The Fifties: Pivotal Decade in Canadian Adult Education

Authors

  • Gordon Selman University of British Columbia

Abstract

Research reveals that whereas in the United States, the late thirties and forties brought a distinct shift from social movement to professional tendencies in adult education, in Canada this was a phenomenon of the 1950s. This thesis is examined from four main perspectives: the sense of vocation or professionalism in the field, the availability of training opportunities, institutional support, and the literature of adult education. These matters are discussed from both a national and, as appropriate, a regional (largely British Columbia) point of view, and emphasis is placed on the central role played by Dr. Roby Kidd and the CAAE in these developments. The fifties can justifiably be seen as the "take-off" period in the increased professionalization and institutionalization of adult education in Canada.

Résumé

La tendance à comprendre l'éducation des adultes comme un mouvement social cédait à un point de vue qui insistait plutôt sur l'importance de la pratique professionnelle. Ce changement a eu lieu aux Etats Unis dans la période de 1935 à 1945, mais nous voyons maintenant que c'est pendant les années cinquante qu'il se manifestait au Canada. Nous explorons cette thèse en en considérant quatre aspects: le sentiment de professionnalisme, les possibilités de formation, la disponibilité de ressources institutionnelles et la documentation dans le domaine. La discussion comprend des points de vue nationaux et régionaux (ces derniers venant principalement de la Colombie Britannique) et nous insistons sur le rôle central joué par Roby Kidd et L'Association canadienne pour l'étude de l'éducation des adultes. L'analyse ne laisse aucun doute sur le fait que c'est dans les années cinquante qu'on voit le décollage du développement institutionnel et l'accroissement du professionnalisme dans l'éducation des adultes au Canada.

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Published

1987-05-01

How to Cite

Selman, G. (1987). The Fifties: Pivotal Decade in Canadian Adult Education. Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, 1(1), 5–24. Retrieved from https://cjsae.library.dal.ca/cjsae/article/view/2960

Issue

Vol 1, No 1(1987)

Section

Articles

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