Читать книгу Learning in Adulthood - Sharan B. Merriam - Страница 42

Adult education is a large and amorphous field of practice, with no neat boundaries such as age, as in the case of elementary and secondary education, or mission, as in higher education. Adult education with its myriad content areas, delivery systems, goals, and learners defies simple categorization. In the previous chapter, we looked at the spectrum of settings where adult learning takes place, ranging from formal institutional settings, to nonformal community-based sites, to informal and Internet-based venues. One way to grasp something of the field is to find out who is involved in the activity itself—hence, studies of participation.

Knowing who participates in adult education activities and why adults are participating (or not) is necessary information for both providers and policymakers. Because participation in adult education is largely a voluntary activity, knowing who is participating, reasons for participating, and what conditions are likely to promote greater participation can help providers better serve adult learners. An understanding of participation patterns can also raise important questions about assumptions underlying what is offered, who is benefiting from participating, and whose needs are not being met.

Knowledge about participation is useful to policymakers, particularly in terms of funding. At the federal level, for example, funding for literacy and job-training programs is a function of who is now participating, in conjunction with the perceived needs of nonparticipants. Along with current numbers and rates of participation of various segments of the adult population, other sociopolitical and economic factors play important parts in federal policy formation, not the least of which is the desire to maintain a stable, democratic society and a globally competitive workforce. For those who plan learning activities and instruct adults, it is certainly helpful to know as much as possible about the clientele being served.

This chapter first offers a descriptive profile of who participates in adult learning activities and the reasons why adults engage in learning. The second half of the chapter problematizes the concept of participation, asking who really has access to learning and who benefits from participating.