Australian Journal of Adult Learning - Volume 46 - Issue 2 - July 2006

Oct 15, 2026

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Australian adult education policies and learning sites are reviewed to assess their potential impact on social capital in a regional Australian context. The review draws on ongoing research into how participation in adult education by people from diverse cultural backgrounds affects social cohesiveness across groups, communities, and regions. It addresses equity and access strategies and examines international policy frameworks, highlighting persistent inequities despite reforms across Europe, Scandinavia, and Australia.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Australian adult education systems

Elements and sectors (ACE, VET, HE)

International perspectives on adult education

OECD definitions and policy frameworks

Participation outcomes and inequities

Social class, gender, (dis)ability, and age

Adult, community and public education as social capital

Regional context and culturally diverse participation

~~152 Roger Harris~~ Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 46, Number 2, July 2006 ~~Two papers come from different educational contexts in Nigeria and Kuwait~~.~~ N~~.~~S~~.~~ Okoroma reviews, from the literature, the implementation of national education policy in Nigeria, and explores the gap that can occur between policy and its implementation~~.~~ The paper recommends the discontinuation of the National Policy on Education fashioned after the American system and the adoption of the model practised by Asian countries such as Japan, China and India which takes the culture of the people into consideration~~.~~ Eissa Alansari reports on the implementation of cooperative learning in various continuing education courses within Kuwait University~~. ~~From interviews with 200 university teachers, the author found that three-quarters believed that implementation had been successful~~.~~ The paper presents a series of recommendations to improve further the educational standard of the Centre in Kuwait University~~. ~~This issue contains two short research reports-in-progress, one by Ann Lawless on exploring radical wisdom in Australian higher education, and the other by Tom Short in New Zealand on unlocking the Da Vinci code of human resource development~~.~~ Four interesting book reviews follow~~. ~~Can I conclude by encouraging anyone who wants to write to do so, who is undertaking a research project to think about developing it into an article for publication (this is particularly worthwhile if you are doing a higher degree), and who wishes to volunteer to review books to contact one of the editorial team of this Journal? You would be signiﬁcantly contributing to the development of our profession in doing any of these things, and you would be developing your own skills and conﬁdence in writing~~.~~ We would love to hear from you!~~ ~~Roger Harris Editor~~ Adult, community and public education as primary sites for the development of social capital Rob Townsend School of Education Victoria University This article reviews current literature and discussion about the policies and sites of Australian adult education and training and their potential impact on the development of social capital in a regional context. The review stems from a current research project examining the impact of participation in adult education by people from diverse cultural backgrounds in a regional town in northern Victoria. There is evidence that adult education can transform individuals via access to new knowledge and skills, but can it impact on the social cohesiveness of groups, communities and regions in Australian society? Access and equity policies and strategies form the centre of adult, community and public education in Australia and it is time for these to be signiﬁcantly reviewed in the context of a culturally diverse twenty ﬁrst century society. 154 Rob Townsend Adult, community and public education 155 International perspectives on adult education The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) deﬁnes adult learning as encompassing general, vocational, enterprise and higher education and training across all types of learning sites. In 2003, the OECD published comparative research on adult education policies and practices in nine countries in Europe and Scandinavia which contends that, despite reform agendas occurring within adult learning policies and practices in most countries, there are persistent inequities in the provision, access and outcomes of adult education and training (OECD 2003) . Similar research in Australia and internationally evaluates adult education and training reforms against established policies and practices targeted at speciﬁc groups of individuals within a society, including the unemployed,‘discouraged workers’, early (forced) retirees, women returning to work, youth, indigenous communities and people with disabilities (Noonan, Burke & White 2004; Evans 2003; Stevenson 2003; Ja

FAQs

How does the article connect adult education with social capital in a regional context?

It reviews policies and learning sites for adult education and training, focusing on their potential to influence social cohesiveness across groups, communities, and regions.

What does the OECD definition include in adult learning?

The OECD defines adult learning as covering general, vocational, enterprise, and higher education and training across multiple learning sites.

What kinds of inequities are reported despite reforms in adult education policies?

Persistent inequities are noted in the provision, access, and outcomes of adult education and training, even when reform agendas are present.

Oct 15, 2026

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