Educational Leave as a Time Resource for Participation in Adult Learning and Education (ALE)

Abstract

The study investigates effects of the implementation of a law authorizing educational leave in Germany on individual participation in adult learning and education (ALE). In 2015, the federal state of Baden-Württemberg introduced the so-called Bildungszeitgesetz, legitimating an exemption for eligible employees of up to 5 days per year with continued payment of salary. Explaining participation in ALE is a central subject of educational research at national and international level. Current theoretical assumptions of rational choice and empirical findings of educational and socio-statistical research suggest that within the general population, individuals' availability of time affects the decision to participate and therefore lastly determines participation in ALE. However, current academia mainly discusses time as either a prerequisite for learning activities or as an observable outcome of participation and not as an explanatory factor. Furthermore, since recent studies remain on a descriptive level regarding influences of time on participation in ALE, no causal effects of the availability of time on participation are estimated. Hence, our study addresses this research gap by investigating effects of educational policy interventions such as the Bildungszeitgesetz on participation in ALE. Policy interventions are ideally suited to examine the significance of time resources for participation, as the implementation of the Bildungszeitgesetz provides a specific timeframe for employees to participate in ALE outside of their working time. Drawing on data from the German National Educational Panel Study, we employ a difference-indifferences estimation strategy with propensity score matching and instrumental variable to identify the direct causal effect of the implementation of the Bildungszeitgesetz on participation in ALE (N = 709). This combination toward causal inference controls for observed and unobserved baseline differences as well as heterogeneous treatment effects. The results reveal a non-significant but heterogeneous treatment effect of the implementation of the Bildungszeitgesetz on individual participation in ALE. Contrary to our theoretical assumptions derived from rational choice approaches, we cannot confirm the hypothesis that the availability of time resources due to the implementation of the Bildungszeitgesetz causes a positive effect on participation in ALE. Furthermore, the results reveal that the implementation causes decreasing participation rates for younger adults, women and significantly for migrants.

On the Effect of Employer Offered Leave of Work on Participation in Continuing Vocational Education and Training – Investigating the Intention-Behavior Relation

“…To explain such patterns, scholars build on different theoretical approaches. This includes the theory of human capital (e.g., Becker, 2019), rational choice approaches (e.g., Rüter et al, 2020), expectation-value theory (e.g., Gorges and Kandler, 2012) or the theory of planned behavior (for details: see theoretical framework). In a review of antecedents for formal and informal work-related learning, Kyndt and Baert (2013) identified a total of 117 antecedents of participation covering socio-demographic, personal and job characteristics, characteristics of the learning activity as well as the company and the broader context.…”

“…The perspective by Walter and Müller (2014) on the significance of resources in explaining participation is particularly evident considering the importance of time as a scarce resource (Klein, 2007) and deciding factor for participation (Rüter et al, 2020). Resulting opportunity costs for activity participation lead to time rivalries "between work, family and recreation on one hand and learning on the other" (Schmidt-Lauff and Bergamini, 2017, p. 157).…”

“…Although current academia argues for the significance of individual time-availabilities for participation in educational activities (e.g., Schmidt-Lauff and Bergamini, 2017), empirical studies aiming at causal inferences on such effects are still rare (Rüter et al, 2020). This insight follows an earlier call for "further study of the relationship between the motivation to participate in CVET, the ways in which this is translated into real participation, and the impact of time as a resource in this process, both independently and in relation with other resources" (Sellin and Elson-Rogers, 2003, p. 29).…”

“…Furthermore, the time required for participation rivals with other time commitments in adults' private and professional lives (Schmidt-Lauff, 2008;Schmidt-Lauff and Bergamini, 2017). Thereby, opportunity costs for activity participation increase (Klein, 2007), and the availability of temporal resources becomes a deciding factor for participation in educational activities (Rüter et al, 2020). Although academia approaches time-related constraints as the main barrier in accessing educational activities, the corresponding literature is dominated by qualitative studies (e.g., Schmidt-Lauff, 2008;Denninger et al, 2020;Siegfried and Berger, 2020) and multivariate analyses based on crosssectional survey data (e.g., Boeren, 2011;BMBF, 2017).…”

“…Contrasting the subjective perspective, Boeren (2011) emphasized that time-related constraints due to high workingtime can be considered a real and thus objective barrier. However, Rüter et al (2020) highlighted that causal evidence on the impact of individual time-availabilities on participation in educational activities is scarce and methodologically limited in current research.…”