As the centre of the world economy is moving to Asia, lifelong learning in Asia is attracting a great deal of attention in the educational field worldwide. Asia not only provides the largest education market, but also plays an increasingly important role in educational globalization. However, until now, only very limited literature has been available in English. This book addresses that gap and introduces global readers to the latest developments of theories, policies, and practical issues concerning lifelong learning in East Asia. Case studies on lifelong learning in East Asia - including mainland China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau - are provided in this book. Lifelong learning in East Asia has been strongly influenced by Confucian culture as well as Western capitalism. This book analyses Confucian culture and the negotiation of Chinese and Western learning cultures in lifelong learning. This book will enable educators to understand the recent developments in lifelong learning in selected Confucian-heritage countries and regions, and promote effective international collaboration in lifelong learning worldwide. This book was published as a special issue of the International Journal of Lifelong Education.

This volume provides an in-depth analysis of historical and recent developments of senior learning in Taiwan, where publications in English have been scant. It takes a broader view on lifelong learning and active ageing from a theoretical/conceptual base written by prominent international authors- this represents the ‘outside in’ perspective. The ‘inside out’ on the other hand signifies an in-depth investigation of initiatives written by authors from Taiwan who are closely involved with developments in policy and practice. The volume is situated theoretically in the intersection of complementary concepts such as lifelong learning, active ageing, later life learning, learning communities and social movements. It is located geographically and culturally in East Asia where senior learning/education is expanding in response to large populations of older adults and concerns about their physical and social well-being. It is argued that Taiwan is leading the way in terms of innovation and community engagement in regard to older adult learning/education and can thus serve as a model for neighboring countries. By analyzing historical precedents, cultural dynamics, policy trends, research sub-fields and community engagement this book is of interest to both East Asian and Western scholars, practitioners, policy-makers and students amongst the fields of lifelong learning, social gerontology and educational psychology.

Over the last forty years, the International Journal of Lifelong Education has become a global leader in the field of research on adult education and lifelong learning. Drawing extensively on articles published in the journal, scholars from Africa, Asia, North and South America, Australasia and Europe reflect in two volumes on how the field has evolved over four decades, and on the strengths and weaknesses of its contributions to knowledge. The second of two volumes, this book is based on a collective research project, carried out largely by members of the journal’s editorial advisory board, on what it has published over four decades. The introduction explains the origins development of the journal, the sometimes-passionate debates in the wider field, and the approach and concerns of those who conducted this research. Other chapters explore critical areas of debate (citizenship and its learning, learning and work, and widening participation and higher education); ‘political’ and ‘scientific’ dimensions in intergovernmental organisations’ policy work; inequality and lifelong education; opportunities and tensions created in universities by lifelong learning; and the development of studies of learning in later life since the 1980s. Two concluding chapters examine the influence of Paolo Freire and Jack Mezirow. The two volumes will appeal to researchers, teachers and professionals in lifelong learning and adult education, as well as to those interested in the development of knowledge in fields of science and practice.

Learning is among the most basic of human activities. The study of learning, and research into learning is becoming a central part of educational studies. This is a comprehensive introduction to contemporary theories and modern practices of learning. Updated and expanded, this second edition should be of interest to teachers, facilitators, human resource developers and students of education. The contents cover: lifelong learning; the social background to learning; cognitivist theory; types of learning; learning using ICT; and philosophical reflections on learning.

This book looks at what types of learning environments promote lifelong learning, how they can be organized to support meaningful learning and what the implications of these shifts are for managers.