Learning biographies in adult education: A comparative study

Abstract

As pan of a larger study, including Germany and Poland, the author interviewed 30 people in Austria belonging to three different age groups in order to document and investigate their learning biographies. Particular emphasis was given to the influence and relevance for learning of critical incidents in the biographies of the interviewees. The author found a pattern of critical incidents in people's life histories, which can stimulate learning interests or raise therapeutic needs or lead to resignation. In the thematic analysis of the learning projects in people's biographies, the author highlights and elaborates on two related political issues: women's struggle for identity and the growth of environmental awareness. © 1996 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.