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…

The objective of the paper is to explore the relationship between participation in senior organisations and ways of ageing among older people. Moreover, the author focuses on determining whether the type of organisations (religious/non-religious) distinguish different groups of seniors in terms of lifestyle and perception of ageing. The analysis…

This paper explores learner progression for participants in community-based adult learning (CBAL) provision in Scotland. It focuses on learners' perceptions of progression drawn from analysis of life history interviews carried out with ten adults who had participated in community-based adult learning. The analysis of data was undertaken in three…

The initiative by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and affiliated trade unions in the UK to appoint trade union learning representatives (ULRs), to promote learning among their members, is a significant development in adult learning. Understandably, the initiative has attracted the attention of academic researchers, but primarily from the…

The Landless Workers' Movement (MST) is recognized as Brazil's most successful social movement. Although its goal is agrarian reform, the MST has been the subject of significant educational scholarship due to the emphasis it places on education reform, and formal and informal education. The MST's pedagogy has been extensively analysed. However,…

The interaction of agency and context in workplace learning is explored through a micro-analysis of the implementation of networked learning communities in schools in England. Interviews with local activists show evidence of co-participation between individuals' responses and their workplace roles and experience as they take up the opportunity to…

Interviews with 36 adult learners in information-communications technology (ICT) settings, using the concept of learning trajectories, revealed barriers to widening participation through ICT. In addition to technical shortcomings, social, economic, cultural, and political issues hinder the process, including lack of innovative instruction and…

A survey of enrolled students and withdrawers from a certificate program at the University of Exeter showed that this type of provision is meeting the needs of adults who have not previously benefited from higher education. (SK)

A sample of 1,000 Polish adults identified their chief life goals; most believed education played only a moderate part in achieving them. Only a tiny percentage of those wanting to improve skills actually participated in education. Collapse of the old economy and poor preparation exclude a significant portion from participating. (SK)

Analysis of patterns of participation of 1,104 adults in South Wales shows that socioeconomic background, more than educational attainment, plays a crucial role in educational participation. Over time, immediate and later patterns of participation are determined by separate influences. (SK)

Interviews with striking sheet metal workers explored working class men's nonparticipation in continuing education. Key issues included the unpredictability of their working patterns and lives, employers' failure to accept continuing training as part of the workplace contract, and lack of access to free, comprehensive vocational guidance. (SK)

Evidence from a large-scale survey of adult learning experiences in Wales suggests there are serious flaws in policies for postsecondary education, including target setting, economic rationale for learning, and technology to overcome barriers. Data show the causes of nonparticipation may not be addressed by the policies being implemented.…

A survey of 765 adult learners who funded education through the British government's Individual Learning Accounts showed the program brought in new lifelong learning participants, encouraged more demanding learning, and increased participation of underrepresented groups. Advice and guidance played an important role. (SK)