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Jost Reischmann1
Bamberg University, Germany
What are Andragogues good for?
Workplaces, Competencies,
Study Contents, Identity
Abstract: This paper wants to strengthen the identity of Andragogues – to make An-
dragogues strong and proud. It starts from the observation, that the term “adult educa-
tor” labels many different functions, roles, competencies, and educational backgrounds
– which leads to an unclear identity. To shape the identity it is suggested to differentiate
the various groups of individuals working in this field; the focus is on the graduates of
university programs: Andragogues.Workplaces are described as places where graduates of
university programs can be found working successfully. Four competencies are identified
needed at these workplaces: teaching, organizing, consulting, and evaluation. These com-
petences have to be included in the education of Andragogues. The question is asked: is
there a “unifying concept” for people working in that field, a shared identity? The answer
will be: what is unifying is the idea, the need, and the function to organize change: for
individuals, for organizations, for society. Andragogues – no matter were they work – are
change specialists. To strengthen the self-understanding, the identity of the professionals,
graduated from university programs and educated for this complex task (and to discrimi-
nate them from “everybody” doing some sort of adult education), this group should use
the name/label “Andragogue”. And to feel strong and proud: In a changing world change
specialists are bitterly needed.
Keywords: andragogues, adult educators, professional identity, the compentences of an-
dragogues, unifuying concept for adult educators.
1 Prof. (em.) Dr. Jost Reischmann was Chair of Andragogy at Bamberg University in Germany from 1993 to
2008 (jost.reischmann@uni-bamberg.de). He was President and Vice-president of the International Society
for Comparative Adult Education (ISCAE – www.ISCAE.org). In 1999 he was nominated and inducted in
the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame, 2006–2012 member of its Board of Direc-
tors. In 1998 he received the ‘Presidents Award for Innovative Leadership’ and in 2006 the ‘Outstanding
Service Award’ from the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education.
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Introduction
It is strange: data and experience worldwide document that adult education in
volume, scope, public, financing, economic and political perception has clearly
grown. But in spite of this positive development in many countries the profes-
sional academic graduates are missing a feeling of unity or identity, as Kleisz
states for Hungary: “The younger and trained generation does not feel the unity
of profession” (Kleisz, 2015, p. 22). In spite of the positive development in real-
ity still the critical question remains – from outside but as well from inside the
profession: what are Adult Educators/Andragogues good for? And what is their
identity?
reats for identity
A number of reasons may count for the fragile identity. Just to name some:
Everybody is an “Adult Educator”
Who is an Adult Educator? The answer is easy: everybody. In the everyday per-
ception “everybody” can be labeled as “adult educator”:
– the grandma sharing her knowledge of baking cookies,
– the engineer instructing his staff about a new technology,
– the political or religious missionary preaching at the marketplace or in
TV about the true and only life or society,
– salespersons, police, medicine, media, tourism, priests, ... (“implicit”
adult educators),
– the hundred thousand teachers in adult education institutions (com-
munity, church, business and industry, museums, music schools, etc.),
teaching some hours at night what they feel they can teach – volunteers,
not paid, or trainers, paid (poorly) per hour/day.
A similar confusing picture can be found when looking at conferences
(i.e. 6th and 11th Standing Conference on the History of Adult Education,
Jena, Germany 1996; Bamberg, Germany 2006) that describe “leading per-
sonalities in adult education”: from “the Wise“, over humanists, organizers
to professors a high number of “prototypes” are presented under the label of
“Adult Educator“.
A , / 11
So: just “everybody” can be an “Adult Educator”. But: an identity of “eve-
rybody” is not possible! Perhaps it would help to clarify the identity if the various
groups working in this field would be discussed separately (i.e. teachers, trainers,
administrators, volunteers, full-time employees, university graduates, etc.).
No obligatory education
Looking to the academic preparation of teachers in Adult Education also shows
no shared background or identity. In a recent study, Martin et al. (2017, p.
115, n= 3961) prove that only about one third of the teachers in (public) adult
education have some sort of educational academic background (it might be
telling that a separate category “study in andragogy/adult education” was not
even posed!):
– education full subject: 16,3%
– education as side subject: 7,0%
– not-educational degree: 33,3%
– no academic degree: 33,4%
A slightly more positive picture was showed by the participants in a recent
conference (International Scientific Conference on Adult Education: “Develop-
ing and understanding Professional Identity of Adult Educators”, Rijeka 2017):
half of the participants have graduated in pedagogy or andragogy.
Figure 1: Educational background of participants of the Conference 2017
12 J R
Asking for the professionalization of this field these results show that we
are still at the beginning. The idea of a shared qualification is still a task to come.
While other professions like medicine, law, or engineering have clear and com-
pulsory educational criteria for their identity, an identity for Adult Education
cannot be based on a shared education for this field.
Plurality of functions and workplaces of Andragogues
But even in the group of graduates of university programs of adult education/
andragogy the workplaces give no clear picture that could form identity: starting
with the belief that our university program (“Chair of Adult Education”) was
to educate teachers for adults, our experiences around 1995 were shocking: We
asked our students some years after graduation: “What is your workplace now
– after finishing your studies?” The shocking answer was: only a small portion
(10–30%) was employed in a teaching position at an adult education institution
– most of the “adult educators” did not teach! 20–30% of our graduates work
as freelanced workers (“training, development, counselling/consultancy”), about
10–20% have a career at colleges/universities (Bender et al., 2008). Other pro-
grams at other universities reported similar results. Horror: did we educate our
students for unemployment or cab driving?
This “horror” gladly could be disproved by another result of our and oth-
ers’ research: The graduates overwhelmingly let us know they had no problem
finding a well paid workplace, are happy with their employment, and feel that
our program prepared them well for their specific workplaces!
However: asking for the name of their workplaces we still got a vast and
confusing variety of descriptions: teacher, trainer, evaluator, coach, moderator,
HRD-employee, manager, administrator, personal or organizational developer.
Just to give some examples:
– Antje is working as a freelance worker; she founded the institute for “art-
dialogue” (continuing education for art– and cultural managers)
– Sabine (freelance worker) is communication trainer “clarifying and solv-
ing difficult communication situations” for individuals and institutions.
– Yvonne was employed by a local brewery as a manager.
– Helga offers conflict management training in business and industry –
and reported how she solved a conflict that had cost five million EUR
the year before!
A , / 13
It seems we taught our students competences useful in many fields of the
job market, and in the beginning did not really know what these competences
were. We will come back to this problem later.
Even vaster and more confusing was the answer in response to the ques-
tion of which institutions they work in: in business and industry, adult education
centres, health-care, charities, cultural institutions, churches, in armed forces,
management and media, in tourism, journalism and many other fields ... This
confirms that Andragogues are beneficial in many fields, but the disadvantage
remains: they are not perceived as experts in one specific workplace or direc-
tion – and sometimes they themselves are not clear about that. So the functions,
workplaces, and institutions do not offer a unifying identity.
Threatening an identity is in addition the fact, that Andragogues are of-
ten seen limited to one segment of the field (which could be social change, or
second chance/compensatory education, or community education, or political
education, or cultural capital, or human resource development, or ‘learning to
acquire employability’, or minority education – just to name some). Depending
of the money-giver or what is in a certain time in fashion one segment is in an
oversimplified way claimed to be the total, and the others are either not seen or
not valued.
Carroll Londoner, past chair of the International Adult Education Hall of
Fame2 outlines this problem for the USA (private mail Jan. 31, 2014): “The adult
education programs in the States have shrunk dramatically as the universities do
not seem inclined to support adult education because they do not understand it.
They have too quickly identified the broad field of adult education with the no-
tion of ‘adult literacy’ ... We in the universities have not done a very good job of
explaining to our administrators what the broad field is about and why it should
be studied academically”.
It is a mistake to perceive and value just one segment as the only le-
gitimate field for Andragogues. The study of andragogy opens the doors to a
growing number of workplaces, in different settings and functions, and with
a catalogue of needed competencies. Again: this plurality is an advantage of
andragogy. And at the same time again a disadvantage, because it is difficult to
perceive that all these different fields belong to a shared identity: adult educa-
tion, andragogy.
We also can refer to statistics that show us that Andragogues fulfil a num-
ber of different tasks: Martin et. al. (2017, p. 99), asking 5244 individuals in
2 http://www.halloffame.outreach.ou.edu
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adult education, could prove that people working in adult education institutions
fulfill in their daily work a number of different activities:
Figure 2: Activities of fulltime-employees in adult education institutions
Full-time employees spend 9,9% of their time for management or control-
ling, 20% for administration, 6,4% for consulting, 26,6% for teaching, 10,7%
for program-planning, 4,9% for acquisition, 5,4% for marketing, 11,2% for as-
sisting participants, 2,3% for staff development.
Figure 3: Activities of Adult Education conference-participants
A , / 15
Non-representative, but still confirming are the answers we got at a recent
conference (International Scientific Conference on Adult Education: “Develop-
ing and understanding Professional Identity of Adult Educators”, Rijeka 2017):
working in adult education needs from the same person a number of activities
and competencies
A simplified perception may perceive this as confusing or “borderless”. But
this plurality of functions describes the reality of the workplaces in adult educa-
tion: that is what Andragogues do.
Summary
The institutions and workplaces Andragogues work in, the education they have,
are manifold, different – far more than the traditional “teacher of adults” in adult
education institutes. That means: institutions, workplaces, education, and func-
tions do not constitute an identity.
As it was suggested earlier in the text, it might be helpful for clarifying
the identity if the various groups of individuals working in this field would
be discussed separately. Putting the focus of this paper on academic educated
graduates the unclear borderless term “Adult Educator” makes it difficult to
differentiate this group from “everybody”; that makes the term “Adult Educa-
tor” destructive for the perception and identity of our discipline and our gradu-
ates (Reischmann, 2015b). In a consequence: to describe and guarantee quality
standards, to claim academic theory and research, and especially to grow an own
identity and offer a unique and specific “label” in the labour-market, I changed
1996 the name of my chair in Bamberg from “Adult Education” (Erwachsenen-
bildung) to “Andragogik” (Andragogy). Andragogy is the educational discipline,
the subject of which is the study of lifelong and lifewide learning and education
of adults (Savicevic, 1999; Reischmann, 2004; Henschke, n.d.). The following
will focus on the group “graduates of university programs of adult education/
andragogy”.
It might be helpful to draw an analogy to the identity of other recognized
professions like medicine, law, architecture, and engineer. A “Mediziner” (Ger-
man) = doctor, physician, health professional is not “everybody” doing somet-
hing for health, but exclusively experts that studied this subject. Even there it
took centuries to install this identity: In the corpus of the German language the
frequency of the term “Mediziner” was 2 (per million tokens) in 1800 (= “nearly
unknown”), 4 in 1900, and increased to 19 in 2000 (see Figure 4). May be we
will see a similar development with “Andragogue” in the time to come.
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Figure 4: The term “Mediziner” (Doctor) – Development Curve
Source: DWDS – Verlaufskurve, 2017
But referring to the described multitude of functions and workplaces it also
can be summarized already now: There exists a unifying idea/concept of all these
workplaces: Andragogues teach, organize, manage, inform, mediate, moderate,
motivate, and interfere in various ways in tensions, conflicts, friction between:
– people and people; or
– people and organizations; or
– people and things; or
– organizations and organizations.
This widespread usefulness of Andragogues can be seen as a strength, value
– and identity (Reischmann, 2015a).
What do Andragogues do?
What are their (needed/given) competencies?
The reports we received from our graduates (Bender et. al., 2008) parallel to the
insights from theory and research, made us analyze, what in the multitude of
workplaces andragogues do, what they need for their daily work. We identified
A , / 17
four core competencies, which consequently became a part of our curriculum –
in addition to the traditional contents – to enable our students/graduates to act
as professionals in the wide field of lifewide education:
– First, it is expected that an Andragogue is able to teach. We found that
teaching was often a starting point for our graduates, but that after a short
while they moved up into a supervising, planning, managing position.
However, even in this position it is expected that they can convincingly
“teach” and advise others how to teach (“train the trainer” programs).
– Second, we have to prepare them for planning, organizing, and mana-
ging programs and measures. The success of an educational program
does not only depend on the quality of teaching (micro-didactics), but
also on the learning-supportive planning and organizing of the program
(macro-didactics): How can learning be started and supported by organ-
izational measures? This includes the challenge how learning occasions
can be identified and supported in workplaces, cultural institutions, hos-
pitals, tourist places, hospitals, political and religious organizations etc.
– Third, they need the ability to consult and counsel (moderator – coun-
sellor – consultant – mediator – coach). The manifold learning challeng-
es in “lifewide education” (Reischmann, 1986; Jackson, 2012) opened
the insight into a new role of Andragogues: not presenting/transporting
knowledge (teaching), but helping persons or groups to find their way
and solve their problems by counselling/consulting strategies – often in
a one-to-one-situation.
– And finally, they must be able to do evaluation and research. This ability is
not only expected from scholars and members of research–organizations,
but is also needed in the practical work in many positions and organiza-
tions for needs-assessment, evaluation and quality control, planning of
(political, strategic) programs and feedback to organizers and boards.
Figure 5: Core competencies of Andragogy Curriculum Bamberg University
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How to learn these competencies?
“Competencies” in our understanding includes the capability to perform (prac-
tice) and to reflect (theory). Similarly to other professions (medical doctors, law-
yers, architects...), it is not enough that Andragogues have knowledge; profes-
sionals also have to be able to act in their field. These competencies do not come
by themselves. For the ability to perform we developed so-called competency-
trainings. They usually last three full days, filled with acting, training, trying,
and demonstrating, and are limited to not more than 20 students. These three
days are theory-reduced and focus on performance. Of course these competen-
cy-based classes have to be supplemented with the “normal” knowledge– and
theory-oriented classes, lectures, and readings. Performance has to be melted in
and interwoven with knowing and understanding to lead to competency. These
competency-trainings cover:
– “Visualising, presentation, moderation”. Here, students learn to stand in
front of a group, design presentation-material, work with an auditory,
present learning material, and interact with groups – also in conflict situ-
ations.
– In a second module they learn how to design classes and seminars.
– The module “program-planning” supplies planning/organizing strate-
gies. An important role for this competency also plays the internship
each of our students has to go through.
– “Communication competency” is a module in the competency “consulting
/ counselling”, another module is “consulting-strategies and –techniques”.
– In the competency-training “coaching” they learn to support individual
trainers and managers to solve practical problems.
In all these classes students learn an active, acting approach to solving
problems of people and institutions in a professional way.
At the end of the final examination, we sometimes ask our students what
in their perception has been the most important part of their study. The majority
names the competency-trainings. This is also true for our alumni, when asked
years after graduation. It seems that the preparation to perform successfully and
professionally in the practical field adds an important factor to their identity and
employability.
A , / 19
Figure 6: Mutual planning of subject matter specialist and coach (Andragogue)
Summary
Andragogues are beneficial in manifold positions and institutions – this can be
easily proved by monitoring the workplaces they are in and the activities they
perform there. The reality of the workplaces of Andragogues shows a wide variety
of functions and activities:
– They have to practically perform and theoretically reflect.
– They need the competencies to a) professionally teach, b) plan and or-
ganize learning, c) consult and moderate, d) evaluate and research.
– And they have to produce the most successful mix of these ingredients.
To make Andragogues perceived as professionals they not only need
knowledge, but they also need performance skills. This has to be incorporated
into the curricula of the University programs (and/or continuing professional
education). And to be aware that for the complex tasks not only one, but all these
competencies are needed.
20 J R
e shared identity: Change specialist
Using this complex observation of different workplaces, functions, organizations,
competencies, and expectations the question is asked: is there a “unifying con-
cept” for people working in that field? Is a shared identity possible?
The answer for me is: unifying this – sometimes confusing – variety is
the idea, the need, and the function to organize change: for individuals, for or-
ganizations, for society. Andragogues – no matter were they work in business and
industry, cultural organizations, hospitals or the armed forces, tourism or media,
political or social institutions – are change specialists.
This world, in which we live, is full of change. And change deserves learn-
ing – throughout life, lifewide. Change specialists ask and answer questions as:
– What effect, impact, transfer is needed? And how can it be reached suc-
cessfully?
– What is that good for? For person, institution, etc.?
– What is better: More or less? Or different?
– What do THEY need? And what do they really need?
– What already exists that supports/hinders a good development?
– Could that also be seen differently? And how does the other see this?
– Where are we going to? Short-term, long-term?
– What might be understood as the message behind it? What effect will
that message have that is good/bad?
– What are the advantages AND the unavoidable disadvantages of the
planned action? (Persons, products, institution? Short– / middle– / long
term? Who can (not) do what with whom?)
– How to you plan something that later on will be different anyway?
All these questions belong to the toolbox of Andragogues, are the daily
business of Andragogues, take account of the competencies they (should have)
learned. That makes them the sought specialists in the labour market. Who else
asks and answers these complex questions, and who asks for the consequences
from the answers and develops an action plan?
To strengthen the identity of the professionals, graduated from university
programs and educated for this complex task (and to discriminate them from
“everybody” doing some sort of adult education), this group should use the
name/label “Andragogue”.
Of course we know: We are only at the beginning of the development of
this new academic discipline. In Germany it is just brief four decades ago that
the first graduates in Adult Education left university. Looking to the academic
A , / 21
discipline the glass can be seen half empty or half full: at many universities in
many countries programs for Andragogy/Adult Education exist, as well as do
research, literature, conferences, societies, journals, professors, students/gradu-
ates, and the need from the market to have the described competencies avail-
able. For the sake of developing and strengthening the identity of the Andra-
gogues it may be more helpful to look to the “half full glass” by valuing what
has already been developed. That can make self-convinced and strong, while
overcritical asking what is missing makes the profession and the individuals in
the profession weak.
A main starting point for further directions may not be to start with the
old picture of the teacher, but with the idea of the “change specialist”. This opens
the perspective to many more workplaces, to new tasks, to a different curriculum.
This changed perspective makes us aware of the many places in a changing world
where change specialists are bitterly needed. And makes us feel strong and proud
to be part of this world-moving development.
Closing summary and challenges
The field of adult learning and education and consequently the working-fields
of andragogues are nowadays perceived as much wider and diversified than three
decades ago, have reached new horizons. And it is perceived much more im-
portant, as UNESCO stated (The Hamburg Declaration On Adult Learning,
UNESCO, 1997):
“Adult education ... is a key to the twenty-first century. ... It is a powerful
concept:
– For fostering ecologically sustainable development;
– for promoting democracy, justice, gender equity, and scientific, social
and economic development, and
– for building a world in which violent conflict is replaced by dialogue and
a culture of peace based on justice.
– Adult learning can shape identity and give meaning to life.
(p. 1)
Andragogues can be the specialists to support these change processes, lead-
ing into a future worth to live in.
For the academic subject “andragogy” there exist several challenges, prob-
lems, tasks:
22 J R
– to identify the specifics of the subject and the shared paradigms of an-
dragogy and Andragogues, to discuss what Andragogues are good for,
what their specific identity is, to document the results (for the outside
and for self-perception), and then to convince inside and outside how
important this subject is.
– To develop a curriculum including convincing competencies that re-
spects the variety of expectations in the variety of possible workplaces.
– To be self-aware and convince others that is not confusing or “unclear”,
that Andragogues are beneficial in companies, churches, and culture, in
armed forces and adult education centres, in management and media, in
tourism, hospitals, and many other fields, but that this documents the
value and richness of this complex subject and profession, and the shared
vision of Andragogues as “change specialists”.
– To become aware that the term “adult education/educator” is destructive
for the university based profession. The term “Andragogue” could be a
discriminator, a name that supports identity to the graduates and the
discipline.
– And most important: to decide strategically where and when to be criti-
cal and talk about the half empty glass, and where it is more viable, more
supportive for the academic subject, the students, and the field, to point
out that the glass is half full, that good examples of success document the
potentials of andragogy and Andragogues.
– But also: to be aware of the limitations on what can be achieved through
adult education. To expect (or promise) to save with some pennies the
whole world is a romantic expectation, but for sure leads to disappoint-
ment, frustration, and a ruined reputation.
This paper focussed on the graduates of university-based programs. But
still needed is the whole range of adult educators at all levels and in all fields: the
volunteers, the partly paid part-timers, the fully employed subject-matter-special-
ists, the organizers and administrators and teachers – they are all still needed (ana-
logue to medicine, where besides the professionals = studied doctors still nurses,
midwifes, ambulance-drivers etc. are needed). But it also became clear that for
the complex and difficult challenges of a “society in change” in addition to pro-
fessional experts – Andragogues, scientifically educated at a university are needed
to support change and learning successfully to make, as UNESCO expressed it,
“Adult learning: a joy, a tool, a right and a shared responsibility” (The Hamburg
Declaration On Adult Learning, UNESCO, 1997).
There are many reasons to be proud and strong in this identity!
A , / 23
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Jost Reischmann3
Univerzitet u Bambergu u Nemačkoj
Čemu sluze andragozi? Radna mesta,
kompetencije, sadržaj studija, identitet
Apstrakt: Ovaj rad ima želju da ojača identitet andragoga – da ih učini jakima i ponosni-
ma. Polazi od opažanja da se termin „edukator odraslih” koristi za obeležavanje mnogo
različitih funkcija, uloga, kompetencija i obrazovnih profila – što vodi nedefinisanom
identitetu. Da bi se identitet uobličio, predlažemo da se izdiferenciraju različite grupacije
koje rade u toj oblasti; fokus treba da bude na kadrovima obrazovanim na univerzitetu:
andragozima. Radnim mestima smatramo mesta gde možemo naći uspešne univerzitetski
obrazovane kadrove. Identifikovali smo četiri kompetencije koje su potrebne na tim rad-
nim mestima: podučavanje, organizacija, konsalting i evaluacija. Te kompetencije moraju
da budu uključene u obrazovanje buducih andragoga. Postavljamo sledeće pitanje: postoji
li „objedinjujući koncept” za ljude koji rade u toj oblasti, neki identitet koji im je zajed-
nički? Odgovor je: ono što je objedinjujuće jeste ideja, potreba i funkcija organizovanja
promene: za pojedince, organizacije, društvo. Andragozi – bez obzira na to gde rade –
jesu specijalisti za promene. Da bi se ojačali samorazumevanje i profesionalni identitet
kadrova univerzitetski obrazovanih za ovaj kompleksan poduhvat (i da im se omogući
razlikovanje od ‘svakoga’ ko se bavi nekom vrstom edukacije odraslih), tu grupaciju treba
nazivati andragozima. I treba im omogućiti da budu jaki i ponosni: u svetu koji se nepre-
stano menja, specijalisti za promene su veoma potrebni.
Ključne reči: andragozi, edukatori odraslih, profesionalni identitet, kompetencije za an-
dragoge, objedinjujući koncept za edukatore odraslih.
3 Profesor (emeritus) Jost Reischmann bio je redovni profesor andragogije na Univerzitetu u Bambergu, u
Nemačkoj, od 1993. do 2008. godine (jost.reischmann@uni-bamberg.de). Bio je predsednik i potpredsednik
Međunarodnog društva za komparativno obrazovanje odraslih (ISCAE – www.ISCAE.org). Godine 1999. je
nominovan, a zatim i uvršten u Međunarodni hol slave za obrazovanje odraslih i od 2006. do 2012. godine bio
je član tamošnjeg odbora direktora. Godine 1998. je ‘Primio predsedničku nagradu za inovativno liderstvo’, a
2006. ‘Nagradu za izuzetan doprinos’ od Američke asocijacije za obrazovanje odraslih.
