The article starts with the serious question of why educational reforms do not lead to better learning. Although access to education has increased remarkably, the quality of education can be very low. The reality is that by 2030 there will be 800 million young people who do not have basic skills in reading and math. The answers will be sought from…

This article shows the result of an international project from the European Commission, and it aimed to analyse 30 cases of effective European entities in the field of adult education, from Poland, Spain, Finland and Italy. The objective was to collect the best strategies that generate good employment and social inclusion results. The research…

This edited volume contains the papers presented in the 2nd ESREA|ReNAdet meeting that was jointly organised with the VET & CULTURE Network in the University of Tallinn (Estonia), 9-11 November 2011. The papers that appear in the volume discuss the future (or the futures) of adult educators in respect to issues of developing their identities…

Brief summary of recent trends and emerging problems. (SP)

Describes the organization and functions of the Union of Civic and Workers' Institutes, which provides an organizational framework and general regulations for Finland's civic and workers' institutes of adult education, represents and promotes the institutes, arranges training for teachers and administrators, and publishes educational materials and…

Argues that globalization is undermining the state. Calls for a reconsideration of the concept of citizenship. Points out that adult education has traditionally stood outside the institutionalized education sector and has served a more democratic and radical function. Claims that as adult education becomes institutionalized it will lose this…

Five articles discuss aspects of municipal cultural activity in Finland, including legislation, the adult education system, administrative cooperation, municipal recreational services, and changes in public library services. (SK)

This collection of four articles reflects the suspicions of adult education researchers that politicians are exploiting the positive values attached in Finland to adult education, that is, increasing adult education, while imposing tight restrictions in the form of market mechanisms. "Values and Responsiveness in Adult Higher Education"…

Finland is challenged to make the most of globalization by reinforcing its positive aspects. The 1990s taught that success in creating innovations is a key factor for success of business and societies. A precondition, high-level technological and business know-how, requires systematic input into producing social innovations that prevent societal…

An e-mail survey and interviews collected data on use of information and communications technology (ICT) in Finnish Leonardo da Vinci mobility projects from 2000-02. Findings showed that the most common ICT tools used were e-mail, digital tools, and the World Wide Web; ICT was used during all project phases; the most common problems concerned…

This country note analyzes main issues concerning adult learning and policy responses in Finland. Section 2 describes the political, economic, and social context in which adult learning fits. Sections 3-6 follow these four themes impinging on adult participation in learning: inadequate incentives and motivations; complex pathways between learning…

This book, which focuses on the relationship between adult education institutions and social movements, contains 31 papers originally presented at a 1998 conference on the history of adult education. Following an Introduction (Cooke), the papers are: Mobilisation, Popular Participation and Sustainable Development: Themes in the Recent History of…

The extent to which vocational education and training policy is nurturing lifelong learning in Finland was examined. The analysis focused on the following issues: the political and structural framework of education in Finland; mechanisms supporting lifelong learning; and pedagogical solutions and learning environments facilitating lifelong…