interviewed for this study. The findings report and discuss on the participant profiles, the experiences of informal adult learners in Germany regarding sustainability education, as well as their beliefs and perspectives about actions to address climate change.
This study explores how local-level infrastructures can better support lifelong development for vulnerable adults by analysing 29 Dutch organisations across three regions. Using a card-sorting method grounded in capability and social skills ecosystem frameworks, the research identifies key systemic weaknesses, particularly in governance, funding, political will, partnerships and monitoring. At the organisational level, outreach and guidance are also perceived as insufficient. Yet differences between work integration, education and welfare organisations reveal opportunities for mutual learning: work-oriented actors excel in flexibility and funding stability; education providers in tailored learning; and welfare groups in trust-building and outreach. Interviewees propose seven key actions to strengthen infrastructures: (1) formalising inclusive governance, (2) aligning lifelong learning with wider political priorities, (3) transitioning to sustainable, regionally pooled funding, (4) embedding learner-centred monitoring systems, (5) building trust-based partnerships, (6) enhancing guidance through dedicated coaches and (7) co-designing proactive outreach. The research also tests an evaluative framework for assessing learning systems, thereby yielding actionable insights. Ultimately, the study underscores that empowering vulnerable adults through learning requires more than educational provision alone; it demands cohesive, place-based ecosystems that integrate social, economic and pedagogical support. Coordinated local action is key to getting it right, together.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) offers a framework for fostering inclusive education through multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression. This qualitative case study explores how UDL strategies influence participation, engagement, and learning outcomes in a professional undergraduate course redesigned to align with UDL principles. The course included explicit learning objectives, flexible assessments, and multimodal instructional materials. Seven full-time undergraduate students in their final year participated, most identifying as women, with three disclosing a physical or developmental disability and prior experience with academic accommodations. While some participants were familiar with UDL, most had not encountered its principles before the course. Data collection included demographic questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations using the UDL Observation Measurement Tool. Findings suggest that UDL strategies promoted interactive learning, accessibility, and student autonomy. Participants emphasized the benefits of recorded lectures, structured discussions, and flexible assessments in reducing barriers. Several participants noted that UDL fostered a more inclusive learning environment, allowing them to engage without requiring formal accommodations. This study highlights the positive impact of UDL-informed design in professional education, demonstrating how inclusive strategies can enhance engagement and retention. The findings reinforce the value of embedding UDL into curriculum development to support equitable, student-centred learning experiences.
The accreditation of liberal adult education in Finland encourages teachers to integrate competence-based education (CBE), aligning with broader European initiatives that promote adult learning and the recognition of competences. Such a shift challenges traditional pedagogies and calls for educational transformation. This study investigates how language teachers in Finnish adult education centres experience and interpret CBE, focusing on its perceived benefits and practical challenges. Despite their central role in implementing CBE, little research has explored language teachers' classroom-level experiences. The study explores (1) language teachers' perceptions of the benefits of implementing CBE and (2) the challenges they encounter in competence-based classroom practice. Drawing on teacher professional identity theory, the study analyzes how the alignment between policy expectations and teachers' professional identities shapes their engagement with CBE. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study combines questionnaire and interview data. Thematic analysis identified five key areas of challenge: professional development, quality frameworks, administrative policies, operational practices, and educational ecosystems. While teachers recognized certain benefits of CBE, many reported tensions between competence-based approaches and their pedagogical values and established practices. The findings highlight the complexity of CBE reform and underscore the importance of supporting teachers' professional identity development amid ongoing educational change.
The call for the right to Lifelong Learning for all at CONFINTEA VII, backed by several international organisations, indicates a major transition from sector-specific education systems towards Lifelong Learning Ecosystems. In the context of Adult Learning, this indicates weakening or diminishing Adult Education sectors and a move towards Adult Learning within the framework of Lifelong Learning. However, the reality of such a transition is evident from the extent of changes in national policies. This paper analyses and compares the policies of three states: Denmark, Portugal, and Nigeria, to identify the extent of the aforesaid transition. The paper uses the currently implemented policies in all three states as sources for research. It shows that these states reflect different levels of transitions based on political will and futuristic policies that promote or limit equality, social mobility, and the existence or lack of a thoughtful attitude to ensure a sustainable future for everyone. Further, it argues that disadvantaged learners pay the price of a lack of transition or imbalances in transition. The paper highlights the need for a balanced transition towards lifelong learning ecosystems.
This article examines why Indigenous adult learners choose to pursue vocational education and training (VET) programmes offered within their communities. Drawing on the sociology of experience and the concept of trials, the study analyzes three sharing circles conducted with groups of five to nine Indigenous learners enrolled in VET programmes in two Indigenous communities in Quebec (Canada). The findings show that learners' engagement is shaped by interrelated factors, including cultural relevance, a sense of belonging, personal circumstances, and the transformative potential of these programmes. Beyond creating pathways to employment, community-based VET supports holistic development by fostering the education of the whole person. It also supports self-determination at both individual and community levels. Notably, many participants indicated that they would not have pursued further education if the programme had not been offered within their community and on their traditional lands.
To address calls from industry regulators regarding the need to improve leadership in the Further Education (FE) sector in the UK, we considered the lived experiences of those perceived as high-performing, effective leaders (n = 17) in different industry sectors with a view to developing an evidence-base that could be transferred to the FE sector. Through semi-structured interviews that were subsequently analysed using experientially orientated reflexive thematic analysis, characteristics of high-performing, effective leaders were categorised into three themes: personal, interpersonal, and professional. Additionally, education and ongoing professional development, experiential learning, and significant others were identified as key mechanisms that affected leader development. High-performance environments (HPEs) were conceptualised as being context informed yet underpinned by a person-centred philosophy, where individuals' basic psychological needs are satisfied to the extent that they can perform consistently and achieve their objectives. To develop and maintain an HPE, participants indicated the importance of several factors including clear communication of the organisation's vision and strategy. Our research adds to the extant understanding of high-performing, effective leaders and HPEs in a way that can be contextualised and used to inform key processes within the FE sector.
For more than three decades, recognition of prior learning (RPL) has appeared as a pivotal mechanism in widening access to higher education, particularly for mature adult learners whose knowledge and skills have been acquired outside formal schooling. In South Africa, RPL has been embedded in post-apartheid policy frameworks as a strategy for equity, social justice, and epistemic redress. Despite its strong policy orientation, RPL practices have often been contested, unevenly applied, and limited in their pedagogical depth. This article examines the Portfolio Development Hybrid Programme (PDHP), a redesigned model for RPL implementation and undergraduate access at a South African university. Anchored in digital pedagogy, adult learning theory, and activity theory, the PDHP represents a significant curriculum renewal that aims to both validate experiential knowledge and strengthen academic readiness for higher education study. Drawing on a qualitative case study design, the article analyses the rationale, design, and outcomes of the PDHP. The findings suggest that embedding digital pedagogy within RPL delivery enhances candidates' academic literacy, digital skills, and confidence, while also addressing structural inequities in access. The paper contributes to global debates on RPL by illustrating how digital innovations can transform RPL from a compliance-driven exercise into a specialised pedagogy that is transformative, inclusive, and future-oriented.
