Program planning activities are not culturally neutral but are replete with various cultural values and affected by them. This qualitative study was conducted in Korea and examines how cultural values influence educational planning in Korea. Specifically, the study was to examine how Confucian cultural values play out in educational planning in…

Learner centeredness is a naive position that does not account for political and ethical dilemmas arising from the newly central position of adult education in social and economic life. Adult education must be seen as a struggle for the distribution of knowledge and power in society. (SK)

In-depth interviews with 12 ethical vegans revealed the process of becoming vegetarian. Transformative learning proved to be a journey rather than a one-time decision. Mezirow's transformative theory does not adequately account for the power relations central to this process. Therefore, transformative learning should be viewed more holistically.…

Planning is a social activity in which educators negotiate personal and organizational interests in constructing programs. Four concepts encompass a planning model: power, interests, negotiation, and responsibility. (SK)

Summarizing the case studies and critique in this issue, the authors conclude that planners must (1) learn to negotiate power and interests responsibly because their actions validate whose interests matter; (2) anticipate sources of support and opposition; (3) determine power relationships; and (4) know to whom they are responsible. (SK)

Effective workshops must pay attention to power relationships that do not disappear in the workshop setting. The myth of the generic teacher and learner and the phenomena of gender, race, ethnicity, and class must be accounted for. (SK)

Comparison of two graduate courses revealed the complex ways in which power relations based on race, class, gender, disability, and sexual orientation interact with theories of mastery, voice, authority, and positionality. Teacher and learner power relations particularly influenced classroom dynamics. (SK)

Discussions of learning in practice and in workplaces have been carried out within the various theories of learning. More recent discussions have unveiled the complexity inherent in learning in workplaces by acknowledging the presence of power relations in practice. However, the discussions fall short of an analysis on another more paramount power…

Interviews and observations of three AIDS-prevention programs revealed that in this agency, AIDS education overall was not culturally relevant for African-American women for several reasons: (1) organization image and financing were geared toward White gay males; (2) interpretation of the mission did not include African-American women; and (3)…

Strategies of response for HIV/AIDS education should account for structural relations of power, be culturally relevant to its audiences, and have the community as the focus of the intervention.

The purpose of this study is to examine how power relations among stakeholders, especially between the human resource development (HRD) practitioners and others, affect evaluation outcomes. Using a qualitative case study design, a managerial leadership development programme in a Korean company is analysed. This study shows that the HRD…

This practical guide to the process of planning educational programs for adults explains the key challenges of planning in the real world of conflicting interests and power relations. Part 1 draws attention to the importance of program planning practice in adult education (Chapter 1) and offers a model of what adult educators actually do when…

This book contains 14 papers on adult education and the struggle for knowledge and power in society. The following papers are included: "At the Heart of Practice: The Struggle for Knowledge and Power" (Ronald M. Cervero, Arthur L. Wilson); "The Power of Economic Globalization: Deskilling Immigrant Women through Training"…