Describes Back Shed, a group of New Zealand heritage conservationists who center their work in lifelong learning. Situates their activities in the context of the learning city, a community development concept that mobilizes learning resources across many sectors. Discusses heritage conservation as a process of meaning making. (Contains 29…

Three New Zealand teacher educators of Samoan, Maori, and Caucasian descent reflect on equitable practice and the historical, social, and political factors that shape it. Themes of ethnic self-concept, cultural conflicts, and biculturalism/multiculturalism are addressed. (Contains 36 references.) (SK)

Responses from 29 of 86 New Zealand universities and polytechnics surveyed portrayed the state of bridging or access courses. The majority are over 10 years old; they vary greatly in terminology, content, length, and clientele. They are making a significant contribution to the participation of underrepresented groups, such as the Maori in higher…

Responses from 291 Chinese students and 12 expatriate English teachers indicated that 83% of teachers felt methods and content did not meet student expectations; 58.4% believed they combined Chinese and Western methods. Most students appreciated exposure to native speakers, but felt teachers did not understand their needs and lacked competence in…

Discusses the impact of the Treaty of Waitangi on the Maori people. Asks questions about whose reality is accepted as valid and whose voice is being heard. Addresses implications for adult and community education in New Zealand. (SK)

Human and social capital discourses attempt to explain New Zealand's brain drain. Solutions related to each discourse involve offering incentives for returning or creating links so that expatriates can contribute to their homeland from abroad. Establishing such "diaspora networks" might be the role of adult education. (Contains 43 references.) (SK)

Interviews with 28 New Zealand adults aged 42-82 who had left school with less than 4 years of secondary education identified contextual (social and familial) factors that did not encourage further education. Return to education was influenced by changed work and family contexts. Gender-based expectations hindered women's choices. Educational…

Examines how older adults are defined in the literature; reviews the concept of lifelong learning and perspectives on the purpose of older adult education. Looks at the extent of participation and barriers. Proposes critical educational gerontology, derived from Freire, as an emancipatory learning strategy through which older adults can contribute…

Case studies of six adult literacy students revealed factors that had influenced them to stop and restart formal education: family conditions, traumatic events, initial schooling experiences, social networks, personal motivations, and informal learning experiences. The influence of contextual factors on literacy learning and characteristics of…

Gives an overview of New Zealand politics as background for the development of the Kotare Research and Educational Centre, which features radical, participatory adult education. Suggests that radical programs can help push boundaries, enabling social change in the mainstream. (SK)

Interviews with chief executive officers of three New Zealand polytechnics elicited themes regarding polytechnics' role in a "postmarket" environment: (1) collaboration is possible amidst fierce competition; (2) change is slow, externally driven, and complex; and (3) the polytechnic sector is in disarray. (Contains 27 references.) (SK)

Appropriate cartoons in adult education can help learners relax and encourage flexible thinking. Cartoons must be carefully selected and should not be overused. (Contains 16 references.) (SK)

Although medical curricula are perceived as scientifically based, much discipline-based material is used as procedural knowledge. Educators must ensure that students have both enough certainty to be effective diagnosticians and enough doubt to question assumptions about the nature of scientific knowledge. (Contains 60 references.) (SK)

Grieving, a learning experience in response to loss, may involve either (1) learning to grieve, an individualized process leading to resolution or (2) complicated mourning, a defensive response that avoids pain. Learning tasks include acceptance, acknowledgment of emotions, adjustment to change, and reestablishment. Sites for this learning include…

A balanced life is achieved by developing personal capabilities through engagement in life roles. The balancing process in individuals supports health and well-being and extends through families, communities, and society. The process is a cycle of examining values, determining appropriate use of capabilities, implementing decisions, and monitoring…