Editorial policy

The Journal of Vocational, Adult and Continuing Education and Training (JOVACET) recognises the need for critical engagement through studies in TVET and Adult and Continuing education and training, and for encouraging critical scrutiny of this expansive knowledge area on the African continent.

Call for papers, JOVACET 5(1), 2022

You are invited to submit an article for the fifth volume of JOVACET to be published in October/November 2022. JOVACET is an accredited publication with the Department of Higher Education and Training. Articles should be topical with regard to current debates/discourses and recent research in the TVET, adult, and continuing education and training domains. Submissions should be of high quality and follow academic research/writing conventions of journal articles in the social sciences. Specifications can be found on the JOVACET website (www.jovacet.ac.za) or obtained from Dr Catherine Robertson at [email protected]. Articles should comprise a maximum of 8000 words, which include the abstract of approximately 200 words and a list of references, and be submitted in MS Word format via the journal website at www.jovacet.ac.za or emailed to Dr Catherine Robertson at [email protected]. Kindly follow the style guide which is provided on the website. We look forward to receiving your submissions! Due date for full paper submissions: 15 April 2022

Between PIAAC and the New Literacy Studies. What adult education can learn from large-scale assessments without adopting the neo-liberal paradigm

With this book we present a selection of articles that critically deal with (internationally comparative) large-scale assessments. We acknowledge that studies such as PIAAC are often designed, financed and implemented on the basis of neo-liberal worldviews. Nevertheless, we would like to use the articles that are presented here to show the various ways in which adult and continuing education can benefit and learn from the knowledge that they generate. In PIAAC, for example, there are huge differences between the surveyed variables and the theoretical frameworks on literacies and literacy practices that the New Literacy Studies (NLS) have brought out. This book features eleven articles, which – with the NLS’s theoretical considerations and points of criticism in mind – find new and alternative evaluations and interpretations of the data. Not only can they show effects of marginalization on a large scale, but the data can also provide information about mechanisms of power in relation to literacy and basic competencies.

Assessing adult and continuing education needs in South Korea metropolitan areas using Borich’s needs assessment model

Purpose This study aims to examine residents’ perceptions of adult and continuing education (ACE) in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do and Incheon in South Korea, by conducting a needs assessment of university degree programs for adults. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses Borich’s educational needs formula and Hershkowitz’s criticality function on the data obtained from a survey of 1,500 residents of the three regions to determine their priorities for degree programs. Findings The results show that the top priorities for degree programs in Seoul are computer information and communication and therapeutic health. In Gyeonggi-do, the top priorities are computer information and communication, language and literature and business and economics. In Incheon, participants prefer computer information and communication, agriculture, forestry and fisheries and therapeutic health, in that order. Originality/value This study examines Koreans’ perceptions of ACE and conducts a needs assessment to determine their priorities for university degree programs in metropolitan areas in Korea. It provides practical information for policymakers and universities who design and implement ACE programs.