Provides a theory of applied political economy to explain the interface between society and adult education in developing countries. This book analyzes specific issues which affect adult education: the impact of foreign aid; gender and ethnic inequalities; and the relationship between state and civil society in peripheral capitalist societies.

"Compares adult learning governance and provision, and their impact on the take-up of adult learning among populations, skills development and well-being across nine countries"--

“Griff Foley has done those of us who are interested in adult learning a favour… Dimensions of Adult Learning provides an up-to-date, internationally relevant and comprehensive overview of an increasingly diverse field of study… an ideal introduction to the field for teachers, researchers and policy-makers." Journal of Education and Work “[The book] lives up to its ambitious name and has something to offer policy-makers and practitioners who want to take a fresh look at the expanding world of adult learning.” Talisman “This timely and valuable book makes an important contribution to our understanding of key recent developments in adult education and their significance. Reflecting the increasingly global nature of scholarship in the field, well-respected international contributors analyse issues facing practitioners today and consider how these can be most positively embraced to further the international cause of adult learning and social justice.” – Janet Hannah, University of Nottingham. This broad introduction to adult and post-compulsory education offers an overview of the field for students, adult educators and workplace trainers. The book establishes an analytical framework to emphasise the nature of learning and agency of learners; examines the core knowledge and skills that adult educators need; discusses policy, research and history of adult education, and surveys innovations and issues in adult education and learning. It also examines adult learning in different contexts: on-line learning, problem-based learning, organisational and vocational learning. Edited by internationally known academic Griff Foley, the book features chapters from leading contributors in the UK, North America, Australia and worldwide. Contributors: Damon Anderson, Francesca Beddie; Carmel Borg; Bob Boughton; Mike Brown; Shauna Butterwick; Tara Fenwick; Laurie Field; Keith Forrester; Vernon Galloway;Andrew Gonczi; Nancy Grudens-Schuck; Joce Jesson; Linda Leach; Peter Mayo; John McIntyre; Paul McTigue; Mike Newman; Tom Nesbit; Kjell Rubenson; Peter Rushbrook; Tom Sork; Barbara Sparks; Bruce Spencer; Peter Stephenson; Nelly Stromquist; Lucy Taksa; Mark Tennant; Shirley Walters; Michael Welton

Over its lifetime, 'political economy' has had different meanings. This handbook views political economy as a synthesis of the various strands of social science, treating it as the methodology of economics applied to the analysis of political behaviour and institutions.

Building on new, emerging perspectives, Making Space examines the phenomenon of adult learning through multiple voices and promotes a critical analysis of the functions, structures, and activities that have perpetuated the silence and invisibility of marginalized groups in the field of adult education.

How do you tailor education to the learning needs of adults? Do they learn differently from children? How does their life experience inform their learning processes? These were the questions at the heart of Malcolm Knowles’ pioneering theory of andragogy which transformed education theory in the 1970s. The resulting principles of a self-directed, experiential, problem-centred approach to learning have been hugely influential and are still the basis of the learning practices we use today. Understanding these principles is the cornerstone of increasing motivation and enabling adult learners to achieve. The 9th edition of The Adult Learner has been revised to include: Updates to the book to reflect the very latest advancements in the field. The addition of two new chapters on diversity and inclusion in adult learning, and andragogy and the online adult learner. An updated supporting website. This website for the 9th edition of The Adult Learner will provide basic instructor aids including a PowerPoint presentation for each chapter. Revisions throughout to make it more readable and relevant to your practices. If you are a researcher, practitioner, or student in education, an adult learning practitioner, training manager, or involved in human resource development, this is the definitive book in adult learning you should not be without.

Education privatization is a global phenomenon that has crystallized in countries with very different cultural, political, and economic backgrounds. In this book, the authors examine how privatization policies are being adopted and why so many countries are engaging in this type of education reform. The authors explore the contexts, key personnel, and policy initiatives that explain the worldwide advance of the private sector in education, and identify six different paths toward education privatization—as a drastic state sector reform (e.g., Chile, the U.K.), as an incremental reform (e.g., the U.S.A.), in social-democratic welfare states, as historical public-private partnerships (e.g., Netherlands, Spain), as de facto privatization in low-income countries, and privatization via disaster. Book Features: The first comprehensive, in-depth investigation of the political economy of education privatization at a global scale.An analysis of the different strategies, discourses, and agents that have contributed to advancing (and resisting) education privatization trends. An examination of the role of private corporations, policy entrepreneurs, philanthropic organizations, think-tanks, and teacher unions. “Rich in examples, careful in its analysis, important in its conclusions and recommendations for further work, this book is a vital, rigorous, up-to-date resource for education policy researchers.” —Stephen J. Ball, University College London “Few issues are as significant as is education privatization across the globe; few treatments of this issue offer both the breadth and nuanced understanding that this book does.” —Christopher Lubienski, Indiana University