ABSTRACT
The most obvious result of learning is acquisition of knowledge, and this provides an appropriate starting point for the present discussion of the special characteristics of lifelong learning. In the USA, the Secretary of Labor’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills laid down a ‘foundation body of skill and knowledge that prepares for change’. Changing the emphasis slightly, Dohmen focused on abilities, especially the ability to think autonomously, which includes independent thinking, decision making and acceptance of responsibility. Many adults are actively inhibited from taking part in lifelong learning activities by unhappy experiences in the classroom. According to Mezirow, learning is a ‘process of making a new or revised interpretation of an experience’. A major practical issue for educational institutions is how to respond to the special characteristics of adults as learners.
