Leisure Education and Adult Education.

Overview & Synopsis

The merging of the earlier post-industrial era with the current period of high technology has given the contemporary American lifestyle a leisure orientation. It is generally accepted that the process of leisure education involves five component areas: leisure awareness, self-awareness, decision making, leisure skills, and social interaction. To date, leisure education is most frequently applied in adult education programs at the fourth component level, leisure skills. Because many of the significant variables in leisure education are also significant in adult education, it would appear that a philosophical base exists for the integration of leisure education and adult education. By methodically integrating leisure education modules in terms of on-going values exploration, career development, preretirement issues, adult development, life cycles, and similar areas, adult educators can enhance present offerings available in adult education program delivery systems. Experiences designed to encourage, facilitate, and identify leisure appreciation and awareness obtained during leisure-time activity have the potential to add depth to comprehensive adult education programs and are applicable to andragogical principles and procedures. (MN)