Sociology of Adult Education

There is a very clear yet broad central thesis within Lindeman's article on the Sociology of Adult Education. Reading the article, Lindeman breaks down the content into four distinct statements: 1) Adult education gives rise to new social forms, 2) Adult education is social education for purposes of social change, 3) Adult education is a laboratory for democratic experience and 4) Adult education is contemporary problem-solving. He uses these as his framework for his article and proves out each in the subsequent paragraphs after each statement. However, these sentences in the second section boils down those four statements into a central theme, "All education is imbued with purpose. What distinguishes adult education is the fact that its purpose is definitely social" (Lindeman, 1945, p. 8).

Lindeman's central thesis corresponds to my own view of adult education in that when adult is compared with childhood education, it's illustrative to look at children's education and understand it's limitations, capabilities, and intent, to help understand and provide points of comparison for adult education limitation, capabilities, and intents. If childhood education provides foundational learning elements, creates fundamental academic understanding, and a framework for future learning opportunities, then what is the purpose of adult education. It's no longer to provide fundamentals, a framework, instilling foundations.



I look at the learning community I support and look at the intent behind the adult education we provide. Safety and compliance training for employees and workers entering the workforce to support petrochemical and oil refining resources is the first and most obvious answer, but to what end? To keep the workers safe, would be the immediate answer, but there are mechanical and behavior controls that can be designed that would be more effective than the administrative control of training. So, to encourage greater safety standards or progressively safer workplaces, as well as to provide safe workplaces for the workers. Both of these correspond to Lindeman's thesis that adult education is distinguished by its purpose being social in nature.



Lindeman, E. C. (1945). The Sociology of Adult Education. Journal of Educational Sociology, 19(1), 4-13. https://doi.org/10.2307/2263073