Citizenship and belonging was identified as one of the nine progressive themes of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) inquiry into the future of lifelong learning in the United Kingdom. It was used to inform the inquiry's recommendations on the desired form of that future. This paper articulates a critique of the report…

Lifelong education or learning theory is presented by its apologists as a universal normative ethic. That ethic may be understood as an aretaic ethic, embracing a number of ethical values or informed commitments and a teleology of optimising universal human flourishing through learning. In an effort to examine possible barriers to the universality…

Analysis of economic determinist discourses about lifelong learning finds progressive, liberatory viewpoints marginalized or excluded. Economic discourse lacks social vision and commitment to equity and commodifies education as a private good. Educators with liberatory views must point the way to culturally progressive change. (SK)

Most research on participation in adult education has focused on participative presence. However, learner involvement and control are far more important in adult education, and this disjunction leads to research findings of little practical value. More interpretive or critical research approaches would yield more valuable results and make…

Critiques Boshier's normative model for adult education futures, which has three components: learner motivation, level of need, and future centeredness. Finds that the first two components encourage unnecessary conflict between individual and societal needs; recommends replacing "needs" with broadly based educational goals and strengthening the…

Describes four tensions in postmodern continuing education practice: aggregation versus fragmentation, consistency versus flexibility, description versus evaluation, and associationality versus immediacy. Explains the two opposing inclinations in these concepts: there are good reasons following each one, but doing so limits the possibility of…

Quality in outcomes-based education depends on type of educational goals and outcomes and a view of humanity as motivated by self-interest. When these requirements are not met, outcomes-driven education may be dehumanizing and educationally trivializing. (SK)