This paper re-examines the position of the Tanzanian Folk Development Colleges, a national network of adult education institutions, at a time when their long-term financial assistance by the Swedish International Development Agency has come to an end and they are being transferred from the Tanzanian Government Ministry of Community Development to…

It is widely accepted that professional learning is a crucial aspect of the ongoing professional practice of educators. But how should this professional learning take place, and what arrangements enable and constrain practices associated with educator learning? In this article, we explore two case studies of action research projects: one…

Purpose: This article investigates female vocational students' strategies for becoming part of a workplace community, what these strategies are and how they are tied to the formation of vocational identities within male-dominated industrial work. Of particular interest is how female students enrolled on Swedish upper secondary industrial…

Changes in working life require development in vocational education and training (VET) to retain industrial currency. VET teachers are key actors in VET, and their continuing professional development (CPD) in vocational subjects is central to the currency of VET. This study is situated in Sweden, with a mainly school-based VET system where VET…

This article was written in response to concerns that have been expressed about the possible consequences of an increasing number of countries overtaking the United States in educational attainment. International statistics on educational attainment were analyzed, questions about comparability of data were discussed, and the impact of different…

This paper looks at the importance of mechanisms that give formal recognition to vocational skills acquired through work-based learning and how such mechanisms might be developed. It describes how skill recognition can benefit individuals, employers and society as a whole, and identifies in which contexts skill recognition has the highest…

Vocational teachers' prior occupational experiences are construed as those that will guarantee high-quality teaching in vocational education, although individuals are no longer required to have formal teaching qualifications to be employed as teachers in Sweden. This lack of strict requirements raises the issue of the preparedness of vocational…

By taking up the strand in Lave and Wenger's writing on situated learning that directs attention to social dynamics and issues of power and positioning, the present article argues for the fruitfulness of including the concept of negotiated participation in approaches to teaching and learning. Based on a fieldwork in vocational media production…

Describes educational systems in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, touching on tuition costs, adult education programs, vocational education programs, folk universities, admission standards, certificate of completion, radio and television courses, study circles, no-grade system, and the international folk college. (TP)

This overview of vocational education and training in Europe gives (1) detailed descriptions of the educational systems of Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Sweden, and Switzerland; (2) discussion of European Community projects; (3) 50 references; (4) addresses of information sources; and (5) a glossary in English, Danish, German,…

This paper examines secondary schools in countries other than the United States to show the diversity of secondary school systems that operate within the industrialized world. The six countries are Australia, Germany, France, Japan, Sweden, and Great Britain. The descriptions are organized according to country and area of focus--learner outcomes,…

This report, written in popular education style and designed to be readable both by adult educators and by the people with whom they work, describes a week-long meeting of the World Assembly of Adult Education. Under the general themes "Where are we?""Where are we going?" and How to do it" the report provides synopses of…

Sweden's educational system was analyzed to determine the degree of coherence that exists between compulsory education, upper secondary education (which in Sweden includes both vocational and general education), and the various forms of adult education available. First, the objectives and structure of the following components of Sweden's school…

The literacy programs and policies implemented in Australia over the past decade were reviewed to identify initiatives that have and have not had a positive impact on vocational education and training (VET) and lifelong learning opportunities. Policies and practices in seven other countries were also reviewed. The following themes received…