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Books by John Field
Edited by Brendan Bartram
Drawing on findings from a longitudinal study of adults' learning biographies, the paper focuses ... more Drawing on findings from a longitudinal study of adults' learning biographies, the paper focuses on different representations of time in the interview data. We distinguish three broad patterns: chronological time, narrative time, and generational time; we then analyse how this impact on and serve as resources for reflection on and learning from life.
This is the introduction to 'Working Men's Bodies: work camps in Britain, 1880-1940'
Aging has emerged as a major and urgent issue for individuals, organisations and governments of o... more Aging has emerged as a major and urgent issue for individuals, organisations and governments of our time. Current concerns focus on the implications of aging for economic competitiveness, innovation, public services, health and well-being and education, as well as the implications for relationships and financial transfers between the generations. And this is a truly global phenomenon, affecting not only North America and Europe, but also many Asian and some Latin American societies. Framed by an authoritative introductory chapter, the SAGE Handbook of Aging, Work and Society offers a critical overview of the most significant themes and topics, with discussions of current research, theoretical controversies and emerging issues.
This was the first full-length scholarly study of the European Union's developing policies for ed... more This was the first full-length scholarly study of the European Union's developing policies for education and training. It traces the origin of current policy back to the mid-1950s, when the Common Market was first taking shape. It then examines the emergence of a growing interest in vocational qualifications as a potential barrier to labour mobility, and in the role of universities in creating a shared European identity among the young. It considers the role of education in the integration process, when the EU sought to mobilise citizens in favour of 'the European project'. This was replaced from the mid-1990s by an increasing concern with Europe's competitiveness in the face of intensified global competition and the rise of new technologies. These factors led the EU to focus its attention primarily on the role of education and training in upskilling and reskilling the workforce. While the EU also foregrounded social cohesion as a task for education and training, this was also largely to be achieved by reskilling and upskilling. The book concludes with an appraisal of the effects of EU policies to date.
Adult learning matters. There is now widespread agreement that modern countries depend on the cre... more Adult learning matters. There is now widespread agreement that modern countries depend on the creativity, skills and knowledge of the entire population for their prosperity. Many people talk of our future well-being in terms of a ‘knowledge economy’ or a ‘learning society’ in which every person’s ability to develop new capabilities will provide them with resources that will help them and the wider community to adapt and thrive. While in theory this makes lifelong learning into an exciting prospect, in practice this broad agenda is often reduced to a narrowly economic conception.
This book reports on one of the largest research projects into lifelong learning conducted in recent years. Through over 500 in-depth interviews with a cohort of about 120 adults who were followed for three years, the Learning Lives project has built up a detailed understanding of what learning means and does in the lives of adults. The project has generated insights in how learning has changed over time and across generations, what the connections are with the changing world of work, what differences learning makes for life chances, how we can learn from life and for life, and how people’s prospects of learning can be improved. Combining life history and life-course research with analysis of longitudinal survey data, this book provides important insights into the learning biographies and trajectories of adults.
The book shows that learning means and does much more in people’s lives than is often acknowledged by current education policy and politics. In doing so, it is an invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in the role and potential of learning through the lifecourse.
This book confirms the significance of social capital as an analytical tool, while challenging th... more This book confirms the significance of social capital as an analytical tool, while challenging the basis on which current policy is being developed. It offers a wealth of evidence on a topic that has become central to contemporary government; provides a detailed empirical investigation of the relationship between social capital, knowledge creation and lifelong learning; relates the findings to wider policy debates; questions the dominant theoretical models of social capital; and confronts the assumption of many policy makers that the obvious solution to social problems is to 'invest in social capital'.The book is aimed at researchers in education, policy studies and urban studies, as well as those concerned with an understanding of contemporary policy concerns. It provides readers with a detailed analysis of relevant evidence, as well as a trenchant critique of current conceptual and policy preoccupations.
This book is now in a Japanese translation, published by Toshindo, Tokyo.
"Open-minded, intellectually curious, and eminently balanced and lively in its approach, John Fie... more "Open-minded, intellectually curious, and eminently balanced and lively in its approach, John Field's Social Capital (second edition) provides an astute contribution to the ongoing dialogue surrounding the importance of social relationships…Field provides a thorough and finely-nuanced discussion of the complexities of this proposition, and in the process of doing so has accomplished an evenhanded, engaging assessment of a relevant and complex topic."
-- Teaching Sociology, 2009
"John Field’s Lifelong Learning and the New Educational Order (2000) represents a substantial con... more "John Field’s Lifelong Learning and the New Educational Order (2000) represents a substantial contribution to the literature on lifelong learning. Whilst Field brings a wealth of policy-related and sociological learning to his work, this article focuses on a number of philosophical questions arising from the study. It is suggested that Field’s argument raises familiar questions about notions of ‘learning’, ‘reflexivity’, ‘personal autonomy’ and the conditions for knowledge. In each case, a number of considerations present themselves which have implications for our understanding of lifelong learning: its nature, prevalence and significance."
Journal of Philosophy of Education, 2002
Papers by John Field
European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults, 2012
Higher education participation has become an important focus for policy debate as well as for sch... more Higher education participation has become an important focus for policy debate as well as for scholarly research. Partly this results from ongoing attempts to expand the higher education system in line with wider policies promoting a 'knowledge economy'; and partly it results from widespread policy concerns for equity and inclusion. In both cases, researchers and policymakers alike have tended to focus on access and entry to the system, with much less attention being paid to the distribution of outcomes from the system. This paper reports on a multi-country study that was aimed at critically understanding the experiences of non-traditional students in higher education, and in particular on the factors that helped promote retention. In doing so, the study straddles the sociology of social reproduction and the psychosociology of learner transformations.
Widening Participation in Higher Education, 2012
The notion of 'openness' is becoming increasingly important across education, particularly in con... more The notion of 'openness' is becoming increasingly important across education, particularly in contexts of digital education. The corona pandemic seems to catalyse these developments. This idea has been widely debated across the educational sciences, as the move towards openness in terms of educational access and process begins to challenge established structures and assumptions about teaching, learning, understanding and knowing. It has also permeated recent debates about research and the nature of knowledge as well as its dissemination. However, it could be argued that these claims have been made at times uncritically and on the basis of limited evidence. Further, their specific relevance to the field of adult and further education-which has always understood itself as 'open' in the sense of openness to its participants-has yet to be explored. This special issue will consider such aspects as openness and social networking, the open educational resources movement, the notion of open practices, the prospects and pitfalls of open science. We are also looking to explore ideas of openness in relation to adult edu-cation's participation and belonging in social networks, changing political and cultural expectations in respect of secrecy and access to information, and the emergence of new social movements willing and able to challenge established economic and political actors. The editors invite contributions that present research into relationships between ideas and practices of 'openness' and the learning of adults, broadly understood. We welcome contributions from the field of adult education, as well as from researchers in neighbouring disciplines with an interest in openness and adult learning.
International and Comparative Education: Contemporary issues and debates
The chapter was written for a student reader. It aims to provide a brief overview of different ad... more The chapter was written for a student reader. It aims to provide a brief overview of different adult education systems, and a summary some of the main types of approach in different countries. It argues that while national differences remain strong, the combined effects of globalisation, technological change and intergovernmental policy developments mean that there are marked shifts towards (a) the weakening of national influences on adult education and (b) increasing heterogeneity of provision reflecting factors other than national differences. The chapter then considers the role of international organisations in exchanging knowledge and ideas about the role of adult education, and to some extent shifting policy-making further away from the nation state.
This is the introduction to a special issue of the Journal of Workplace Learning
The Zeitschrift für Weiterbildungsforschung is the leading German journal for research in adult e... more The Zeitschrift für Weiterbildungsforschung is the leading German journal for research in adult education and neighbouring disciplines. Papers can be published in either English or German. ZfW appears three times a year, and all papers are made available on an open access basis with author processing charges paid by the DIE (German Institute for Adult Education).
This final chapter explores the main implications of our research for policy and practice at inst... more This final chapter explores the main implications of our research for policy and practice at institutional, regional and national levels in European higher education. This is a highly topical issue at present, as the Bologna process now requires universities and national policy bodies to address the 'social dimension' of the European Area of Higher Education. Our study has therefore come at a timely point in an emerging, and possibly highly contentious, European debate. To date, much of the debate in higher education has been inward-looking, with little evidence of deep-rooted change as a result. We argue that policy and practice will have a better chance of working if we listen to non-traditional students, as well as paying attention to the expectations and aspirations of those who work in the sector, and the wider expectations of society. The chapter identifies a number of areas and issues that inhibit the participation and achievement of non-traditional students, as well as exploring evidence of practices and approaches that promote them. Concrete proposals will then be outlined using the voices of students from this evidence based research.
The paper addresses the past, present and future of comparative adult education research. 2016 ma... more The paper addresses the past, present and future of comparative adult education research. 2016 marks the bicentenary of Jullien de Paris' outline of an approach to comparative education. We take this anniversary as an opportunity to reflect on the changing theoretical, conceptual, methodological and empirical dimensions of international and comparative adult education research.
Edited by Brendan Bartram
Drawing on findings from a longitudinal study of adults' learning biographies, the paper focuses ... more Drawing on findings from a longitudinal study of adults' learning biographies, the paper focuses on different representations of time in the interview data. We distinguish three broad patterns: chronological time, narrative time, and generational time; we then analyse how this impact on and serve as resources for reflection on and learning from life.
This is the introduction to 'Working Men's Bodies: work camps in Britain, 1880-1940'
Aging has emerged as a major and urgent issue for individuals, organisations and governments of o... more Aging has emerged as a major and urgent issue for individuals, organisations and governments of our time. Current concerns focus on the implications of aging for economic competitiveness, innovation, public services, health and well-being and education, as well as the implications for relationships and financial transfers between the generations. And this is a truly global phenomenon, affecting not only North America and Europe, but also many Asian and some Latin American societies. Framed by an authoritative introductory chapter, the SAGE Handbook of Aging, Work and Society offers a critical overview of the most significant themes and topics, with discussions of current research, theoretical controversies and emerging issues.
This was the first full-length scholarly study of the European Union's developing policies for ed... more This was the first full-length scholarly study of the European Union's developing policies for education and training. It traces the origin of current policy back to the mid-1950s, when the Common Market was first taking shape. It then examines the emergence of a growing interest in vocational qualifications as a potential barrier to labour mobility, and in the role of universities in creating a shared European identity among the young. It considers the role of education in the integration process, when the EU sought to mobilise citizens in favour of 'the European project'. This was replaced from the mid-1990s by an increasing concern with Europe's competitiveness in the face of intensified global competition and the rise of new technologies. These factors led the EU to focus its attention primarily on the role of education and training in upskilling and reskilling the workforce. While the EU also foregrounded social cohesion as a task for education and training, this was also largely to be achieved by reskilling and upskilling. The book concludes with an appraisal of the effects of EU policies to date.
Adult learning matters. There is now widespread agreement that modern countries depend on the cre... more Adult learning matters. There is now widespread agreement that modern countries depend on the creativity, skills and knowledge of the entire population for their prosperity. Many people talk of our future well-being in terms of a ‘knowledge economy’ or a ‘learning society’ in which every person’s ability to develop new capabilities will provide them with resources that will help them and the wider community to adapt and thrive. While in theory this makes lifelong learning into an exciting prospect, in practice this broad agenda is often reduced to a narrowly economic conception.
This book reports on one of the largest research projects into lifelong learning conducted in recent years. Through over 500 in-depth interviews with a cohort of about 120 adults who were followed for three years, the Learning Lives project has built up a detailed understanding of what learning means and does in the lives of adults. The project has generated insights in how learning has changed over time and across generations, what the connections are with the changing world of work, what differences learning makes for life chances, how we can learn from life and for life, and how people’s prospects of learning can be improved. Combining life history and life-course research with analysis of longitudinal survey data, this book provides important insights into the learning biographies and trajectories of adults.
The book shows that learning means and does much more in people’s lives than is often acknowledged by current education policy and politics. In doing so, it is an invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in the role and potential of learning through the lifecourse.
This book confirms the significance of social capital as an analytical tool, while challenging th... more This book confirms the significance of social capital as an analytical tool, while challenging the basis on which current policy is being developed. It offers a wealth of evidence on a topic that has become central to contemporary government; provides a detailed empirical investigation of the relationship between social capital, knowledge creation and lifelong learning; relates the findings to wider policy debates; questions the dominant theoretical models of social capital; and confronts the assumption of many policy makers that the obvious solution to social problems is to 'invest in social capital'.The book is aimed at researchers in education, policy studies and urban studies, as well as those concerned with an understanding of contemporary policy concerns. It provides readers with a detailed analysis of relevant evidence, as well as a trenchant critique of current conceptual and policy preoccupations.
This book is now in a Japanese translation, published by Toshindo, Tokyo.
"Open-minded, intellectually curious, and eminently balanced and lively in its approach, John Fie... more "Open-minded, intellectually curious, and eminently balanced and lively in its approach, John Field's Social Capital (second edition) provides an astute contribution to the ongoing dialogue surrounding the importance of social relationships…Field provides a thorough and finely-nuanced discussion of the complexities of this proposition, and in the process of doing so has accomplished an evenhanded, engaging assessment of a relevant and complex topic."
-- Teaching Sociology, 2009
"John Field’s Lifelong Learning and the New Educational Order (2000) represents a substantial con... more "John Field’s Lifelong Learning and the New Educational Order (2000) represents a substantial contribution to the literature on lifelong learning. Whilst Field brings a wealth of policy-related and sociological learning to his work, this article focuses on a number of philosophical questions arising from the study. It is suggested that Field’s argument raises familiar questions about notions of ‘learning’, ‘reflexivity’, ‘personal autonomy’ and the conditions for knowledge. In each case, a number of considerations present themselves which have implications for our understanding of lifelong learning: its nature, prevalence and significance."
Journal of Philosophy of Education, 2002
European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults, 2012
Higher education participation has become an important focus for policy debate as well as for sch... more Higher education participation has become an important focus for policy debate as well as for scholarly research. Partly this results from ongoing attempts to expand the higher education system in line with wider policies promoting a 'knowledge economy'; and partly it results from widespread policy concerns for equity and inclusion. In both cases, researchers and policymakers alike have tended to focus on access and entry to the system, with much less attention being paid to the distribution of outcomes from the system. This paper reports on a multi-country study that was aimed at critically understanding the experiences of non-traditional students in higher education, and in particular on the factors that helped promote retention. In doing so, the study straddles the sociology of social reproduction and the psychosociology of learner transformations.
Widening Participation in Higher Education, 2012
The notion of 'openness' is becoming increasingly important across education, particularly in con... more The notion of 'openness' is becoming increasingly important across education, particularly in contexts of digital education. The corona pandemic seems to catalyse these developments. This idea has been widely debated across the educational sciences, as the move towards openness in terms of educational access and process begins to challenge established structures and assumptions about teaching, learning, understanding and knowing. It has also permeated recent debates about research and the nature of knowledge as well as its dissemination. However, it could be argued that these claims have been made at times uncritically and on the basis of limited evidence. Further, their specific relevance to the field of adult and further education-which has always understood itself as 'open' in the sense of openness to its participants-has yet to be explored. This special issue will consider such aspects as openness and social networking, the open educational resources movement, the notion of open practices, the prospects and pitfalls of open science. We are also looking to explore ideas of openness in relation to adult edu-cation's participation and belonging in social networks, changing political and cultural expectations in respect of secrecy and access to information, and the emergence of new social movements willing and able to challenge established economic and political actors. The editors invite contributions that present research into relationships between ideas and practices of 'openness' and the learning of adults, broadly understood. We welcome contributions from the field of adult education, as well as from researchers in neighbouring disciplines with an interest in openness and adult learning.
International and Comparative Education: Contemporary issues and debates
The chapter was written for a student reader. It aims to provide a brief overview of different ad... more The chapter was written for a student reader. It aims to provide a brief overview of different adult education systems, and a summary some of the main types of approach in different countries. It argues that while national differences remain strong, the combined effects of globalisation, technological change and intergovernmental policy developments mean that there are marked shifts towards (a) the weakening of national influences on adult education and (b) increasing heterogeneity of provision reflecting factors other than national differences. The chapter then considers the role of international organisations in exchanging knowledge and ideas about the role of adult education, and to some extent shifting policy-making further away from the nation state.
This is the introduction to a special issue of the Journal of Workplace Learning
The Zeitschrift für Weiterbildungsforschung is the leading German journal for research in adult e... more The Zeitschrift für Weiterbildungsforschung is the leading German journal for research in adult education and neighbouring disciplines. Papers can be published in either English or German. ZfW appears three times a year, and all papers are made available on an open access basis with author processing charges paid by the DIE (German Institute for Adult Education).
This final chapter explores the main implications of our research for policy and practice at inst... more This final chapter explores the main implications of our research for policy and practice at institutional, regional and national levels in European higher education. This is a highly topical issue at present, as the Bologna process now requires universities and national policy bodies to address the 'social dimension' of the European Area of Higher Education. Our study has therefore come at a timely point in an emerging, and possibly highly contentious, European debate. To date, much of the debate in higher education has been inward-looking, with little evidence of deep-rooted change as a result. We argue that policy and practice will have a better chance of working if we listen to non-traditional students, as well as paying attention to the expectations and aspirations of those who work in the sector, and the wider expectations of society. The chapter identifies a number of areas and issues that inhibit the participation and achievement of non-traditional students, as well as exploring evidence of practices and approaches that promote them. Concrete proposals will then be outlined using the voices of students from this evidence based research.
The paper addresses the past, present and future of comparative adult education research. 2016 ma... more The paper addresses the past, present and future of comparative adult education research. 2016 marks the bicentenary of Jullien de Paris' outline of an approach to comparative education. We take this anniversary as an opportunity to reflect on the changing theoretical, conceptual, methodological and empirical dimensions of international and comparative adult education research.
Jointly edited with Gerald Normie, these are papers from a conference on residential adult educat... more Jointly edited with Gerald Normie, these are papers from a conference on residential adult education, held in Oxford in 1991. They encompass historical perspectives and contemporary reflections, with authors from Britain, Sweden and Australia.
Many social theorists argue that late modernity is characterised by increasing change across all ... more Many social theorists argue that late modernity is characterised by increasing change across all areas of adult life, leading to continuing experience of transition in the adult life course. Moreover, participation in education and training can itself provide a stimulus to further change, whether in employment or in other spheres of everyday life. This paper explores the role of social networks in adults' strategies for coping with educational transitions. It is informed theoretically by recent research into social capital and adult learning, which has pointed to a largely beneficial relationship between participation in learning and engagement in social and civic activity. It also attends to other, more intimate forms of social capital, above all family life. Drawing on life history data from a study of agency, identity and learning among British adults, a series of broad strategic categories are identified. These are explored through illustrative case studies of three individuals' life stories. On the basis of this discussion, it is suggested that some combinations of social support seem better suited to promote successful transitions than others. In short, social capital must be understood as a dynamic quality of changing relationships, which actors manipulate more or less consciously in response to change, and not as a static phenomenon that is 'owned' for once and for all by a particular group or individual.
The book sets out to examine what universities can contribute to their communities and economies ... more The book sets out to examine what universities can contribute to their communities and economies through lifelong learning. It provides a theoretical background, draws on recent research and practice examples, and demonstrates a variety of conceptual approaches. The 17 papers bring together the work of specialists from research and practice from across Europe and beyond who have first-hand experience in the field.
British Journal of Educational Studies, 1997
In today's society, people and organisations increasingly undergo processes of t... more In today's society, people and organisations increasingly undergo processes of transition. Experiences of change affect all areas of life: our jobs, relationships, status, communities, engagement in civil society, lifestyles, even understandings of our own identity. Each person must expect and make ready for transitions, engaging in learning as a fundamental strategy for handling change. This is where lifelong learning steps in. From career guidance to third age programmes, from'learning to learn'in kindergarten to MBA, from Mozart for babies to ...
Journal of Workplace Learning, 2014
Bildung und Erziehung, 2005
Résumé/Abstract The distinction between Bachelor's and Master's degrees... more Résumé/Abstract The distinction between Bachelor's and Master's degrees is a well established one in the UK, which also has a long tradition of postgraduate study of adult education. Superficially, then, the British experience might be viewed as an early example of how other higher education systems will work when the Bologna process is completed. While there are several reasons for doubting whether this simple picture is adequate, there are nevertheless some general lessons from the British experience. In Britain, Master's ...
Keynote for the European Conference on Higher Education Transitions & the Graduate Labour Market:... more Keynote for the European Conference on Higher Education Transitions & the Graduate Labour Market: The Non-Traditional Student Perspective, University of Seville, 7-8 September 2017
Social movements in interwar Britain, as elsewhere, often shared an intense interest in developin... more Social movements in interwar Britain, as elsewhere, often shared an intense interest in developing new types of human being. While the language of 'character' was relatively rare, and largely confined to movements that focused on the provision of social service, ideas about transforming human nature and building a new ideal self were commonplace, most obviously in such notions as Mussolini's search for the 'new Fascist man' or Communist archetypes of the 'new Soviet man/person' (in both cases the gendering was significant). These were particularly exaggerated, albeit influential, forms of a wider concern with structured resocialisation, but they were paralleled by a number of smaller attempts to rebuild character through transformative communities. The paper explores ways in which ideas of character were worked through in three attempts to establish transformative learning communities in interwar Britain.
Seminar paper given at the Higher Education Research Centre, Dublin City University