Suchergebnisse

<i>Objectives:</i> To report on Finnish physicians' opinions on the possible future use of genetic screening and their interest in knowing their own risk for diseases. <i>Methods:</i> A questionnaire survey mailed to gynaecologists, paediatricians, general practitioners and clinical geneticists. Both leading physicians and a sample of other practitioners were included (response rate 74%, n = 571). <i>Results: </i>Physicians preferred genetic testing of people at risk over population-wide screening. Breast and colon cancer, familial hypercholesterolaemia and juvenile diabetes were diseases for which screening was most often considered useful. The most popular target group was the whole population. Opinions on the suitability of genetic screening were not uniform, and physicians did not take a stand on genetic screening as a whole but differentiated by disease and target group. Those wanting to know their own risk for diseases supported screening procedures in general more than did other physicians. <i>Conclusions:</i> Physicians were not enthusiastic about genetic screening. Nevertheless, testing of individuals with a family history of certain diseases is likely to become more widespread.

Denmark, Sweden and Finland are Nordic welfare states that historically have put a high value on both basic and adult education. Citizens should have equal opportunities to participate in education and society. Adult education has been a topical means to include citizens in active societal participation. This has been realised by providing special support for those in need. Currently, the dominance of neo-liberal market economies has challenged this educational ideology, and adult education has increasingly become reduced to only one of its functions, that of employability. Besides formal education, even informal learning has been harnessed for developing and maintaining work-related skills. Budget cuts have affected adult education while resources have increased on guidance and counselling, transition from basic to upper secondary education, education for the low-skilled and continuing training for workforce. Drawing on the history and present challenges this chapter discusses the possibilities to strengthen social inclusion through adult education. In the focus are groups that are at risk of staying outside the education society. The consequences of unfinished basic education and recently the educational needs of migrants and asylum seekers have revealed the largely unattended challenges of young adults and the vulnerability involved in comparison to the relatively high educated mainstream population. Our research focusing on social inclusion of vulnerable groups through differentiated support activities provides space to discuss, how adult education may regain its leading role in enhancing equal opportunities towards active political, social and economic participation in the Nordic societies. ; publishedVersion ; Peer reviewed

The recent debate on active citizenship and adult education has been strongly underpinned by the discussion on how active citizenship could be exercised in a way that would promote inclusion and participation (Evans, 2009; Milana, 2008). The paper focuses on the role of adult educators in encouraging young adults in vulnerable life situations to become active citizens specifically through two empirical cases, from Finland and England (UK). The central questions the paper seeks to answer are: how do adult educators conceptualise vulnerability, and how do they see their role as facilitating vulnerable young people's active citizenship through their teaching? The consideration of socio-cultural, socio-economic and political dimensions of active participatory citizenship (APC) provides the conceptual lens to explore young adults' participation in different social contexts. The analysis of the case studies supports the argument that APC is indirectly rather than directly included in the education and training of vulnerable young adults. This leads the article to highlight the adult educators' mediation work in facilitating the socio-economic and political dimensions of APC in interaction with the students. Their mediator role is broadly invisible and in contrast with the ideal of adult education as the straightforward path to socio-economic citizenship and employability.

This open access book sheds light on a range of complex interdependencies between adult education, young adults in vulnerable situations and active citizenship. Adult education has been increasingly recognized as a means to engage and re-engage young adults and facilitate their life chances and social inclusion thus contributing to an active citizenship within their societal contexts. This collection of chapters dealing with issues of social inclusion of young people represents the first book to explicitly approach the complex interdependencies between adult education, young adults in vulnerable situations and active citizenship from the European perspective. Social exclusion, disengagement and disaffection of young adults have been among the most significant concerns faced by EU member states over the last decade. It has been increasingly recognised by a range of stakeholders that there is a growing number of young people suffering from the various effects of the unstable social, economic and political situations affecting Europe and its neighbouring countries. Young adults who experience different degrees of vulnerability are especially at risk of being excluded and marginalised. Engaging young adults through adult education has been strongly related to addressing the specific needs and requirements that would facilitate their participation in social, economic and civic/political life in their country contexts. Fostering the active citizenship of young people, both directly and indirectly, is an area where many AE programmes overlap, and this has become a core approach to integration. This book considers social, economic and political dimensions of active citizenship, encompassing the development of social competences and social capital, civic and political participation and the skills related to the economy and labour market. The cross-national consideration of the notions of vulnerability, inclusion and active citizenship underpins the complexity of translating these concepts into the national contexts of adult education programmes.

Research on adult, professional and vocational education in a global world is timely (Farrell & Fenwick, 2007). Globalisation and economic crises are the trends that most dramatically transform the social, political, economic and ecological spheres of our time and directly affect the everyday life of local communities and workplaces. Current challenges set compelling requirements for the working and learning of the members of communities. Over the past decades of adult, professional and vocational education research, researchers have increasingly addressed globalisation and its political, value-based and ethical underpinnings. Work-related learning and the workplace as an arena of learning and education is, in Fenwick's (2001) terms, a highly political space, in which the requirements of flexibility, specialisation, privatisation, and globalisation "change the nature and environment of work and the desires of workers" (ibid., p. 5). This book contributes to the current discussion on the global developments of working and learning in the fields of adult, professional and vocational education in Europe. These developments are full of paradoxes and contradictions, as Bratton et al. (2008) point out in their critical examination of workplace learning in advanced capitalist economies. It is therefore not an easy task to envision the future work and the learning options it will eventually offer to workers. We are living in times of uncertainty regarding the adult educational challenges on all societal levels of working and learning (Alheit, 2002/2004).

Purpose: Technological innovation and the flexibilisation of labour markets have expanded the pool of workers engaged in globally distributed work. This paper aims to propose an analytical framework to understand and support the productive professional learning of those engaged in global work. Drawing on the theory of expansive learning in the cultural-historical activity theory tradition the study aims to stimulate and enrich the conceptual notion of work as a learning space in the discussion of workplace learning particularly in global work. Design/methodology/approach: Iteration between theory and data is applied to identify the dimensions of expansion for the configuration of learning spaces in global work. Data are drawn from the experiences of 10 professionals selected by purposive sampling in Austria, Italy, the Netherlands and Singapore. Findings: Six dimensions of expansion are identified as challenging and potentially empowering for professionals' configuration of learning spaces in global work: social-spatial, material-instrumental, moral-ethical, political-economic, personal-professional and temporal-developmental. Originality/value: The conceptual framework for the dimensions of expansion of learning spaces provides the broad strokes for reflexive curricula that democratise the learning and development of professionals in global work, who are currently underserved given the national orientation of vocational education and training and professional development ecosystems. ; publishedVersion ; Peer reviewed

The symposium focuses on the role played by active citizenship and communication practices in contributing to social inclusion of young adults in vulnerable life situations. Engaging vulnerable young people through adult education has been strongly related to addressing the specific needs and requirements that would facilitate their participation in the social, economic and civic/political life in their country contexts. The paper draws on the key findings and conclusions of the Horizon 2020 project 'Adult Education as a Means to Active Participatory Citizenship' (EduMAP, 2017; 2019) conducted in 2016-2019. The project, which involved the partnership and cooperation of eight academic institutions in six European countries and one non-EU partner, aimed to advance understanding and further develop both the current and future impact of adult education on learning for active participatory citizenship in Europe and beyond. The methodological approach was based on both desk and empirical research, carried out through dedicated work packages. The project also involved undertaking a review of the relevant literature, including research publications, policy papers and statistics, relevant to the inclusion and participation of young adults. The EduMAP study involved researching 40 adult education programmes across 19 EU countries and Turkey. Fieldwork was carried out through individual and focus group interviews with 814 participants, including educational practitioners, policy-makers and young adults.