The State and Adult Education--Suggested Issues for Comparative Study.

Overview & Synopsis

International scholarly effort in the comparative study of adult education has increased substantially over the past 20 years. The relationship between the state and adult education is one area, however, that has remained relatively neglected by researchers. In many countries, adult education has been largely the responsibility of voluntary bodies, which has perhaps obscured its political dimension. At the present time, however, both adult educators and adult students have become increasingly aware of the impact of the state on adult education. In Great Britain, for example, reductions in government funding of adult education have given the study of the state and adult education a particular immediacy. The following areas are particularly in need of further study: the impact of adult education on the state over time; ways in which the state has affected adult education in Africa and Great Britain; and the question of political education and the effect of different government structures. Such studies should be based on a simple model in which state character (laissez-faire, colonial, or postcolonial), the nature of intervention (policies, supportive and constraining actions), and factors in effectiveness (political will, infrastructure) could be compared. (MN)