DIE Zeitschrift für Erwachsenenbildung

Transitions as a test case
The concept of lifelong learning and the penetrability of the educational system
With the concept of lifelong learning a better interleave of the educational areas is intended. The contribution analyses central sources on how the educational politics has strategically handled the role of lifelong learning and which practices it virtually has supported: With a strategy paper of the federal state and the states of the federation on lifelong learning as well as on the basis of the final reports on the funded model tests of lifelong learning and learning regions. In the way that at the end the first national education report is questioned concerning the transition friendliness, the various positive basic approaches are put into a disillusioning empirical context.

Ahnen
Building bridges, supported by further education and continuing education
Transitions between education areas from an education political view
The contribution analyses from an education political view how the mastery of transitions between education areas can be guided. Hereunto the author, minister of education of the state Rhineland-Palatinate, reminds of measures which were decided on in the course of this state’s presidency of the German Federal Conference of the ministers of education and cultural affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz) 2004. According to these measures, the cooperation of school and career guidance has been improved and the transition of early students to university has been made easier. Eventually the contribution lightens the activities of this federal state for the improvement of the transition from nursery to primary school. A great importance is attached to the transition management within the relevant education areas of the professionals in further education and continuing education.

Management of transition in further education of Bochum
Consultancy, qualification and education at the transition between school and vocational training
The contribution describes, from the perspective of a scientific practical guidance, how a communal further education information centre (in the Ruhr area of Bochum) engages in the transition between school and vocational training in terms of offering help and orientation to school children concerning their choosing of a profession. In a quantitative sense it seems to be a highly successful project. Since 2000 approximately 30 000 participants have been registered. When taking a closer look, the access in Bochum appears to be adverse: The actors of the transition management work with incomplete addressing constructions: They do not adequately include the attitude of the school children in their concept. And they have the inapplicable assumption that the school children suffer a lack of information.

Iceberg further education
Achievements of the graduation related further education for the mastery of transitions in the educational system
Like with an iceberg, the achievements of further education are to a large extent not quite visible for the public perception. Among these are the activities of the facilitation of transitions in the educational system. The author has, within the frame of a dissertation, estimated how many certificates and graduations the German further education produces yearly. The volume is quite large with 720 000. Further education has compensatory as well as complementary functions compared to the secondary area and tertiary area. Certificates comprehensive from different institutions are still too infrequent in further education.

Times for (re)interpretation
Transitions and their adaptation from the perspective of biographical research
The contribution asks for the meaning of transitions in the educational system from a perspective of pedagogical biography research. Transitions effectuate initially mainly insecurities, clearing of one’s own basis, development of new perspectives, accepting or changing of the new situation, release of energy and activities for mastery of changes. In the example of an interview passage concerning the transition from job into retirement (in which also the loss of family members is dealt with) the author asks: How do people deal with transitions? Which resources are required? She expects from adult education offers on how to deal with life crises which make (re)interpretation offers. The aim is to reflect one’s own situation, to address insecurities in their meaning of identity formation and to show alternative action possibilities.

More popular than its reputation
Learning success controls in adult education
The research project called ”LeKo” of the European Federation for Catholic Adult Education (KBE), which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research has analysed how learning success controls can be included in all areas of adult education and it has analysed which attitudes participants have towards it. The first empirical results are presented here. Thereafter the pedagogical-instrumental value is estimated astonishingly positive with an average value of 3.73 on a scale from 0 (= I do not agree) till 5 (= I agree completely). Depending on the suitability of the used type, the learning success control finds an increasing or decreasing approval concerning learning success controls during the course of a seminar.

A new profession for trainers of vocational education
»Professional pedagogue for training and further education (by the chambers of commerce)«
The contribution reports on the context, concept and perspectives of a pilot further education for »Professional pedagogue for training and further education (by the chambers of commerce)«, which is currently being tested in Bavaria. It ensures especially the pedagogical qualification of the trainers which is urgently required today and it supports their professionalisation. The further education has begun in 2005 with 27 participants at the GAB (Association for Research and Development in Vocational Training and Occupations) in Munich.