Learning, Work and Social Responsibility (eBook)

Challenges for Lifelong Learning in a Global Age

Karen Evans (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2009 | 2009
XVI, 274 Seiten
Springer Netherland (Verlag)
978-1-4020-9759-1 (ISBN)

Infos

The concept of individual responsibility has taken on a signi?cance comparable to that of 'choice' in the global rise of neo-liberalism of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The rise of neo-liberalism is most often analysed through the lenses of theory, governmentality and societal structures. There has been a tendency for an- ysis to become overly abstract with the subjective experiences of the social actors missing dimensions in the literature. This book draws on more than 20 years of international research that has focused on the subjective experiences of people as actors in changing social landscapes. These landscapes are differently positioned politically, economically and socially, in relation to the rise of neo-liberalism. Comparisons enable the differences in people's experiences to be located, explored and explained in relation to different soc- economic landscapes, thus throwing into relief the effects of neo-liberal policies where they are found. My approach is to create an extended dialogue between ideas and evidence, starting close to home, and then extending to speci?c international comparisons and to wider explorations of the central themes of the book: human agency and social responsibility. Finally, I return to social landscapes of Britain, to review the position and potential for social change in societies that exemplify what Sennett has termed 'Anglo-American regimes', in contrast to 'Rhine regimes' as exempli?ed by Germany.

Inhalt

Contents 7
Author’s Introduction 11
Editorial By Series Editors 13
Learning for a Living: The Powerful, the Dispossessed and the Learning Revolution 16
1.1 Actors in Changing Social Landscapes 18
1.2 Re-establishing the Relationships Between Education and Real Life 22
1.3 Defining the Learning Revolution and Its Limits 28
1.4 A New Generation of Adults: Taking Control of Their Lives? 30
1.5 Discussing the Future 33
1.6 Choice, Optimism and Expectations 34
1.7 Marginalised by the Broad Sweep of Social and Economic Decline 35
1.8 The Social World of Work 36
1.9 Individual Responsibility in a Social World 39
1.10 Summary and Conclusions 41
Notes 43
Taking Control?: Early Adult Life in Contrasting Social Landscapes 44
2.1 Introduction 44
2.2 The Wider Significance of Comparisons Between England and Germany 46
2.2.1 Rapid Changes in England and Germany 46
2.2.2 Regulated Germany, Diverse Britain 47
2.3 Transitions Involve Negotiating Different Structures 49
2.4 The Significance of Subjective Viewpoints 50
2.5 Pressures, Constraints and Resources 51
2.5.1 Perceptions of the Effect of Area on Employment Opportunities 51
2.5.2 Young People’s Views on the Influence of Family Background and the Influence of Peers 53
2.6 Agency, Control and Views of Self 54
2.6.1 Overview: Feelings of Control 54
2.7 The Importance of Qualifications 60
2.8 Self-Confidence, Independence and Responsibility 61
2.9 Choice, Optimism and Expectations 62
2.10 The Impact of Employment Schemes: New Deal and JUMP 65
2.11 Summary and Conclusions 66
Notes 68
Students Anticipating the Future 69
3.1 Barriers to Widening Participation: Student Experience in England 71
3.2 Perceptions of Qualifications and Life Chances? 74
3.3 Independence, Responsibility and Achievement 77
3.3.1 Control of One’s Own Life 83
3.3.2 Plans for the Future 84
3.3.3 Assessment of Own Behaviour 85
3.4 Scope for Action in Contrasting Socio-Economic Environments 86
3.5 Systemic Implications 88
3.6 Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning 89
3.7 Bringing Social Responsibility Back into the Equation 97
3.8 Summary and Conclusions 97
Notes 99
Workers in Control of the Present? 100
4.1 Adult Workers and the Significance of Biography 101
4.2 Work Experience in Early Adult Life 102
4.3 Linking the Individual and Social Dimensions of Learning and Work 104
4.5 Bringing Prior Skills, Understanding and Abilities into the Workplace 105
4.6 How Using Tacit Skills and Knowledge in the Workplace an Change or Personalise the Environment 108
4.7 The Value of College-Based Elements to Workplace Learning 109
4.8 Other Factors Affecting Learners at Their Workplace 110
4.9 Rethinking ‘Transfer’ 111
4.10 Employees’ Contributions: Constructing and Personalising Workplace Learning Opportunities 112
4.11 Employers’ Perspectives on Their Employees’ Abilities and Dispositions 113
4.12 Individual Workers’ Dispositions Facilitate the Workplace Environment 114
4.13 The Workplace as a Site for Access to Learning: the Contested Domain of ‘ Adult Basic Skills’ 116
4.14 Participation and Motivations to Learn 116
4.15 Employees and Environments: Reciprocal Relationships 118
4.16 Towards a Social Ecology of Learning 120
4.17 Formal and Informal Workplace Learning 120
4.18 Informal Learning 122
4.19 Theory and Practice 124
4.20 What About Flexibility and Mobility of Labour? 126
4.21 Summary and Conclusion 129
Note 130
Living at the Margins and Finding Ways to Work 131
5.1 Being Unemployed in Changing Social Landscapes 132
5.2 Social Exclusion and Lifelong Learning – New Policy Discourses 133
5.3 Educational Interventions and Responses 134
5.4 Exclusion – Becoming Detached from The ‘Social Mainstream’ 135
5.5 Unemployed Young Adults: Empirical Encounters 136
5.6 Unemployed and Underemployed Adults: The UK Contextiv 139
5.7 Lifelong Learning and Unemployed Adults 141
5.8 Non-formal Learning andWidening Participation 143
5.9 Outcomes of Non-formal Learning 144
5.10 Recognition of Non-accredited Learning Achievements 144
5.11 Community-Based Learning 145
5.11.1 The Adult and Community Learning Fund 146
5.12 The Potential of Situated Learning: From ‘Communities of Practice’ to ‘ Learning Communities Centred on Practice’ ( LCPs) 147
5.13 Situated Learning and Competence Development 148
5.14 Improvement of the Situation of People Threatened with Social Exclusion – Limits and Possibilities 150
5.15 Cultural Values and the Ways in Which These Are Reflected in Policy 154
5.16 Summary and Conclusions 156
Notes 158
Gender, Work and Learning 159
6.1 Young Adults’ Awareness of the Influence of Gender on Life Chances 160
6.1.1 Leipzig: Men Have the Upper Hand 160
6.1.2 Women Have to Prove Themselves 161
6.1.3 Prejudice and Stereotypes 162
6.1.4 Tackling Non-traditional Roles 162
6.1.5 Gender Issues Come to the Fore in Employment 163
6.2 Patterns of Experience in the English City Region 164
6.2.1 Career Orientation 165
6.3 The City Region in Western Germany 166
6.3.1 Career Orientation 166
6.3.2 Future Prospects and Plans 167
6.4 The City Region in Eastern Germany 167
6.4.1 Opportunities and Discrimination 167
6.4.2 Career Orientation 168
6.5 Comparison Across Areas 168
6.6 ‘Gender Autonomy’ and Social Responsibility: Challenges for Work and Vocational Learning 171
6.6.1 Rethinking Key Competences 172
6.6.2 The Typical Cases 173
6.6.3 The Exceptional Cases 174
6.6.4 Gender Autonomy 177
6.6.5 Furthering Gender Autonomy 179
6.7 What Is Possible to Change Through Vocational Education and Training? 181
6.8 Summary and Conclusions 183
Notes 184
Participation, Social Life and Politics 186
7.1 Social Dynamics, Experience and Participation 187
7.2 Self-Confidence, Independence and Responsibility 189
7.3 ‘Flexibility’ and Critical Engagement 191
7.4 Students’ Participation in Politics 196
7.4.1 Work Values and Activities Outside Work 199
7.5 Education for Citizenship in Adult Life 201
7.6 Summary and Conclusions 206
Note 208
Beyond Individualisation: Human Strivings for Control of Their Lives 209
8.1 Exploring Human Agency: Comparative Life Transitions Approach 210
8.2 Effects of Increased Perceptions of Risk on Transition Behaviours 214
8.3 Perceptions of Individual Responsibility and Reactions to Systemic and Political Changes 215
8.4 Individualisation Revisited 217
8.5 Adults’ Experiences of Working Life and Learning 217
8.6 Changes in the Experience of Work 218
8.7 The Individualisation Thesis Revisited 220
8.8 Agency and Feelings of Control 221
8.8.1 Conceptual Schema for Structure–Agency 222
8.9 Understanding Social Regularities and Individual Action 225
8.10 Shared Experiences of Gender 226
8.11 Shared Perspectives on ‘Race’ Ethnicity and Nationality 226
8.12 Agency and Performance in Working Lives 228
8.13 Evolving Approaches to Understanding People as Agents in Life and Work 231
8.14 Summary and Conclusions 235
Notes 235
Systems and Societies in Transition: Challenging Inequalities, Choosing Inclusion 237
9.1 Neo-Liberalism and the Logic of Markets 238
9.2 Human Capacities and Forces for Change 240
9.3 ‘Rhine Model Versus Anglo-American Model’ 242
9.4 Risk, Social Polarisation and Personal Agency 244
9.5 Challenging Inequality, Choosing Inclusion 247
9.6 The Discourses of ‘Uncertainty’ 249
9.7 Individual Responsibility, Mutual Responsibility, Social Responsibility 251
Notes 258
Bibliography 259
Index 273

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 26.5.2009
• Reihe/Serie: Lifelong Learning Book Series
• Reihe/Serie: Lifelong Learning Book Series
• Zusatzinfo: XVI, 274 p.
• Verlagsort: Dordrecht
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik ► Berufspädagogik
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik ► Bildungstheorie
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
• Schlagworte: Global Learning • Inclusion • learning • lifelong learning, • Lifelong Learning • Social Responsibility • Work
• ISBN-10: 1-4020-9759-X / 140209759X
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4020-9759-1 / 9781402097591