History of Adult Education in Europe

from 1850 to 1950

A comparative Approach

Dr. Balázs Németh

Associate Professor
Head of Institute for Human Development
University of Pécs – Faculty of Humanities
nemeth.balazs@pte.hu
 Major roles of adult education research

„The major role of adult education research, as a scientific

discipline, is to identify the significant barriers and drivers of
adult learning.”

Bélanger, Paul (2011) Theories in Adult Learning and Education.

Barbara Budrich Publishers, Opladen & Farmington Hills
p. 7.
 ESREA ALE Research Networks

• ESREA Network on Access, Learning Careers and Identities

• ESREA Network on Active Democratic Citizenship and Adult Learning
• ESREA Network on Adult Educators, Trainers and their Professional Development
• ESREA Research Network on Working Life and Learning
• ESREA Network on the History of Adult Education and Training in Europe
• ESREA Network on Gender and Adult Learning
• ESREA Network on Life History and Biographical Research
• ESREA Research Network Between Global and Local – Adult Learning and Communities
• ESREA network on Migration, Transnationalism and Racisms
• ESREA network on Education and Learning of Older Adults
• ESREA network on Policy Studies in Adult Education
• ESREA network on Interrogating Transformative Processes in Learning: An international
exchange

Source: http://www.esrea.org/networks?l=en
Major themes of comparative adult education research:

• Concept

• Language

• Country/state/area-region

• History

• Fields of practice

• Providers

• Policies

Peter Jarvis: Problems in Developing the Study of International Comparative Adult Education
In: Jarvis, Peter – Pöggeler, Franz (ed.) (1994) Developments in the Education of Adults in Europe.
Peter LANG: Frankfurt am Main, Pp. 146-155.
 Main drivers of social and political changes

• Change of Structure of Society – from feudal dependencies to

bourgeoise development

• Industrialisation and urban developments with societies and assoc.

• Improvement of public and higher education

• Scientific developments and the raise of a more rational thinking

• The emergence of the welfare state, social orientations and labour

movements

• Professionalisation in adult education;

• Learning spaces and community development

 Dimensions of Political in Modern Adult Education

• History of Adult Education - the role of the state/ social policy

dimensions;
• Andragogy;
• Ideologies and Adult Education;
• Political Science and Policy Analysis;
• Comparative Adult Education

• Terminology (e.g. state, civil society, social policy/welfare, participation

– inclusion and equity, employability, skills/competencies and learning
performance, quality, governance, financing, literacy, access, adult
learning professions)

Source: Tuijnman, A.J (ed.) (1996) International Encyclopaedia of Adult and Continuing Education.
Paris: Pergamon

.
 Modelling Main Characteristics of Roles of Adult Educators

Religious Emancipative Humanistic Pragmatic

Bringing the world in a Learning is the beginning of The whole person with all Solving a problem
(divine) order freedom/change possibilities

Comenius/Grundtvig Rousseau/Freire/Illich Rogers/University Extension/ Dewey

Knowles

Serving/ Liberator/ Counselling/Enlightener/ Organiser

Danger: moralist Danger: Demagogue Danger: Guru Danger: functionalist

Withdrawing from the Making people uncontent Philantropic, lonely traveller Not seeing holistic
world

Based on Reischmann, J. (2006) Keynote – On becoming and Adult Educator – Standing International
Conference on the History of Adult Education in Bamberg
 Some examples from early British Adult Education

1.) ‚Self-help’ movement

2.) Mechanics institutes
3.) Chartist movement
4.) Role of ‚non-conformist churches’
5.) Radical working class movement – Role of the Labour party
6.) University Extension
7.) Cheap Newspapers, books and pamphlets
8.) Working Men’s College
9.) Churches, Sunday Schools, YMCA (1844), YWCA (1855)
10.) Evening schools, libraries and museums

In. Fieldhouse, Roger (1996) A History of Modern British Adult Education. Historical and political context.
NIACE, Leicester.
 Emergence of Modern British Adult Education

Phases of the Developments of Adult Education in the UK:

- Phase I.1833—1870 from closed structures towards more open and

liberal structures

- Phase II.1870-1919 slow democratization

- Phase III.1920-1944 interwar perion

In. Fieldhouse, Roger (1996) A History of Modern British Adult Education. Historical and political context.
NIACE, Leicester.
 The 1919 Report and its message today

„The Adult Education Committee of the Ministry of Reconstruction has

based its conclusions on the following propositions:

…
5. That the necessary conclusion is that Adult Education must not be
regarded as a luxury for a few exceptional persons here and there, nor
as a thing which concerns only a short span of early manhood, but that
Adult Education is a permanent national necessity, an inseparable
aspect of citizenship, and therefore should be both universal and
lifelong.”

In. Fieldhouse, Roger (1996) A History of Modern British Adult Education. Historical and political
context. NIACE, Leicester. p. 5.
Development of adult education institutions, organisations
and movements have always been non-linear (Steele, 2007)
Some examples from early German Adult Education

1.) Volksbildung-orientation
2.) Role of churches – Kolping
3.) Agrarian Societies
4.) Impact of Danish Volkshochschule movement
5.) Emergence of the working class – social democracy
6.) University Extension/Urania
7.) Teachers’ Associations
8.) Bourgeiose-based societies – urban environments
9.) The role of the ‚verien’
10.) Museums, libraries, literary societies – Sunday and evening
schools

In. Nuissl, Ekkehard - Pehl, Klaus (2000) Portrait of Adult Education - Germany. Bonn:DIE
 Emergence of Modern German Adult Education

Phases of the Developments of Adult Education in the Germany:

- Phase I. 1830s - 1870-1918 from closed structures towards more

open and liberal structures

- Phase II.1920-1933 The Weimar Rebublic - democratization

- Phase III.1933-45 Nazi Germany

- Phase IV. 1949 - The return of democracy/Two Germanies

In. Nuissl, Ekkehard - Pehl, Klaus (2000) Portrait of Adult Education - Germany. Bonn:DIE
 Pedagogy – Andragogy and Demagogy

In 1926, Rosenstock and Picht underlined a need for a more

systematically structured action in adult education, andragogy, so as to
differentiate the action of the education of adults from pedagogy and,
simultaneously, from that of demagogy.
 The Role of Democratic States in the Development of
Adult Education

„Democratic States limited their actions in adult education to:

• sponsoring the initiatives of independent bodies in establishing
institutions for adult education;
• establishing a legal basis for adult education;
• encouraging cooperation between different organizers and institutions
of adult education;
• and connecting the system of adult education with other parts of the
educational system.
In. Franz Pöggeler: History of Adult Education
In: Tuijnman, A.J (ed.) (1996) International Encyclopaedia of Adult and Continuing Education. Paris: Pergamon
.P. 136

.
 Comparison of Characteristics of Post-War Western
and Eastern European Structures in Adult Education
Western European Characteristics of AE CE European Characteristics of AE

Bottom-up approaches (needs/demand driven) Top-down approaches (provision/supply

oriented)
Supporting critical thinking and individual approach Dominating community approach
Pluralism and diversity of provision homogenity of provision
Multiple interest State interests to dominate
Open Market-orientation State-run
Learner centred Provider-centred
Quality orientred Quantity oriented
Collaborative/Autonomy-focused Hegemonic/authoritarian
Full range of AESectors available Some policy-specific AEA Sectors develop
only
 Problem areas
Some basic questions for research:

- History and development, orientation;

- ConditionsA: political/social – economic – legal (Who, when, why)
- ConditionsB: methods – tools – curricula (What, how)
- Language/terminology;
- Spatial approachA: local/regional – national - supranational (Where)
Comparative approach;
- Spatial approachB: formal – non-formal - informal
 The Example of LLP Erasmus ESRALE project

European Studies in Research of Adult Learning and Education in Europe

Research and Devel. Goals of ESRALE:

• Develop a joint research and PhD programme in ALE (Adult Learning and
Education), leading to a mutual degree at EQF level 8 and redesigning the existing
EMAE programme (European Master in Adult Education), including
teaching/learning materials; platform for exchange and collaboration;

• Foster the European dimension in study and research of ALE.

• Develop a model to assist in making higher education more open and accessible by
validation (assessment) of relevant kinds of learning outcomes/VPL, flexibilising
curricula, modules on VPL, assessment, counselling, self-management of competencies.

Duration: October 2013. – November 2016.

Source: http://www.esrale.org
The Erasmus+ COMPALL project
 Conclusions
• Adult learning and education research must promote , in all sectors of education, a
new focus on adult learning to raise participation with better outcomes and
performance;

• Researchers must clearly define and describe the social and economic benefits of
adult learning;

• Researchers, in direct and indirect ways, must foster the culture of adult learning
and the strategies for social mobility in each EU-member states;

• Researches must help adult learning and education become and integral part of
education and training policies;

• Policy research must underline the importance of the applicatoin of Open Method
of Coordination, as a policy tool, in the development of adult learning;
Adult education in difficult times and situations

Martin, Brian: The role of museum.

In: Martin, Brian (szerk.) (1999) Adult Education and the Museum.
Bonn: IIZ-DVV.
p. 18.

Cartoon: Mester
Source: INFONET Adult Education
No. 6. 2010. p. 1