Continued Adult Education
The education of a person entails the experiences that one obtains from formal schooling to the construction of understanding through day-to-day life.
Hence, the development of theories such as the Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) by David Kolb and Multiple Intelligences (MI) acknowledges the differences among individuals, as they seek to construct an understanding of their internal and external environment. Education commences right at birth and continues throughout one’s life. Education comes from a variety of sources to different people, but a greater part of one’s own education is to great extent influenced by the family members as well as the society, from which an individual hails and, thus, becomes of relevance to discuss the continued adult education, which is relative to the context of sociology. Greenhouse (2013) asserts that with rapid technological, economic, and social changes in a dynamic society like the present one, initial education is now regarded to be inadequate, concerning preparing individuals and equipping them with the relevant skills and knowledge that is required for application in different fields and ways of life. This fact has necessitated the need for a wider provision of opportunities of adult education in a bid to address the current needs of the society and devise the best strategies to meet these needs effectively and most appropriately.
In the United States of America, quite a number of college and other higher learning scholars believe that their education ends once they are through with their studies at this level. However, this misconception has often rendered them incompetent over their fellows who see the need to pursue further studies in the job market. Usually, they consider it a waste of time and, therefore, do not see a need to enhance and improve on what they might have learnt. The introduction of technology to the workplace has quickened, forcing continuous training in all phases of production and service. It is imperative to consider furthering one’s studies, since in most of the employment sectors, employers seks to give priority to the best, competent, and highly ranked individuals and consider them for technical yet most paid jobs as well as promotions. As a result, most people all over the world, including the United States, have considered improving their skills and learning more through online training, since they still manage to engage in their daily activities and demands.
Adult education meet the demands not only of those seeking to further their studies but also those who might have left school due to economic constraints or even those who left school to create time for them to work but still desire to continue and complete their studies regardless of their age. Kasworm, Rose, & Ross-Gordon (2010) affirm that with the upward direction of educational demands for all employees, the quickening pace of technology, and change in the workplace, the world at large is undoubtedly embracing an era of permanent, continuing, lifelong learning for the individuals who want to stay occupationally successful.Continued adult education provides opportunities for such individuals to develop a dynamic attitude towards life. Accepting the fact that change is inevitable and all humans should endeavor to their level best to adjust to the social needs is necessary, and adult education is a prerequisite to acquiring the relevant skills necessary to achieving the potentials of their personalities. This will help them to understand their society and be able to be skillful enough to direct social change with regard to the making of key decisions that help to solve socioeconomic as well as political problems.
Mills (2013) opines that access to this kind of education exposes these individuals to the knowledge about their government, economics, international affairs, including a variety of aspects of the social order, so that these people can take part in them intelligently with informed ideas that are based on reality and current trends. With the growing need for information and knowledge, individuals have been compelled to access the internet that helps them obtain voluminous data to further their studies and keep themsellves updated about the current trends locally, regionally, or internationally. The dynamic nature of the society also compels individuals to keep at pace, and this has majorly contributed to the popularity of the need for education and quest for more and more knowledge regardless of the age bracket. Through continued research and analysis of data, individuals have seen the need for creating and developing a society to accommodate the growing needs and demands of people. As a result, through innovations and inventions, individuals have managed to shape the society to the best and friendlier way possible to meet these needs and demands through technological advancement. The current society demands that individuals solve their own problems, while they still can, since their destiny will be dictated by their own knowledge, intelligence, skills as well as their good will.
The only way through which the abilities of these individuals can be improved and nurtured is an adult education. Merriam & Brockett (2011) confirm that unless individuals are informed about the need to advance in their studies, the progress of the society will be doomed and without the way forward. Bridging the barriers to this kind of education will do well to the society by transforming individuals to understanding the importance of pursuing further studies, hence, enabling a large number of individuals to access information that is vital to further their skills.In conclusion, the implication about the growing need for a continuing adult education can be said to evoke some sociological inquiries as to whether this education will become mandatory to all competing organizations and if they will reconsider providing their employees with this education as well as the cost implication of the whole process if adopted. Practically, adult education is very cheap and affordable apart besides being convenient.
Should one desires for a better society, then there is no ruse than embracing this type of education, which is a good tool to help one identify, improve, and harbor one’s abilities to deal with the changes that people always face in the current society.
