Examining values in community stories of the electronic platform for adult learning in Europe

Abstract

This research aimed to examine the community stories of the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe (EPALE) to understand and manage the de facto learning needs of adults in Europe and whether it has the functional capacity to be considered an innovative tool. The EPALE demands high‐quality publication and provides users with six key content types (news, blogs, resources, events, discussions, and community stories) to read, write, and comment on. Specifically, this research delved just into the community stories. We used a qualitative research approach while designing the research in phenomenology. The series of data included adult educators' and learners' stories in the 2020 and 2021 EPALE Community Story Books, and in the EPALE. We employed descriptive and content analysis approaches to find values in the content of the community stories, including the views of 214 users regarding their experiences with adult education. Accordingly, the participants' community tales for 2020 were categorized into four key themes: social inclusion, work skills, basic skills, and culture. The 2021 community stories were categorized into three key themes: inclusive social change, digital transition, and life and work skills. These findings showed the de facto learning themes of adults in Europe. As a result, we understood that community stories and the EPALE are effective adult education tools for gathering and disseminating users' views and experiences to understand diverse learning patterns, which has an influence on the success of adult education implementations.

Learning beyond the school setting—Lifelong learning in various learning contexts and social units

“…Lifelong learning can happen in an online community space too. Durnali and Ocak (2023) examined the stories of adult educators and learners in the 2020 and 2021 EPALE Community Story Books in the EPALE (https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en), an electronic platform for adult learning in Europe, to understand the learning needs of adults. They highlighted that the participants' community tales were categorized into seven key themes: social inclusion, work skills, basic skills, culture, inclusive social change, digital transition, and life and work skills.…”

“…As mothers with foreign backgrounds, they had to navigate and negotiate their motherhood within the cultural context of South Korea. This study highlights the active efforts of marriage-immigrant Filipinas in seeking external support networks in South Korea and broadening their perspectives, which can contribute to acculturation theory and adult learning theories.Lifelong learning can happen in an online community space too Durnali and Ocak (2023). examined the stories of adult educators and learners in the 2020 and 2021 EPALE Community Story Books in the EPALE (https://epale.…”