Adult Education in Changing Times: Policies, Philosophies and Professionalism

This book charts the changes in adult education philosophy, policy, and practice over the past 30 years in the UK, focusing on the perspectives of adult educators whose voices have been relatively absent from the recent literature. The book explores how adult educators - their values, their work, and their career expectations - have been affected by these changes. The book draws out the implications for adult/community education and lifelong learning, and it examines how they can be used to inform future training, policy, and practice. Adult Education in Changing Times is an original, up-to-date, research-based account of adult education practice in the UK's current political climate, and it will advance critical discussion of the issue of professionalism in adult education. As well as exploring the broader international picture, the book draws on the findings of recent research in two countries - England and Aotearoa New Zealand - to illustrate how local contexts and cultures, as well as global trends, impact the structure and organization of adult education.