New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education

Digital technology and Internet have been combined with modern people's life, and the combination of bit technology with network communication systems largely change people's lifestyles. Along with the popularity of education, the application of digital technology also enhances the basic changes of learning methods and learning contents. Adult and continuing education practitioners are the core group of staff that enable the lifelong learning enterprise. However, there are few studies that look into the domain of practice of these practitioners, which is shaped by the organisation and its wider external milieux. With advancements taking place and initiation of modern, scientific and innovative methods in all fields, the significance of research has been comprehensively recognized. The individuals working in all areas and fields need to recognize the significance of research and put into operation, creative methods to generate the desired outcomes. In higher educational institutions, the research methods are put into operation, primarily when the individuals are working on research papers or research projects. The professors and educationists need to conduct research with diligence and resourcefulness, as it is regarded as an integral part of their job duties.

This book aims to cover some of the most promising trends in furthering education and professional development in a variety of settings and industries. A knowledge base constitutes theories of adult learning and practice. Its generation is determined by what counts as knowledge and how this is produced. Until now, academics have been the ma in producers of knowledge about the field, which raises questions about the inclusiveness and validity of their knowledge claims. Graduate programs can contribute to professionalization through their ability to foster a professional identity of adult education by way of legitimizing the field as an academic discipline. As such, it is a focal point for scholarship in perpetuating production of the knowledge base. It also serves as the channel for practitioners to improve their knowledge and skills of practice. However, the value of graduate study is limited by the ways in which field-based practitioners view the merit of such forms of training in comparison with those provided by associations o-f personnel development and training.