Sabina Jelenc Krašovec

Education: A Possibility for Empowering Older Adults.

Educating older adults (in the so‐called third age) is becoming an increasingly important activity for the elderly, above all because it empowers them, while at the same time reducing their social exclusion. The aim of this paper is to closely examine the actual state of affairs and the education possibilities for older adults in Slovenia. The article deals with a secondary analysis of data that was collected in three Slovene researches dealing with the participation of adults in the education process in 1987, 1998 and 2004. The purpose of the analysis is to examine te changes in the participation of the older adults, their motivation for education and barriers that have dissuaded them from education. Special attention is devoted to the development of the offer of educational programmes for older adults in Slovenia. The authors state that the offer of education for older adults has improved between 1987 and 2004, while the participation has declined. The older adults mentioned a number of various barriers that represent the reasons for the decline in their participation, however the major obstacle is the low educational level of older adults.

ADULT LEARNING ACTIVITIES, SOCIAL NETWORKS AND DIFFERENT NEIGHBOURHOODS

ABSTRACT This is a paper on adult education and learning activities within the neighbourhood that pays special attention to the social networks of the individual. It starts off with the thesis that life circumstances and social networks (especially family and neighbourhood) have a greater influence upon the understanding of the role and importance of education then age. We have analysed the quantitative and qualitative data from the research on social networks of the elderly in Slovenia and focused on two generations (parents and grandparents) at two different points in time (1987 and 2005). We have established that regardless of the various external encouragements, the most important factors for further learning are family values and the individuals attitude towards learning that is formed throughout life and is influenced by social networks.

Intergenerational Learning in Different Contexts

The current demographic trends that change the relationship between the generations and that, consequentially, influence life in the social, economic, cultural and political fields, dictate the need for stronger intergenerational ties and a reduction in age segregation.

Pedagogical Dimensions of Participatory Democracy

The central issue of this chapter is a case study of the pedagogical dimensions of the participatory democracy that was developed by self-organized district community assemblies in Maribor, the second largest city in Slovenia, in the beginning of 2013.

Vpliv evropeizacije izobraževanja na potrženje in poblagovljenje politike in prakse izobraževanja odraslih v Sloveniji

The paper deals with European influences on the policy and practice of adult education in Slovenia. In the first part the Europeanisation of education is addressed, analysing the European policy of adult education and discussing the dominant instrumental economistic conceptualisation of adult education. In the second, empirical part, we analyse the policy of adult education – Resolutions on the Master Plan for Adult Education in the Republic of Slovenia (2004 and 2013) and annual programmes of adult education 2005–2018 – and show how the national context has become suffused with European economistic discourse, as well as how financial mechanisms have marketised the area of adult education in Slovenia. We find that the Slovenian policy of adult education adjusted to recommendations from the European Union by constantly decreasing national funding for adult education between 2008 and 2016, which was the result of austerity measures in the adult education field; a gradual rise in national funding can only be seen from 2016 on. By adjusting to European standards, including the reform of vocational education, privatisation and commercialisation of adult education, Slovenia is losing its role as a leader in the adult education field which it had at the time of independence.

Družina ostaja pomembna za medgeneracijsko sodelovanje in učenje

The paper presents a partnership model for identifying educational needs and development of new educational programs in a regional environment. The model was developed by the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education within the development project entitled Development of Quality Educational Offer in the Selected Regions. Three topics are discussed: identification of educational needs, development of new educational programs and their implementation in a regional environment. The basic methodological principles used to develop new educational programs, especially competence based curricula and action learning, are also explained. Different phases in the development of new educational programs are illustrated with examples of good practice from three Slovenian regions.