Researching participation in adult education: looking back and moving forward

It is a widespread perception that the challenge of increasing participation in adult education and training has intensified due to the transformation from industrial to knowledge based societies and the transformation implies that it becomes pivotal to increase the supply of highly qualified labour. This has fostered an interest in examining why and how people engage in adult education, how participation and especially non-participation in adult education can be explained and how participation rates can be increased.
In this paper I outline different traditions within research on recruitment to and participation in adult education and training focusing primarily on unskilled and low skilled workers. I present how the traditions contribute to the perception of what effects participation and argue that the existing traditions must be extended and a new framework must be applied in order to understand how peoples’ learner identity – their perceived needs and opportunities to engage in different learning activities – is a result of their continuing experience process conditioned by their engagement in a specific historical, social and material work life.