Legitimisation of non-participation in adult education and training: the situational logic of decision-making

Figures & data

Table 1. Participation in AET in European Union (27 countries).

	2005	2010	2015	2020
Participation of adults (25–64 years)	7.7	7.8	10.1	9.2
Participation of adults with ISCED 02 and lower (25–64 years)	2.6	3.2	4.0	3.4
Participation of adults (55–74 years)	2.3	2.8	4.3	3.5
Participation of adults outside the labour force	6.2	6.6	8.1	7.7

Data: Labour Force Survey (2021). Participation the period of four weeks before the survey. Data in per cents.

Table 2. Population not wanting to participate in education and training by main reasons (source: Eurostat 2021a).

Reason for non-participation in AET	Population	2011	2016	Absolute change 2011 to 2016*	Relative change 2011 to 2016
„No need“ (mainly dispositional barriers)	ISCED 3–8	68.3	79.4	+ 11.1	+ 16
	ISCED 0–2	68.7	70.1	+ 1.4	+ 2
	Age 25–54 years	60.2	73.9	+ 13.7	+ 23
	Age 55–64 years	73.2	79.9	+ 6.7	+ 9
„Personal“ (mainly situational barriers)	ISCED 3–8	12.5	8.4	− 4.1	− 33
	ISCED 0–2	12.2	13.6	+ 1.4	+ 11
	Age 25–54 years	15.5	8.6	− 6.9	− 45
	Age 55–64 years	10.6	9.7	− 0.9	− 8
„Other“ (mainly institutional barriers)	ISCED 3–8	16.3	9.9	− 6.4	− 39
	ISCED 0–2	16.4	13.8	− 2.6	− 16
	Age 25–54 years	21.6	14.6	− 7.0	− 32
	Age 55–64 years	13.5	8.4	− 5.1	− 38

Note: Data in percents. *Difference in percent points. European Union Countries (27 states) average.

Table 3. Gender structure of the interview sample.

Gender	Low-educated	Parental leave	Retired
Males	11	1	6
Females	9	16	10
Total	20	17	16

Table 4. Educational structure of the interview sample.

Education	Low-educated	Parental leave	Retired
Primary (ISCED 2B)	2	0	2
Secondary (ISCED 3C)	12	1	5
Secondary (ISCED 3A)	6	5	3
Tertiary (ISCED 5B-A)	0	11	6
Total	20	17	16

Table 5. Overview of legitimation strategies.

	Commitment to lifelong learning		Preference of experience		Preference of full dedication	Mobilisation of past experience
Low-educated	Reactive learning	Interviewees as source of knowledge for others	Learning by doing	Expectations education cannot satisfy Education is incompatible with common sense	Relationship to work is more important than education	Education was of higher quality in the past
Parental leave	Proactive learning		Unspecified way of preferred learning		Strong commitments outside of work and education
Retired
Type of barriers	Dispositional barriers (specific attitudes towards education and learning)				Situational barriers (work and family responsibilities)	Institutional barriers (quality of education)

Labour Force Survey (2021). Main indicators on adult participation in learning. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database

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Eurostat (2021a). Eurostat database. Population not wanting to participate in education and training by main reasons. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/main/data/database

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