A farmer becomes a social pedagogue - A psycho-societal approach

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by McGucket

This article examines how a mature, non-traditional university student in Denmark takes on a new professional identity by becoming a social pedagogue. Triggered by severe allergies, the case subject, Amy, leaves farming and begins an education path outside standard admission requirements. Using a psycho-societal approach grounded in Danish/German life history research, the article outlines the theoretical and methodological framework, then analyzes the career-change process, showing demanding learning, ambivalence, and defensiveness.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Non-traditional students, recognition of prior learning (RPL) and the social pedagogue profession in Denmark

Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 56, Number 3, November 2016 A farmer becomes a social pedagogue: A psycho-societal approach Karsten Mellon Roskilde University, Denmark In Denmark various non-traditional students are mature-age students who already have some kind of a vocational background. When applying to do a professional degree, most of them fall outside the traditional admission requirements, which is why individual assessment of applicants is necessary for bachelor programmes. This article examines the case of a woman named Amy, a mature, nontraditional university college student who becomes a social pedagogue. Because of severe allergies, Amy had to quit her job as a farmer and began to study to become a social pedagogue. Becoming a social pedagogue is a tremendously complex process that involves taking on a new professional identity and acquiring new skills. In order to ascertain the extent of this complexity, this article uses a psychosocietal approach derived from a Danish/German life history research approach. This article offers a brief presentation of the theoretical and methodological framework applied before analysing the process Amy undergoes to become a social pedagogue. The analysis demonstrates that this type of significant career change is demanding and, for Amy, filled with feelings of ambivalence and defensiveness. 308 Karsten Mellon Keywords: psycho-societal approach, life history, non-traditional, adult learner, social pedagogue, becoming Introduction The question of becoming – either becoming a human being, becoming competent in a certain profession or just trying to become a better partner – has for many years intrigued and puzzled scholars, religious groups, artists and many others. In the Shakespearean drama Hamlet, set in Denmark at Elsinore Castle, Prince Hamlet confronts deep existential questions about life and death, his soliloquy pondering existence with the famous words To be or not to be? Hamlet reflects on the possible future consequences of becoming or gaining a new identity as the Prince of Denmark. In that process, he is indeed becoming, but reflecting on becoming makes him crazy, some claim, implying that becoming is a treacherous path. Becoming represents more than just life stages, even though the concept of becoming involves a goal or intention. Becoming entails ongoing learning and is an identity-building process that takes place in everyday life. A complex matter, becoming is also a dynamic and relational aspect of social interaction. The aim of this article is to describe and analyse how an individual, non-traditional student takes on a new career by acquiring a new professional identity and via the learning process involved in becoming a social pedagogue, i.e. how a farmer becomes a social pedagogue. This article will also present and apply a psycho-societal approach, which offers, according to Salling Olesen (2012a), a concept of subjectivity and a unique framework for empirical studies of social interaction by combining theoretical and methodological elements. Learning processes occur whether we intend to learn or not. Educational institutions are one context where new learning processes can take place, for example, when adult students, referred to here as nontraditional students, choose or begin to study a new profession. For non-traditional students a career change is a process of becoming A farmer becomes a social pedagogue: A psycho-societal approach 309 something else that changes their professional identity. Salling Olesen (2007) suggests that professional identity must be seen as a subjective effort at lifelong learning, a process where individuals identify with their profession, enabling them to participate in life more fully. They become able, in the sense that they create their own practice and identity by combining their life history, gendered skills and knowledge with acquiring existing knowledge, thereby becoming. From this pe

FAQs

What is the central case analyzed in the article?

The article analyzes Amy, a mature non-traditional student who becomes a social pedagogue after leaving her job as a farmer due to severe allergies.

Why are individual assessments needed for non-traditional students in Denmark?

Many non-traditional students have vocational backgrounds and fall outside traditional admission requirements, so applicants must be assessed individually for bachelor programmes.

What approach does the article use to study becoming a social pedagogue?

It applies a psycho-societal approach derived from a Danish/German life history research tradition to examine subjectivity and social interaction in the learning process.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by McGucket