There has been little empirical research that has paid attention to the identity formation of academics, who experience transitions across communities and changing forms of academic membership. Drawing on the narratives of two academics based in Cypriot public universities, who were part of a qualitative study examining the impact of communities…

Adult literacy provision began in Australia during a radical education era in the 1970s, and yet in recent decades, social class as a construct has been largely absent in the academic literature on adult literacy. We argue however that social class is essential to understanding adult literacy provision and furthermore that working class people…

This paper draws on a national lifelong learning (LLL) strategy document to argue that not all EU member states are ready to give up on a more broadened social and community-oriented form of LLL, at least in their policy document discourse. They can appeal, in their policy interpretations, to the 'democratic imaginary' whereby learning, including…

It is Europe's ambition to be a strong knowledge based economy. The European Commission recognises the role of lifelong learning in achieving this aim. However, exploring participation rates in post-compulsory learning, it is clear that access to education and training is unequally distributed in society. We know that participation rates vary by…

This article focusses on later life learning in Neighbourhood Houses in Victoria, Australia, amidst a backdrop of neoliberal education policies impacting on Adult Community Education (ACE) in Australia. This empirical research was conducted in the state of Victoria and charts the learning of older learners (referred to in this article as later…

This paper focusses on peer education and specifically on young women peer educators working within the charity Home-Start in the north of England. This work is undertaken in a social context where educational achievement is increasingly measured by certification and occupational hierarchies have been 'professionalised' whilst notions of…

Drawing upon two research studies using life history interviews to explore the learning trajectories of traditionally published fiction authors, this paper focuses on the selective and layered level of storytelling that occurs in life history research; before, during, after, and beyond the interview process. Various aspects of stories that authors…

The challenge of supporting immigrant language-learning and social integration has increased recently, leading to initiatives and projects that aim to provide assistance, including using smartphones in the course of daily activities. However, most of the Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) literature focuses on classroom based learning…

The current study investigated learning attributes, academic self-efficacy and sense of belonging of mature adult students in higher education. Undergraduate students of all ages at a large Canadian research intensive university were recruited to participate in an online survey. Mature and traditional age students were compared on their motivation…

In this article, we focus on how a discourse on inclusion operates through language learning programmes for migrants. We direct our attention to a new form of activities funded by the Swedish government, "Swedish from day 1," organised by popular education institutions. These activities emerged in connection to the migration flows in…

This research contributes to critical literature in the field of recognition of prior learning and skills. It frames the idea of the initial assessment as a tool for selecting and orienteering migrants in their further learning and/or training paths, considering the influence of the training background and personal beliefs of the personnel, who…

This study explores adult education programmes under the auspices of multiculturalism at a Chinese cultural centre in Canada in helping immigrants with their cultural development and integration in Canadian society. The study employs an exploratory case study approach combining methods of document analysis and personal interviews. The findings…

Newcomers to Austria and Germany are obliged to learn German, as both of the nation states define themselves as monolingual -- although millions of citizens speak more than one language. The demand to learn the national language is promoted by the shaky promise that it is an entrance ticket to the labour market and also a sine qua non to be…

The present article offers a discussion of the national literacy campaign in Morocco which has been in effect since 2000. I drew on New Literacy Studies (NLS) to offer insights into the large-scale state-endorsed mosque-based literacy programme as a major channel of adult literacy. The aim is to highlight the geopolitical climate, which has given…

Adult education is a very diverse arena of practice internationally, operating across the public, private and non-profit sectors, with educators and learners coming from all walks of life. In many countries there is no formal route to becoming a qualified adult educator as there is in relation to school teaching, or the qualification of Higher or…