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Lifelong Learning: Researching a Contested Concept in the Twenty-First Century

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Third International Handbook of Lifelong Learning

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

Abstract

This chapter critically reflects on research on lifelong learning in the twenty-first century in three sections. The first section provides a brief overview of the history of lifelong learning, from its emergence in the 1960s to the present day, which we have categorized into three generations. In the “first generation” of lifelong learning, situated in the 1960s and 1970s, the concept was rooted in a progressive policy agenda invoking a broader learning perspective, although much of the research focused on the formal educational system. In the 1980s, in what has been labelled “the second generation,” driven by a neoliberal political economy, the discourse shifted towards investment in human capital and employability. The period of the “third generation” balanced the humanistic and instrumental approaches of the two previous generations while still prioritizing the employability aspect. The second section reviews previous research on lifelong learning, focusing on research for lifelong learning policy and research of lifelong learning policy. The third section discusses contemporary trends in research on lifelong learning and uses the UN Sustainability agenda to outline a research program that will consider long-standing social and economic challenges, made even more acute in the Covid-19 world. Against the background of the insights gathered from 70 years of research on lifelong learning and the dramatic inequalities that challenge the future of our societies, there is a need to go beyond the current focus on measurable outcomes and the utilitarian skills agenda in favor of greater attention to the democratic, nonformal, and pedagogical dimensions of lifelong learning.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. King’s College London, London, UK

    Maren Elfert

  2. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

    Kjell Rubenson

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  1. Maren Elfert
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  2. Kjell Rubenson
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Correspondence to Maren Elfert .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK

    Karen Evans

  2. Lifelong Learning Institute, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore, Singapore

    Wing On Lee

  3. 3S Research and Consultancy Insitute, Vienna, Austria

    Jörg Markowitsch

  4. Dept of Psychosocial Studies, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK

    Miriam Zukas

Section Editor information

  1. Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK

    Miriam Zukas

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Elfert, M., Rubenson, K. (2022). Lifelong Learning: Researching a Contested Concept in the Twenty-First Century. In: Evans, K., Lee, W.O., Markowitsch, J., Zukas, M. (eds) Third International Handbook of Lifelong Learning. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67930-9_48-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67930-9_48-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-67930-9

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