Category: Refereed article

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Developing and using green skills for the transition to a low carbon economy

Author: Mike Brown, LaTrobe University

Edition: Volume 55, Number 2, July 2015

Summary:  One of the strategies being advocated in response to climate change is the need to transition to a low carbon economy. Current projections show that within this transition, new jobs will be created, some eliminated and most others subjected to change. This article reports findings from interviews with a selection of twenty participants who are involved in the formation and/or deployment of green skills. The participants were asked about their perceptions of (1) how jobs are changing in the transition to a green economy (2) how are adult learners developing and using green skills, and (3) what are some of the main drivers and blockers to the development and use of green skills. The data are presented as vignettes from various positions of supply and demand within the emerging green economy. The findings of this study report that the organisations and the training providers are motivated to develop and/or deploy green jobs and green skills for a range of different reasons. These include the making of a favourable business case, environmental beliefs about conserving the finite resources of the planet and, for health and wellbeing reasons. Some blockers that have been identified are the initial capital outlay for any changes, and the need to address some inconsistencies that arise over time in the financial arrangements when trying to work out the business case. This has led the designers and contractors working in renewable energy to call for a level playing field with those who provide and utilise finite resources and non-renewable energy. Overall transition to a low carbon and green economy is shown to be supported and occurring with some limited success. However there is a need for further larger scale research into this area of skill formation and deployment.

Keywords: Skills for sustainability, green skills, low carbon economy, green jobs, education for sustainability

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 55_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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1974 -1976: The seeds of longevity in a pathway to tertiary participation at University of Newcastle, NSW

Authors: Josephine May and Rosalie Bunn, University of Newcastle

Edition: Volume 55, Number 1, April 2015

Summary:  By the 1960s equality of opportunity was a dominant theme in social science research, and in keeping with this trend, the Whitlam Labor Government abolished university fees in 1974 to open university access, especially to talented women and men who otherwise would not contemplate a university career. In the same year also the
University of Newcastle instituted a radical new plan to open up its doors to the wider community of ‘non traditional students’. This paper explores the history of the enabling program that resulted, the Open Foundation Program, focusing on the 1974 pilot program and its first two years of full operation. Thought at the time likely to ‘drain its
market’ within five years, the Open Foundation has flourished and grown for forty years. The analysis focuses on hitherto unexplored aspects of the program and canvasses three key themes: curriculum and pedagogy, access and success, and support and retention, in order to understand the seeds of this longevity.

Keywords: enabling education; history; widening participation; access programs; non traditional students

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 55_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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The quest for authenticity: A study of an online discussion forum and the needs of adult learners

Author: Jenny McDougall, Central Queensland University

Edition: Volume 55, Number 1, April 2015

Summary:  The objective of achieving a sense of ‘authenticity’ in an educational context is one that might have immediate appeal, though how this is defined, let alone achieved, remains contested. The concept of ‘authentic
discussion’ has traditionally been used in the context of classroom English teaching in schools, but this paper explores its possible application to an online discussion forum at university. Participants in this forum were students in a program designed to prepare adult learners for higher education. Though communication in an online environment differs from face-to-face dialogue, it was found not to be a barrier to ‘authenticity’ in some respects. Multiple perspectives were evident with students building on the ideas of each other, but also being prepared to disagree. The level of support and respect was such that they were willing to tackle sensitive issues, and share in an honest and sometimes revealing way. The role of the lecturer emerged as a critical component in achieving such outcomes. Though claims of ‘authenticity’ are always difficult to substantiate, this study concludes that elements
of an ‘authentic discussion’ can be achieved in an online environment and this objective has a particular salience in the context of adult learning.

Keywords: authentic discussion, adult learning, online learning, critical thinking, enabling education

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 55_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Targeting assessment for developing adult lifelong learners: assessing the ability to commit

Author: Ya-Hui Su, National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism, Taiwan

Edition: Volume 55, Number 1, April 2015

Summary:  In this article, I propose that neither traditional assessment nor alternative, competence-based assessment is adequate to meet the challenges of uncertain change. Existentialist assessment that focuses on developing learners’ commitment, rather than their competence, may be more decisive in empowering learners who are facing adversity. Existentialist assessment shifts the focus from impersonality, achievement, and universalism to the inclusion of the adult learner’s commitment to making meaningful connections between learning and his or her existence (being). These committed meanings are willed and produced by the learner, not only to bring to an end a disturbing situation and uncertainty but also to develop a sense of significance and sustainability when facing uncertainty and processes of change. To ascertain a learner’s ability to commit, self-assessment, with its first-person perspective, must be taken into account. Implications include the alignment of assessment with pedagogy that facilitates the adult learner’s commitment to connecting his or her existence with the world.

Keywords: adult lifelong learning, assessment; commitment, existentialist, lifelong learning, lifelong learner

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 55_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Connecting in rhizomic spaces: Peer-assisted learning (PAL) and e-learning in teacher education

Authors: Jane Bone and Susan Edwards, Australian Catholic University

Edition: Volume 55, Number 1, April 2015

Summary:  A PAL (Peer-Assisted Learning) project supported research that focused on e-learning and Web 2.0 technologies as part of a pedagogical approach in the context of a tertiary institution. This project responded to a call for a rejuvenation of conventional approaches to pedagogy while teaching an early childhood unit in a large Australian university. In the project a variety of methods, qualitative (interviews and focus groups) and quantitative (on-line survey), were used in order to explore the possibilities involved in learning together in innovative ways. The PAL project is connected here to a ‘rhizome’ (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987). A rhizome is a form of network; it is multiple; and, it is capable of producing surprises. This is reflected in the findings that support the use of technology to create an effective collaborative space and also show that there are advantages to destabilising conventional student/lecturer positions. Finally, this narrative account contributes to a growing literature that connects Deleuze and Guattari’s (1987) philosophical ideas to education.

Keywords: Peer-assisted learning, early childhood, assessment, Web 2.0 technologies, Deleuze, rhizome

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 55_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Self-advocacy and its impacts for adults with developmental disabilities

Authors: Thomas G. Ryan and Sarah Griffiths, Nipissing University, Canada

Edition: Volume 55, Number 1, April 2015

Summary:  The following review of literature illuminates self-advocacy from a North American transformational learning perspective via meaningful impacts, which arise for adults with developmental disabilities, as well as various communities and their members. For adults with developmental disabilities, increased leadership capabilities and the
evolution of new self-concepts continue to be powerful examples of the impact of self-advocacy. For communities, a more prominent voice and personable research within the academic community, increased awareness for some boards and committee members, and the acknowledgement and support of local or online community members
are broad examples of the impacts self-advocacy has on us.

Keywords: self-advocacy, developmental disabilities, transformational learning

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 55_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Putting transformative learning theory into practice

Authors: Michael Christie, Michael Carey, Ann Robertson and Peter Grainger, University of the Sunshine Coast (USC)

Edition: Volume 55, Number 1, April 2015

Summary:  This paper elaborates on a number of key criticisms of Mezirow’s transformative learning theory as well as providing arguments that validate it. Our paper exemplifies how Mezirow’s theory can help adult educators and prospective school teachers understand that social structures and belief systems can influence student learning, that
learners make meaning of their experiences in various ways which influence the sort of value systems they develop and that disorienting dilemmas often challenge the validity of one’s values and the assumptions that underpin them. It exemplifies how Mezirow’s theory can be put into practice in Adult and Higher Education via three case studies undertaken by the authors in different places, at different times and with different sets of learners. These include mature aged women returning to study, PhDs at a Swedish Engineering University, and domestic and international students studying at an Australian regional university. The case studies make use of a values survey, interviews and subsequent focus groups. Data from the survey and interviews are analysed and used to argue that transformative learning (Mezirow, 1991) can be practiced, to good effect, in university staff development and teacher education courses.

Keywords: Transformative learning; Adult and Higher Education; Academic development.

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 55_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Staying in a certain state of mind: becoming and being a freelance adult educator in Singapore

Authors: Peter Rushbrook, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University; Annie Karmel and Helen Bound, Institute for Adult Learning, Singapore

Edition: Volume 54, Number 3, November 2014

Summary:  Over recent years Singapore has developed a strong adult and vocational education system based on those of Great Britain, Australiaand New Zealand. Its Continuing Education and Training (CET) sector makes use of competency-based training in the form of Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQs) which are delivered in mainly small private providers by learning facilitators qualified through a range of WSQ-based training programs. Most facilitators are mature-age and second-career people drawn from diverse career backgrounds and employed on a casual and part-time rather than ongoing basis. They identify themselves as ‘freelancers’ in the training market place and compete vigorously for the work opportunities available. In the paper we argue that continued workplace success is premised on a strong sense of professional identity and its management through a process of ‘shapeshifting’ according to the diverse requirements of the adult education industry. We explore this idea through revisiting three of our projects examining Singaporean CET educators and ask of our data a new question: ‘How do individuals “become” and “be” Singaporean adult education freelancers?’ We draw our insights from interviews with freelancers, Singapore’s political and economic context and a range of literature drawn principally from a socio-cultural theoretical perspective.

Keywords: Adult education, vocational education, workplace learning, professional identity, Singapore education

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 54_3. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Policy and barriers related to implementing adult e-learning in Taiwan

Authors: Hsiu-Ying Chung, Gwo-Guang Lee and Shih-Hwa Liu, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology

Edition: Volume 54, Number 3, November 2014

Summary:  The work quality of public servants direct affects a country’s administrative performance, and the Taiwan government has recently invested a considerable amount of funds in constructing e-government learning platforms and developing digital courses to provide all public servants with sufficient on-the-job training and enhance the quality of human resources. Therefore, the circumstances under which public servants use e-government learning platforms warrant investigation. In this study, questionnaires were used to collect data for quantitative research, and a theoretical model was created to clarify the impact of ‘Barrier Factors’ and ‘Policy Factors’ on e-government learning. These factors have been examined inadequately in previous research on the theory of e-learning behaviour. The results presented here show that Barrier Factors and Policy Factors strongly influence the willingness of public servants to use e-learning systems, and these factors explain more than 80% of the variance in users’ behavioural intention. These results revealed the characteristics of the research participants, and the findings can be used as a reference in future studies and by management agencies responsible for providing e-government learning. Furthermore, these results might facilitate further research on and the practice of adult e-learning.

Keywords: e-learning, adult learning, barrier factors, public servants, behavioural intention, structural equation modelling (SEM)

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 54_3. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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How can the expansion of the apprenticeship system in India create conditions for greater equity and social justice?

Authors: Erica Smith, Federation University Australia; Ros Brennan Kemmis, Charles Sturt University; Paul Comyn, International Labour Organization

Edition: Volume 54, Number 3, November 2014

Summary:  This paper reports on aspects of a recent project carried out for the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank, which was designed to feed into the process of updating and expanding India’s apprenticeship system. The apprenticeship system in India is extremely small for the country’s population, even taking into account the high proportion of jobs that are in the informal economy, and is subject to very rigid regulation. Expansion of the system has been seen as vital in order to improve the supply of skills to the rapidly expanding economy, and also to address issues of disparity in labour market participation and equity for certain groups in Indian society. The paper firstly explains how findings about apprenticeship  systems from ten other countries, together with analysis of the Indian situation, were used to present options for consideration by the Indian government. It then analyses these options for their social justice and equity implications.

Keywords: Apprenticeship, developing nation, equity, access to training

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 54_3. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.