Responsibility as the Result of Life Experience through the Adult Learners’ Eyes

Abstract

The meaning of responsibility, especially in young adults, plays an important role in contemporary life. It has an impact on the family life, social relations, ways of a work performance and many other aspects. The problem of taking responsibility by present-day people is discussed on different levels and in different areas. The point of view of adult learners of the formal education system still remains overlooked in academic discourse. This article presents adult learners' understanding of the concept of adulthood and its important component, responsibility. The present study examined opinions of learners attending upper secondary school for adults, using the phenomenography method. In anonymous survey with open-ended questions, 94 voluntary participants (aged 18-63) took part. This qualitative study examined how adult learners begin to recognize the importance of a sense of responsibility for themselves and how it influences their life. The results of the study indicate the traditional understanding of the concept of adulthood by adult learners. Personal development, as a result of a variety of life experiences, makes increase of the importance of responsibility for themselves, their family and surrounding. Though different life difficulties, awkwardness, lack of autonomy, the value of responsibility becomes more significant.