Lifelong learning in the context of European vector of pedagogical science

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V. Sukhomlynsky State Scientific and Pedagogical Library of Ukraine

Lifelong learning in the context of European vector of pedagogical science

Ігупа Bilotserkivets

Ukraine

Анотація

Ірина Білоцерківець

Державна науково-педагогічна бібліотека України імені В. О. Сухомлинського, Україна

Освіта упродовж життя у контексті європейського вектора педагогічної науки

Глобалізаційні та інтеграційні тенденції, світові освітні процеси, які поширюються у соціумі та висувають нові вимоги до педагогічної науки і практики, зорієнтовують освітню спільноту на стрижневі концептуальні ідеї, принципи та підходи, характерні для європейської освіти.

Ключові слова: освіта упродовж життя; безперервна освіта; освіта дорослих; особистісний розвиток; професійний розвиток; міжнародна документація; сталий розвиток суспільства.

Abstract

Global and integral tendencies, world educational processes that are widely developed in society and require new approaches in educational sciences and practices, have the educational society oriented to the cardinal conceptual ideas and principles inherent to European education.

The author, on the basis of analysis, and using scientific methods of synthesis and data generalization, makes an attempt of representing the necessity of following the provisions of Memorandum on Lifelong Learning, Copenhagen declaration, Bologne declaration, International standard education classification, other legislative acts and documents, in reforming and modernization of the educational sphere in Ukraine. The research of scientists of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine has been also analyzed in order to prove and to substantiate the requirement of time - to introduce lifelong education and to study its peculiarities and all aspects in all their variety. The author outlines the main conceptual notions of the research and connected notions, namely lifelong learning, adult education, continuous education, and others.

Functions of educational activities are briefly outlined for better understanding of their value under contemporary conditions; the role and meaning of lifelong education for individual and professional development and self-perfection are revealed.

The topicality of the analytical research presented is also stipulated by the fact that the basis of the globalized world is “knowledge society“, and information becomes a tool of achieving success in personal life and profession. Lifelong education will also increase the intellectual potential of every individual and every state; thus, this new trend in education will provide an effective response to modern challenges, it will improve the educational system as a whole and will increase economic competition.

Therefore, revealing the content and the significance of the terms under research: lifelong education, adult education, continuous education, their functions in the contemporary world that undergoes processes of globalization and internalization, will provide the possibility of introducing the new educational processes and phenomena.

Research potential and educational sciences can be enriched with further scientific studies in the direction for a successful and sustainable development of society.

Keywords: lifelong education; continuous education; adult education; personal development; professional development; international documents; sustainable development of society.

Introduction

The issue under research. The fact is obvious that the “knowledge society” will become in future the basis for a globalized world, where information will play a leading role. The following analytical study, based on analysis of scientific literature in the sphere of education, psychology, and pedagogics, and corresponding documentation is a substantiation of the necessity to develop new methods and technologies, approaches and conceptualizations in the educational field in order to prove the effective value of lifelong learning and the necessity to introduce it widely.

New trends in world and Ukrainian education, bearing in mind state and global interests, as well as the need of achieving stable and sustainable development in general, require the cardinal conceptual approaches and development principles of educational activities stated in Memorandum on Lifelong Education [8], Copeanhagen Declaration, Bologne Declaration, other legislative documents to be widely introduced and followed in general educational institutions, in short-time courses for increasing work-proficiency, in educational establishments for adults etc, covering all the variety of educational agents. The expediency of introduction of lifelong education has been proven and substantiated by the research of the leading scientists of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine and the world.

The authors of the Strategy of Development of Education in Ukraine for 2022-2023 (zakon.rada.gov.ua) note that due to its specific functions, lifelong education is capable to:

- secure social partnership of educators in training qualified personnel;

- increase the society status and the competitiveness of a country/state;

- substantiate ideas, principles, and strategies of scientific and methodic support of students and adults of different categories;

- improve methodologic and psychologic bases of vocational guidance.

The high priority of lifelong education can be explained by the requirement of development of inclusive and innovational, interlinked European space of higher education till 2030 ... and overcoming challenges through, in part, digitalization, virtual mobility, student-centered learning and teaching [https://mon.gov.ua/storage/app/media/news/2022/04/15/VO.plan.2022-2032/Stratehiya.rozv.VO- 23.02.22.pdf].

The document also stresses that “strategic and operational aims in terms of fundamental and applied research as the basis for effective higher education and science popularization, ... are aimed at securing Ukraine's integration to European research space”.

One of the main competencies the students have to master during their lives is a language competence, namely English language competence: without progress in this urgent issue there is only s restricted success in the development of international mobility, joint educational programs and research with scientists of different world universities, attracting the best foreign experience and foreign investments is possible, as the document states.

Analysis of research and publications on the issue. The phenomenon of lifelong education, gaining value in its content and significance, and in correspondance with world tendencies and innovations, requires more profound studies, theoretic and methodologic substantiations, technics and methods developed both on theoretic and practice level.

Some scientists (N. Kokolasakis, M. Kohan, O. Nalyvaiko [4] and others) argue that the term “lifelong education” can be viewed from various points of view and contains a number of other, synonym meanings that can be attributed to the specifics of translation and\or various interpretations depending on a resercher's scientific position and due to the time factor - scientific phenomena have an ability to vary, in other words - time can change some meaning or an aspect of meaning of any term.

S. Sysoieva et al. state that the complex interdisciplinary character of the issue under research requires various approaches to its investigation to be applied in the contemporary scientific thought and its essence requires to be determined as polysemantic one, with definisional qualities [7].

The researchers, among synonymic meanings of “lifelong education”, also distinguish such notions as “adult education”, “continuous education”, as well as other notions that constitute a “conceptual sphere” of the term (R. Edwards).

V. Kremen, the President of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, underlines that lifelong education becomes especially important under current conditions as an effective response to global challenges of time and is required for efficient modernization and reforming of education in Ukraine and the world. “In the 21^st century, lifelong education can be viewed as the fundamentals of human development and society progress” [3].

Scientific investigations on different aspects of higher education, adult education, educational, culture and philosophic issues that correspond to the subject under research are reflected in the source base, namely in the works “Philosophy of Human-Centeredness in Educational Space Strategies” (Kremen V.), “Philosophy of National Idea. Humanity. Education. Society” (Kremen V.), “Continuous Professional Education in the European Union Documents” (Sysoieva S., Zaskaleta S.), “Continuous Professional Education: Philosophy, Pedagogical Paradigms, Prognosis” (Andrushchenko V., Ziaziun I., Sysoieva S. et al.), “Education and Personality in the Conditions of Postindustrial Society” (Sysoieva S.), “Higher Education of Ukraine and the Bologna process” (Stepko M., Boliubash Ya., Shynkaruk V. et al.; ed. Kremen V.), “Philosophy of Human-Centeredness in the Educational Space” (Kremen V.) and others.

Scientists determine lifelong education as a repeatedly renewed education or a planned strategy of study all life long (D. Kallen), as education and learning during all age stages (UNESCO), some researchers argue that under modern conditions a human being should study all one's life and practice self-education, if he\she has an intention to be an active member of society (S. Filonovych).

The theme of the significance of lifelong education was an object of research of F. Makhlup (a conception, according to which there is a “space\distance” between present and future knowledge, as a characteristic of the quality and the depth of knowledge obtained in the past, in the present, and in the future, that is any knowledge has to correspond to contemporary requirements), P. Night, M. Khatton, Ye. Ihnatovych, P. Satton,

S. Parsons and other researchers in Ukraine and abroad. According to the research results, knowledge begins to lose its value due to appearance of new one in less than five years, that is why continuous education introduced can be a solution to the problem.

Scientist such as O. Anishchenko, S. Arkhipova, S. Boltivets, V. Kremen, L. Berezivska, I. Ziaziun, O. Ohienko, V. Rybalka, S. Sysoieva, L. Khoruzha at el. have also made a great contribution to the investigation of the issue.

Aim of the paper - on the basis of analysis of scientific literature and international legislative documents, to reveal and to make urgent the significance of new educational trends in educational science, namely: “lifelong education”, “lifelong learning”, “continuous education”, “adult education”, through, in part, aims and functions of these phenomena determined.

Research methods used while compiling the study: analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization of data.

Statement of the main issue

Analysis of various aspects of the ability to apply obtained knowledge in practice, to solve practical tasks form the basis for better understanding of the contemporary and further tendencies, factors and regularities of educational branch development, considering lifelong education as a prevailing trend for future.

The development of educational science, reformations of the educational sphere have determined new scientific directions and approaches and have elaborated the themes of research, have enriched its notions apparatus; therefore new methods and new methodology should be developed in order to secure effective learning and vocational guidance under contemporary circumstances: instability, distant work and study, crisis conditions etc.

As for onthologic level, lifelong study is determined as an educational element in general and as a certain order, theory and practice of education being interdetermined and intersupplied. The holistic perception of the phenomenon of education all life long is possible in the plane of comprehension of methodic research of problems, conceptions, theories (S. Sysoieva [7]).

The investigation of the subject under research envisages such approaches to be realized:

- systemic and holistic;

- competence;

- axiologic (value; the main value being - self-development and self-realization of a student and a teacher);

- concrete and historic;

- comparative;

- civilization\determined by civilization development regularities;

- culturelogic;

- activity;

- oriented to formation of all-round developed personality (S. Sysoieva [7]).

The role of continuous education is a key one in solving global educational problems and challenges [8, p. ^1-2].

Taking into consideration that no term has a unified and a single determination, which can be attributed to the specific of translation and interpretation, and to the complexity of the structure of the phenomenon, its operational and other components, it seems advisable to reveal, according to the scientific sources, the primary element of the notion “lifelong education”, which contain the cardinal meaning for a number of assimilated terms within the study.

Education is a purposeful process and a system for securing interests of humanity, society, and the state. The functions of education, including lifelong education, analyzed, as well as new trends and innovational tendencies in the social development testify that the educational sphere has to be oriented onto the leading, conceptual ideas and characteristics of European development.

As it was mentioned above, the multisemantical structure of the notion “education”, “lifelong education” and any other term can not be interpreted in a single determination: in a constantly changing world, education of people has to be dynamic and mobile, and every age stage should be accompanied by a number of skills learned.

Innovational search, national peculiarities and global modernization tendencies are determined by scientists as the pivots of contemporary education.

It should be mentioned that the category “continuous education” has a variative terminology, namely, in part, adult education, continuing education, further education, recurrent education, envisaging that study should be supplied by work\practical activity, permanent education, lifelong learning etc. [6, p. 1].

UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning uses the definition of “lifelong education” as follows: ... lifelong education is based on the integration of study and real life, covers learning activities for persons of any age independent of sex, and in any environment: family, school, work place, etc. and through different ways: formal, informal, non-formal, which being applied as a whole secure a wide spectrum of educational requirements.

Conceptual field of the notions under research cover some including data and information, in part objectives, results and other; their study will contribute to more profound comprehension of terms and their corresponding phenomena.

Thus, the consideration of goals and prognoses, results etc. of education as the basis of the notions spectrum: lifelong education, continuing education, adult education has been provided below.

One of the functions of education is harmonious development of a personality, cultivating dignity and providing a possibility to be a part of a free society, according to the provisions of the international law.

The conception of lifelong education has been defined by members of the World Economic Forum in Davos (2020) as a very important one, taking into consideration its functions and prognoses, namely (www.epravda.com.ua):

1. Workers have to be retrained, and future work personnel should be ready for activities that are not existing yet;

2. Non-academic (soft) skills will be of the same significance as academic (hard) ones;

3. Private and state sectors have to cooperate in order to overcome any challenges etc.

In order to substantiate the necessity of introducing the following educational concepts, the strategic provisions of European education development stated in the documents “Europe - 2020: Strategy for clever, sustainable and inclusive development” and “Strategic frame Program for European cooperation in the educational field: education and learning 2020” (Strategy “Europe - 2020: in the center - humanity - European dialogue” http:/ / dialog.lviv.ua) should be noted, in part the three priorities:

1) clever growth of economy based on knowledge and innovations;

2) contributing to effective using of resources, development of more ecologic and competitive innovational economy;

3) inclusive character, that is stimulating economy with high level of employment that will contribute to social justice.

The document also defines such strategic objectives of education development:

1) wide usage of lifelong learning and mobility of students;

2) contributing to innovations and creativity, including enterprise on all levels of education;

3) developing of efficient means of motivating professional and pedagogical training in formal and nonformal contexts, etc.

In proving the importance of new educational lines introduction, it should be noted that considering variants of youth vocational training and retraining of millions of people, the world leaders suggest four ways of solving the problem of reforming the educational branch:

- lifelong education;

- development of soft skills;

- study at work place. This form of study can be more important than traditional (formal) education. For example, Apple, Google, IBM companies do not require a compulsory college education.

- inclusive character. Attracting to lifelong education of women, persons older than 40 years, people with special needs will be of strategic and tactical significance for the future.

Conception of continuous education is a leading one today for educational policy on the national and on the international levels. Viewing it from historical perspective, one can conclude that new conception of education all life long as an effective response to challenges of time and the necessity of its implementation were stipulated by objective factors. In 1970-1980, continuing education was oriented to providing the non- privileged strata of society with the possibility to change a status through increasing educational level.

At the beginning of 2000, lifelong education was interpreted mainly as a means of adaptation of work resources to technologic modifications.

As for today's realities, lifelong education conception cultivates personal perfection motives. One of surveys among respondents-citizens of the EU, has demonstrated that 70% of persons have an intention to study. Along with that, 80% think that education should improve their professional activities, and 72% - their personal life [6, c. 1-2].

International Commission on Education of 21^st century suggests four guidelines for lifelong education: 1 - to learn to know; 2 - to learn to do; 3 - to learn to be; 4 - to learn to live together.

It was the Sorbonne Declaration of 1998 that mentions for the first time the term “continuing education”, later this phenomenon was used as a lexical unit “education and training throughout life” and further as “lifelong education” in the Bologne Declaration. The authors of the Bologne Declaration also stress that lifelong education conception has to solve important social and economic tasks of increasing competitiveness in conditions of new technologies, society of equal possibilities etc. (Bologne Convention, 2005 [9]).

The interpretation of “adult education” appeared for the first time in UNESCO Recommendations on educating adult persons approved in 1976 in Nairobi. This definition was renewed at the 6^th Belem conference in 2009 “Life and lifelong study for successful future - the rower of adult education” after the results of which Belem Framework for Action in 2009 were published.

New technologies appeared stipulate the search for new ways of teaching and forming necessary skills for adults. Independent learning, including that in informational centers, university or college libraries, scientific specialized libraries, through internet etc. is one of the ways [dnpb.gov.ua].

It is advisable to pay additional attention to intersuppliance of modern methods of psychologic and educational diagnostics, to training the educators for detecting and supporting the academic, intellectual, aesthetic gifts of talented youth, as well as to developing practical intelligence.

This task requires from an educator the corresponding psychologic and pedagogic competence and readiness to carry out educational vocational guidance at various stages of a person's self-determination, beginning from primary school [1]. Competitiveness of students of different ages as future professionals that are successful in their activities and life has to be a part of the new model and the content of education.

Besides, high level of competitiveness can be reached thank to lifelong education functions implemented such as:

a) formational. It secures a certain level of competency, an adequate emotional and will sphere of a person, forms behavioral patterns, a person's readiness to perform different social roles and types of activities;

b) technologic, that is securing a “background” - formation of knowledge and skills of civil, management and professional activity;

c) communicative - it develops communicative skills and competencies in different spheres and activities;

d) humanistic - education of tolerance, morality, comprehension and adherence to human values.

UNESCO Recommendations as of November 13 2015 note that adult education and study are the central components of lifelong education.

The Law of Ukraine on Education (zakon.gov.ua) states that adult education is an element of lifelong education and is directed at the implementation of every person's right to continuous education with all his\her needs and priorities of society taken into account.

In order to comprehend the essence of the phenomena under research, it is important to mention that the project of the Law of Ukraine on Adult Education (http://mon.gov.ua) declares the main goals for lifelong education such as:

- to create conditions for development of adult education based on its complex understanding in terms of value for society and significance;

- to define priority lines of adult education which, on the one hand, will secure formation of key competencies recommended by the European Union for adults;

- to systematize adult education;

- to determine principles of cooperation between the state, local self-governments and adult education providers;

- to lay down legal framework for new institutions activities in the sphere of adult education.

At present, alternative models of learning are looked for in Ukraine; considerable positive changes have occur in the informational and library provision of educational science and practice - webportals in leading scientific libraries are functioning, branch resources are constantly filled and renewed, electronic catalogues at libraries offer a full-text databases etc.

In recent years, the legislative base of Ukraine has been improved in terms of securing sustainable development and efficiency of education, namely a number of legislative documents has been developed and introduced (Provision on Distant Learning, Order of Inclusive Learning Organization in General Educational Institutions, Conception of Inclusive Education Development and other documents in the field of education).

Lifelong education can be interpreted as a personal and a social phenomenon, an activity, a process, a system or\and an interaction. The scientific comprehension of lifelong education as a set of several aspects: learning, upbringing, development and self-development, adherence to world and national cultural norms, is well substantiated in the pedagogical science. The implementation of sociocultural aspect of lifelong education will enable progressive economic, social, cultural development of society - this thesis\provision proves the necessity of lifelong education for all categories of citizens. Some authors argue that the upbringing potential and the national elements should not be forgotten in the content of lifelong education [1].

In determining the notions “education” and "upbringing”, education can be viewed as preparation to self-education, and upbringing as a preparation to self-upbringing. A resultative paradigm should be introduced into lifelong education based on competence approach with all key moments of educational branch development, as it has been already stated above: modernization, global tendencies and national traditions [1, p. 8-10].

In connection with this postulate, it should be mentioned that the Educational Commission of the European Council define a competence as an ability to apply the obtained knowledge in the process of study in various situations of real life. UNESCO determines the notion of competence as a set of knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes applicable in everyday life.

Language competence can be considered a cardinal one required by 21^st century. In part, learning of two foreign languages has been defined a strategic priority in the Council Conclusions on a Strategic Framework for European Cooperation in Education and Training ET 2020.

Besides, as one of vital importance, the tendency of training a modern professional has been distinguished - formation of the ability of lifelong learning\continuous education and using professional and key innovational competencies. educational lifelong professional

The results of scientific sources analysis testify that the issue of lifelong education is gaining significance, especially in terms of its psychological aspect: ability of personality to study all one's life long require further research, as well as the study for developing learning habits, time management, priority choice in work activities and other important issues.

The educational line for 21^st century is oriented, besides lifelong education, onto free development of a personality and one's creativity manifested in all variety. Creativity and life creativity, being ones of most significant competencies for future, are especially required at present, under current conditions: introduction of new educational technologies, information and communicational technologies, competence education development, distant learning, interactive methods elaboration, educational media development etc. Council of Europe determines also a competence of living in multicultural society as one of high priority. This competence covers a number of skills, namely tolerance, skills of communication, diplomacy, soft skills (nonacademic skills) in general etc.

Conclusions

The scientific novelty of the analytic research is in the substantiation of the necessity to introduce and to investigate new scientific approaches to educational activity, in part - lifelong education; this necessity has been proved by using methods of analysis, synthesis and generalization of scientific sources data: international documentation in the sphere of education, works of scientists of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine and foreign scientists. The value of the research in the practical plane is a substantiation of the necessity to make urgent the development of innovational methods, technics, and ways, as well as technologies of lifelong learning and study in order to increase the competitiveness of the country and of the person.

Education in general, its content and forms have to correspond to the requirements of 21^st century: new times demand an innovational personality to be formed that is able to get and to retranslate knowledge, and to perfect the environment and oneself. As the President of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences states: "Today a person can not be satisfied only with a stable profit ... Constant changes in social life will require permanent perfection of one's skills and knowledge” [3].

In view of contemporary challenges and crises, lifelong education becomes more and more urgent; and a deep and holistic research of the educational phenomena and their peculiarities is necessary for effective modernization and reforming of the educational sphere.

The conclusion that lifelong education becomes a priority in the 21^st century has been determined also by the changes that can be traced in the world: in transition from industrial production to scientific and informational technologies, constant\continuous education is an indispensible part of development and a compulsory condition in securing the competitiveness of the country. For, in contrast to the industrial environments, scientific and informational environments will be guided by the intellectual levels of a personality, every person's skills to work in correspondence with realities [3].

Reforms in the educational sphere have defined new directions of pedagogical science, have outlined new approaches in pedagogy and psychology, have enriched the scientific term apparatus in the educational science, and that was the reason for the analytic study presented above, aimed at popularization of the latest achievements in educational science and practice and making urgent some issues that require further research and wider introduction in practical activities.

Lifelong education conception is a leading one under current conditions at international and national levels. Viewing it from a historic perspective, one can conclude that the necessity of lifelong education was stipulated by objective factors. Changes in the educational field, its requirements for modernizations and transformations, demand from the researchers a search for new ways of improving the possibilities of personal and professional perfection in order to secure the competitiveness of the state.

Prospects for further research. The results of the study have proved the need of more research on lifelong education and its peculiarities and aspects, considering today's realities and Ukraine's and world legislation.

Additional research is needed for modern integrational and global tendencies, foremost new directions and approaches in education and psychology, among which: training of academic (hard) skills, non-academic (soft) skills, adaptive education, art-pedagogics, bilingual approach, osvitolohiia, creativity and life creativity that will contribute to a successful cooperation in various social groups, and will satisfy the need of selfcognition and self-perfection of every person and society in general.

Besides, research of progressive and innovational foreign educational systems, for example ones of Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland or others, can be of scientific interest and practical usage, as well as investigation of foreign countries experience in providing lifelong education, continuous education, adult education etc.

References

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