This article argues for the need to regard social origin as a complex phenomenon in order to better understand the determinants of individuals' participation in adult learning. It: (1) discusses the conceptualisation of social origin; (2) analyses how two of its components -- parental (both father's and mother's) class and education -- are…

The aim of this study is to examine what learning capabilities and ways of learning may be possible for women in their third age. The study addresses cognitive aspects of real-life learning of older women who are experienced learners. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 women aged between 60 and 81 who hold either a PhD or a MA.…

Low-educated adults do not often engage in lifelong learning. The current study examines whether and how psychosocial beliefs about lifelong learning differ between adults with different levels of educational attainment. The Theory of Planned Behaviour, which focuses on three specific psychosocial beliefs (related to Perceived Behavioural Control,…

Adult numeracy is one of the essential skill sets to navigate through numeric information-rich labour markets in general, and STEM industries in particular. Yet, relatively little is known about how numeracy skills are used in different settings in the USA. This study examined numeracy skill use patterns of STEM and non-STEM workers at work and…

This qualitative study focuses on the professional development aspects of adult educators who teach languages to older learners by using one-to-one counselling. Open-ended questionnaires were used to explore participating adult educators' reflective practice during and after the professional development programme. We used a grounded theory…

Lifelong education is comprised of four broad categories of activity: early childhood education, primary and secondary schooling, tertiary studies, and adult education. Patterns of people's engagement with each category of lifelong education differ substantially between countries and are influenced by widely varying public policies and…

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most serious public health crisis in the lifetime of most living adults, but it may be a precursor of crises to come in the decades ahead. Apart from the health challenges associated with the pandemic, the public reaction to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic offers important insights into the role of lifelong learning…

We apply cumulative advantage (CA) theory to understand the social hierarchies behind the accumulation of skills and rewards through Adult Learning and Education (ALE) -- formal, informal, and non-formal. Using representative data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE), we confirm the assumption of CA theory that advantages are…

The study deals with strategies for legitimising non-participation in adult education and training (AET) in groups of people with the lowest levels of participation: low-educated workers, retired individuals and people on parental leave. It aims to identify and describe strategies for legitimising non-participation. Results are based on extensive…

This study investigates skills mismatch in the agricultural labour market. Therefore, 336 agriculture employers and 654 agriculture employees were surveyed in Benin. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests . The findings showed that even though there is a good educational match for most employees, overeducation is…

In this paper, we employ a comparative life course approach for Canada and Germany to unravel the relationships among general and vocational educational attainment and different life course activities, with a focus on labour market and income inequality by gender. Life course theory and related concepts of 'time,' 'normative patterns,' 'order and…

In Germany about half of the adult learners who start second chance education drop out before graduation. In this paper we aim to contribute to an explanation for this low success rate. We focus on the normative expectations of learners: What are their expectations concerning teachers' attention to their personal abilities, teacher support and the…

According to practice engagement theory within the field of adult education, everyday workplace activities offer an opportunity for skill development among youth and young adults; yet, prior research highlights the prevalence of routine and low-skill work within entry-level jobs. Utilising data from the Programme for the International Assessment…

The aim of this paper is to analyse the school-to-work transition of young people in France, focusing specifically on those who are not in employment, education or training (so-called NEETs), in order to understand their risk of becoming and remaining NEET. Using longitudinal data from a representative national cohort of French young people…

Until today, thousands of young adults still dropout of school with no or low qualifications and experience difficulties in entering the labour market. The European Commission offers funding and opportunities for young adults to enter employability enhancing training, often organised under its flagship initiative 'The Youth Guarantee'. The aim of…