Despite communities in emergency situations expressing the desire and need for education beyond schooling to support the learning needs of adults and youth, the focus tends to remain on providing conventional, school-based education for school-aged children. Taking a decolonial approach to interrogating this prioritisation of schooling in…

Education is a human right but one that remains elusive for displaced people and refugees affected by crises and emergencies. Against the background of global commitments to education, lifelong learning policies are essential to ensure self-sufficiency and autonomy for displaced people. While the field of Education in Emergencies (EiE) has…

This article, a conceptual and theoretical piece, opens a window on "playful learning" as a philosophy of education and a suite of diverse pedagogical approaches, methods, and techniques. The paper criticizes the serious ambience of adult education with its high levels of instrumentalism and performativity. It argues for playful learning…

This article focus on what is and isn't 'new' in the most recent European Union (EU) key policy document for Adult Learning (AL), because it claims (in its own title) that it will constitute a basis for a 'new' agenda. As this document has been much disseminated to Member States, we think it is important to analyse its evidence of the 'new'…

This article introduces the Critical Literacies Advancement Model (CLAM) as a practical and theoretical framework designed to disrupt bias through adult learning. Grounded in critical literacy and critical thinking traditions, CLAM integrates diverse literacies (e.g., racial, human rights, media literacy, etc.) into a unified model that empowers…

The German tradition of critical theory (often called the Frankfurt School), represented by such authors as Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, and Oskar Negt, have given crucial contributions to social and cultural theory in investigating and conceptualizing contradictory conditions of modern Western societies. This paper will discuss the ways in…

In 2022 a proposed definition for artist-teachers in adult community learning (ACL) was put forward, on the grounds that the most notable published definition of the artist-teacher role, by Alan Thornton (2013; Artist, researcher, teacher: a study of professional identity in art and education), Jaffe et al. (2013; Teaching artist handbook), and…

In this article, the authors share three moments of glow when restlessness, curiosity, and wonder punctuated their teaching with culturally and linguistically diverse migrant learners. The authors use these moments to sit with uncertainty and discomfort, feelings they consider crucial to adult learning and critical praxis. Each author's moment of…

For more than 50 years, governmental and independent reviews have published proposals for strengthening adult learning opportunities, showing a remarkable consistency in the advice offered to government. They have, however, had little more than short-term impact on policy or provision. Since the early 2000s, under the influence of neoliberal…

Women's workforce and higher education participation have increased in the past 30 years. This article reviews the literature on women in "Adult Learning" from 1989 through 2022. Key findings include that women were portrayed as marginalized, deficient, learners, educators, juggling social roles, and resilient. Various positionalities…

This paper investigates the methodological discrepancies underlying the measurement of adult learning and education (ALE) participation in the UK by focusing on four major surveys -- APiL, PIAAC, AES, and LFS. Grounded in the Total Survey Error (TSE) framework, we systematically examined the surveys' documentation and compared their definitions,…

Priority one of the Marrakech Framework for Action (MFA) involves promoting adult learning and education (ALE) within a lifelong learning perspective. This article intends to describe how the MFA places lifelong learning into a new era of ascension that will be transformational towards ALE, sustainable development goals, the world promise of…

An increasingly aging population, widespread internet connectivity, and an increasing number of cybersecurity incidents bring many challenges for the future of information security. Older adults, in particular, are a highly vulnerable demographic, often targeted by cyber attackers. This paper aims to develop an approach that enables the…

This article explores the first field epidemiology training programme (FETP) through a case study to understand its approach to learning and education. Field epidemiologists deploy to outbreaks to investigate, control, and prevent future epidemics and pandemics. Since the 1950s, they have learned their trade through FETP. FETP arose at a…

Adults must continually learn to navigate the challenges of society and the job market. This lifelong learning is vital, particularly for vulnerable adults, and should be fostered in their living and working environment. In this article, we present a literature review exploring the conditions of conducive learning environments at meso-level, being…