The French philosopher Michel Foucault asks, "What's going on just now? What's happening to everyone? What is this world, this period, this precise moment in which everyone is living? Answers to these questions have a profound impact on learning. Before probing Foucault's questions regarding the nature of this precise moment and how they relate to…

"Fairness" and "justice" are, according to Gallie (1964), essentially contested concepts--concepts for which there are common understandings in the abstract, but disagreements over the application of these concepts to specific instances. Contested terms are often critical in ethical dilemmas--those times when practitioners are…

Presents an overview of the conceptual underpinnings of active, independent, and operative learning that promotes personal development and social change. Analyzes historical, philosophical, and theoretical examples and provides structural limits to compare active learning in multiple contexts. (JOW)

Emotions play a more significant part in the process of critique than many acknowledge, and we must take them into account when thinking about adult education practices.

A comparison of learning in multiple contexts and an analysis of the interactive process between the learner and these environments reveal behavioral patterns that lead to personal development and social change. These processes and patterns provide insight into motivational factors of adult learning and suggest practical implications for adult…

A participatory action research project (a minieconomy) raised the following issues: unpredictability of outcomes, degree of control over the agenda, understanding of what is meant by "research," and the struggle to engage in systematic reflection during the experience. (SK)

Adult education's historic identification with democratic social change must compete with the more dominant corporate model of education and the cult of efficiency. Several models for socially responsible, issue-oriented adult education have evolved: total quality management, strategic planning as participatory research, and partnerships with…

Beatty takes the position that individual change is the necessary and sufficient beginning, ending, and focal point of adult education. Ilsley asserts that adult educators should accept their primary role as agents of social change. (SK)

Disillusionment with professional/scientific knowledge and trust in practitioner knowledge have led to renewed interest in action technologies. Action research, action learning, participatory research, popular education, and collaborative inquiry can bridge the gap between theory and practice. (SK)