Biography can be a valuable tool in understanding historical perspectives on adult learning. The purpose of this study was to look at three examples of times throughout Abraham Lincoln's life when he demonstrated a high level of self-directedness in learning in order to solve problems that he faced. Specifically, we examined (a) Lincoln's youth,…

This paper uses the personal histories of two men, born in the same decade and both involved in the field of adult education in Scotland, to illustrate contrasting responses to the social and political changes taking place in the early 20th century. In methodological terms, it draws on recent writing on the relationship between biography and…

This article -- the second part of a two-part contribution -- offers a number of suggested directions for the historiography of adult education in Britain. It identifies opportunities to address longstanding areas of neglect that have been overshadowed by a focus on the "Great Tradition" of adult education. Although a key theme of recent…

This paper explores how Peter Jarvis's work offers a comprehensive grounding in many of the key principles and insights offered through the field of adult education. His work directs us to the different factors--psychological, social, economic and political required for understanding lifelong learning contexts. As scholars and educators, he…

Peter Jarvis emphasised relationships in education: people in the West assumed we were born as individuals but we are relationally embedded from the outset and learn to become social beings. This paper is concerned with how we learn democratic sensibilities with a prime focus on "liberal" workers' education in the United Kingdom and the…

This article presents an interview with Gilberto Garcia Batista, who is professor at the University of Pedagogical Sciences. The interview is conducted by Annette Hestres García, a doctoral student at The Pennsylvania State University in the Dual-Title Lifelong Learning and Adult Education/Comparative & International Education and Women's,…

Both Jarvis and theories of Christian Religious Education (CRE) emphasise that learning develops the whole person, yet they differ in their understandings of how and why this is the case. Jarvis's experiential learning theory begins "from below" with experience, whereas many approaches of CRE begin with the end result: individuals…

In this article, the author argues that the narrative forms imposed on students closely follow the narrative conventions of the "Bildungsroman," the novel of human emergence that has traditionally been associated with what educators of adults would call experiential learning. The author's presenting question--If the self is a text,…

This paper explores the connection between participation in community-based adult learning (CBAL) and the development of social capital. It is based on a life-history study of participation in community-based adult learning opportunities undertaken in two local authority areas in Scotland. A life-history approach was chosen in order to ensure that…

This paper explores learner progression for participants in community-based adult learning (CBAL) provision in Scotland. It focuses on learners' perceptions of progression drawn from analysis of life history interviews carried out with ten adults who had participated in community-based adult learning. The analysis of data was undertaken in three…

Using a life history approach, this article explores the ways in which women in the military who are also mothers learn to embody various masculinities and femininities as they negotiate workplace gender processes. Complex intersections of gendered communities of practice result in the participants' learning to variously understand, accept, shape…

Empirical research focused on women studying childcare in an English further education college found the participants strangely contented despite demanding lifestyles. They were intent on integrating their family, work and educational commitments rather than actively seeking future gain, an understanding that led to the development of an original…

This article identifies and describes the major principles and themes that emerge from an analysis of the revolutionary pedagogical practice and ideas of Ernesto Che Guevara. The principles and themes outlined in this article are based on a thematic investigation of the approximately 2000 pages of Guevara's writings, speeches and interviews…

This paper analyses the conceptual significance of different methods of researching learning. Based largely upon our own experiences, we briefly compare the use of mini-ethnography, life history, cross-sectional surveys and existing panel survey data. We argue that there are strong affinities between each of these methods and significantly…

This study of further education teachers, conducted over a two-year period, captures the realities of their working lives and, in particular, draws attention to how teachers reconcile competing pressures. This contributes to the growing interest in and body of knowledge about teachers' lives and the formation of their professional identities. The…