This paper aims to explore transformative learning processes of parents involved in informal, parent-established democratic schools, which are novel educational initiatives in Poland. The author argues that the distinctive educational ideology and the practice of such schools expose parents to new understandings of education, the child and the…

This research paper is based on a broader exploratory case study of a sustainability tour that the authors undertook. The larger study explored "the concept of learning application through the case of a sustainability tour" (Gillard, 2016, p. 226 ). The tour was part of a certificate program for sustainable community development offered…

Using narrative and poetic inquiry as methods for data collection an analysis, this dissertation documented the stories of four poets and their engagement in Spoken Word practice as well as how they utilized this art form to engage in learning individually and collectively. Each dissertation participant shared stories through conversational…

The digital revolution is rapidly transforming the world of work and the skills profiles of many occupations. The pace of change necessitates continuous skilling and reskilling, through lifelong learning. Traditional models of TVET which view formal training as terminal will not prepare workers for the constantly evolving world of work in an age…

The evolution to a just, Low Carbon and Circular Economy could be accelerated if additional education and training professionals embraced the practical implications of terms such as Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) or for Sustainability (ES). Therefore, this study identified the numerous elements of Environmental and Sustainability…

The National Silver Academy (NSA) was launched in 2016 as part of the Singapore government's Action Plan for Successful Aging. This paper uses a grounded approach to explore and assess critical geragogical elements that are enabling, empowering and transformative for older learners. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 48…

Museums as colonial institutions are filled with the tensions and contradictions of competing discourses. This makes them complex sites of public pedagogy and informal adult education and learning. But they are also becoming important spaces of counter-narrative, self-representation, and resistance as Indigenous artists and curators intervene, and…

This paper explores the learning that goes on when adults with learning disabilities are involved in inclusive (participatory or emancipatory) research. Applying thematic and narrative re-analysis of data from a series of focus groups involving inclusive researchers talking about their research work indicates inclusive research is a rich site for…

The article contributes to the academic discussion on Paulo Freire's pedagogical thinking as a basis for reinventing contemporary non-formal education. In Finland, Freire's transformational/liberatory theory of adult learning was applied as a framework for developing an adult educational model called Life Skills for All. The pilot project's case…

This paper reports on the rehabilitation of ex-offenders through non-formal education. It examines how non-formal education has addressed the ex-offenders' adaptive and transformative needs. Using an interpretive paradigm and qualitative approach, individual interviews were conducted with five ex-offenders who were chosen through purposive and…

Global migration is increasing to unprecedented levels, especially from non-OECD countries to OECD countries. One of the new challenges for lifelong learning is that migrants are expected to be responsible for ensuring that they have the capabilities and learning to adapt to new contexts but qualifications and experiences obtained in one national…

Distinctively economic objectives for lifelong education, especially adult learning and education, feature prominently in policy-making agendas and educators' practice in much of the world. Critics contend that humanistic and holistic visions of lifelong learning for all have been marginalised and neglected. The current turn of political attention…

The characteristics of transformative learning as a factor of life-long learning have been presented in the article. The paper offers analysis of foreign theorists and practitioners' views on transformative learning at Canadian universities. A special attention has been paid to the exploration of transformative learning methods and techniques…

This Handbook provides a wide-ranging frame of reference for researching adult and lifelong education and learning. With contributions from scores of established and newer scholars from six continents, the volume covers a diverse range of geopolitical and social territories across the world. Drawing on the multiple heritages that underpin research…

The catalyst for learning and change in transformative learning theory has mostly been explained in terms of a disorientation in a relatively stable life. This article explores a South African, nonformal adult learning program, as a source of "orienting dilemmas," which catalyze learning and change in lives that are regularly and…