This paper explores the phenomenon of premature learner exit from Adult Literacy (Learning) Service (ALS) courses from the perspective of seven ALS tutors working in three Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in Ireland. The findings highlight ALS tutors' insights into the situational, institutional, and dispositional barriers facing ALS students…

This practice-based case study explores how digital education practices within an inclusive, supportive environment can help to transform the practice and meet the specific needs of adult literacy education practitioners in their specific contexts. In an effort to contribute to discourse in relation to what works in various programmes and…

This article draws on a qualitative study of insights and reflections from the COVID-19 pandemic completed for a master's thesis. It centred on the experiences of seven English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) practitioners in Ireland, considering the practical ways they responded to the public health measures, but also how they felt, how…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences and responses of ten adult literacy organisers (ALOs) from Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare to the growing influence of neoliberalism and the commodification of adult literacy as a skill and function of the economy. The research argues for a greater focus on literacy as a social practice…

This report shares data in the following categories as they relate to graduates in Ontario's economy: (1) Matching skills to employer needs: pathways, entrepreneurship, and innovation; (2) Ontario's college graduate advantage compared to the U.S.; (3) Ontario's post-secondary graduates in the world economy; (4) Educational attainment and…

This paper examines and critiques existentialist interpretations of being within Paulo Freire's educational theory. The principle supposition of the paper is that through engaging in adult education, the adult learner can heighten their understanding of their lives, metaphysically. The paper also posits that adult education can develop the will;…

This paper engages in a critical analysis of the educational theory of Paulo Freire. It is based on qualitative research which explores Irish adult literacy practice. The research harnesses the ontological aspects of Freire's theory; his interpretation of how human reality is constructed. Using this as the theoretical foundation for inquiry,…

This article explores how the FETAC standards and processes at Levels 1 and 2 can be used to recognise literacy as a social practice. A summary review of the development of the National Framework of Qualifications is provided. Levels 1 to 4 in Ireland are compared with three key international frameworks, including OECD levels and those in Northern…

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the link between age and proficiency in information-processing skills, based on information drawn from the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). The data reveal significant age-related differences in proficiencies, strongly suggesting that proficiency tends to "naturally" decline with age. Age…

This author, director of AONTAS (National Association of Adult Education, Dublin, Ireland), presents this paper in three sections. First, she describes briefly the context in which those people who are involved in adult education are working and some of the changes that have affected the development of the adult education service in the Republic…

Discusses the issue of adult literacy in Ireland and the efforts that have been made to increase the literacy rate. Describes the National Adult Literacy Agency, established to respond to the literacy needs of adults in Ireland. (JOW)

Fifteen adult education programs being conducted in Ireland are described in the case studies in this packet. The courses range from adult basic education to university degree courses in management and industrial relations, from marriage preparation to inservice teacher education. The following programs are profiled: (1) certificate in farming…

The issues facing the following areas of adult education in Ireland in the era of lifelong learning were examined in a white paper: (1) second chance and further education; (2) community education; (3) workplace education; and (4) higher education. The Irish National Association of Adult Education (AONTAS) analyzed the recommendations presented in…

This document contains 29 papers and 7 roundtable presentations from a Canadian conference on the study of adult education. The following papers are among those included: "Cultivating Knowledge" (Mike Ambach); "Subsistence Learning" (Rose Barg); "Non-Governmental Organizations and Popular Education Programs" (Bijoy P.…