Adult and Continuing Education has become a field of action, reflection, and research all over the world. To learn from successful models developed worldwide, this book documents and discusses the progress of comparative adult education - aims, contents, methods, obstacles, and prospects. The first part examines basic questions of comparative adult education. The contributions offer a deeper understanding and include warnings of obstacles and pitfalls. They help to design research by building up on the theoretical framework developed in prior research. The second part presents experiences and «lessons learned», suggesting advice and warnings for successful comparative work. The studies in the third part illustrate research methods as well as topics important to researchers in various regions of the world. Descriptions of international institutions in the last part may assist to use their assistance and services.

This volume explores the topics of adult learning and education through the specific lens of comparative research. The book is divided into four chapters each of which comprises an analytical essay followed by an anthology of readings from a selection of key texts. These are chosen to illustrate different conceptual and empirical approaches from varying perspectives in different countries. The book is the second of a series dedicated to adult learning and education and developed under the auspices of the ESRALE (European Studies and Research in Adult Learning and Education) project. Its companion books are: Vanna Boffo, Paolo Federighi, Ekkehard Nuissl, Empirical Research Methodology in Adult Learning and Education- Authors and Texts and Simona Sava, Petr Novotny (eds.), Researches in Adult Learning and Education: The European Dimension.

Often in international comparative studies, it is difficult to refer to older basic texts because they are hidden in old publications, difficult to locate. This book makes a selection of such old but 'essential' texts available and wants to docu-ment the long history of the international/ comparative perspective. 'Standing on the shoulder of giants' allows not only a grounded look back but hopefully also a reliable and experience-based look in the future. The editor of this book, Jost Reischmann, Prof. em., Bamberg University, Germany, has a long history in international and comparative adult education. He presented papers on conferences around the world, from San Diego (USA) to Soul (Korea). When the International Society for Comparative Adult Education (ISCAE) was founded in 1992, he became the first president and developed this society over many years. We hope this new book will help old-timers and new-comers to contribute to the enriching world of international comparative adult education.

This book discusses the current state of the art in research on the education and learning of adults, and how such research has been transformed through contemporary policy and research practices. Gathering contributions from leading experts in the field, the book draws on previous research, as well as new findings in order to provide a map of this research field and its contemporary history. The chapters address a number of questions, including: What constitutes this research field? What theories and methodologies dominate within the field? What “invisible colleges” are active in shaping this academic field, in marking out its contours and in transforming its contemporary battle zones? Who is publishing in the field and who is deemed worth citing? What is the relationship between the shift in state policy on adult education and the research that is conducted on the education and learning of adults? How has the research field changed over time in various western countries? What do these meta-reflections of the field tell us about possible future research endeavours? Rather than speaking from within the field, this is a book about the research field. The diversity of the chapters provide a fascinating resource for anyone interested in research on the education and learning of adults.

In "Andragogy: Contributions to an Emerging Discipline" Prof. Dr. Jost Reischmann reexamines key facets of andragogy by presenting a series of reprints that contribute significantly to the field. - The book opens with "Andragogy and Andragogues", offering a clear definition and exploring the vital role and necessary competencies of andragogues as "change specialists". - "Andragogical Concepts" provides valuable insights for educators and scholars by analyzing andragogical theories such as "learning en passant", "lifewide learning", and "compositional learning". - The section "Projects and Examples" bridges theory with practice, highlighting the synergy between theoretical understanding and practical application. - Lastly, the book explores "International Comparative Adult Education", offering a comprehensive exploration of this research area. It presents examples and proposes ways to enhance studies in this field. "Andragogy: Contributions to an Emerging Discipline" is a valuable resource for scholars, students, and libraries, offering a fresh perspective on adult education. This book informs and inspires readers to think critically and innovatively about the discipline.

This volume gives theoretical and practical insights in international and comparative research in the field of adult and continuing education. The 16 contributions of this volume give three perspectives on international and comparative adult education. The first perspective focuses on the question how internationalisation and comparative adult and continuing education can be taught. The second perspective gives insights into the results of comparative research that has been conducted throughout a two-week Winter School that took place in February 2019 in Würzburg. The third perspective complements the two perspectives with insights into international projects and practices in adult and continuing education. The authors of this volume are contributing to the transnational Winter School International and comparative studies in adult and continuing education in Würzburg, Germany since 2014.

The volume presents research that emerges from the 9th international Adult Education Academy (2022), which brings together researchers, students and practitioners from around the world to share perspectives comparatively. More than 80 participants from almost 20 different countries have exchanged, compared and expanded their individual knowledge and experience on adult learning and education. This volume consisting of eight contributions (including one fundamental article beforehand) assumes that globalisation affects national, regional and local levels of adult learning and education. Transformational relations are observed and analysed through the lens of participation, sustainability and digitalisation. All contributions apply an international comparative research approach to empirically investigate these areas with their upcoming needs. This approach takes place under consideration of comparison as a research method which not only grounds on a long tradition and relies on a set of rules and techniques, but also on an inner attitude and sensitivity with which we look at the world and its global needs while trying to understand.