This paper presents a scoping review of relevant literature to characterise research on education in prisons. After reviewing 353 peer-reviewed articles spanning 10 years of research, we conclude that research on education in prisons in global research databases (i) is dominated by qualitative studies, (ii) is primarily focused on the English-speaking world, and (iii) shows a relatively strong representation of women. Eight research themes are presented in this paper, where we discuss what characterises research on education in prisons. Two main characteristics emerge: education in prisons as a phenomenon that needs to be justified, and education in prisons as a phenomenon that contributes to the imprisoned individual’s restoration. Finally, we offer suggestions for future research within this field.

The rock ‘n’ roll generation has retired, and this raises questions about whether their educational needs differ from the generations before them. This paper presents a study of a course called ‘Graffiti for Seniors.’ The course had nine participants, all women, which constituted two groups: (A) people who are artists or artisans and (B) people who are curious about graffiti as an expression and culture in general. The methods used was participant observation and interviews. When the data had been gathered, Howard McClusky’s theory of educational needs guided the analysis, as this theory offers a diversity of alternative needs compared to later theories. The material was reviewed to find expressions related to the theory’s five dimensions. We conclude that the most prominent needs are coping needs and expressive needs. Coping needs address dealing with society’s ideas about aging, but also about gender, and challenging these norms. Expressive needs demonstrate the importance of engaging in activities that are performed for their own sake and allowing individuals to express themselves. A limitation of this study is that it is performed in a single context, and therefore, future studies in other contexts using the same theory for analysis would contribute to a fuller understanding of how different courses meet various educational needs among older adult learners. A practical implication of the study is the insight that older adults can benefit from educational arenas where they enjoy the freedom of expression and where they can challenge and explore norms connected to gender and age.

First paragraphs: Those of us who work in higher education have an important task to fulfil, namely, to promote lifelong learning. Consequently, it can be of benefit to understand the concept of ‘lifelong learning’ and the various dimensions it encompasses. Lifelong learning does not merely entail that we can or should engage in learning throughout our lives – it also involves continuously learning new knowledge and skills whether we actively choose to do so or not. As a result, those of us who work in the field of education and learning are tasked with an additional responsibility: to ensure that such learning is rewarding for the individual and contributes to the long-term development of society.

When lifelong learning is demanded in the context of higher education, this signifies a shift from viewing oneself as a post-secondary institution catering to young adults to acting as a partner in the individual’s lifelong learning journey. Establishing a lifelong relationship with an individual who is constantly evolving naturally entails increased complexity but also additional opportunities. As early as twenty years ago, the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education noted that lifelong learning was politically, organizationally, and attitudinally embedded in the Swedish higher education system. Notwithstanding this, the agency also noted that it was perhaps time for a deeper understanding of what lifelong learning truly entails. The difference now compared to then is the increase in the proportion of the population who hold higher education degrees, the increased demand in the job market for skilled labour, and changes in work methods based on technological advancements. While we can learn from past events, we must also be prepared to observe what is happening in society right now.

This essay introduces the concept of ‘lifelong learning’ and highlights different ways how the concept can be considered. To this end, I pose the following questions: What has lifelong learning entailed in different time periods? What ideologies guide the direction of learning? and How do different perspectives regarding learning relate to each other? Taken together, answers to these questions can contribute to deepening our understanding of lifelong learning in higher education and thereby enhancing our work with lifelong learning.

This chapter demonstrates that ‘lifelong learning’ is a concept which is used in different contexts and in different ways. Two intertwined perspectives of ‘lifelong learning’ are highlighted here: (i) ‘lifelong learning’ as policy; and (ii) ‘lifelong learning’ as theory. What they have in common is the assumption that learning takes place throughout the duration of a person’s life and that learning takes place in various contexts in a person’s everyday life. The meanings which have been associated with the concept of ‘lifelong learning’ can be differentiated via the perspectives mentioned above, but there is also an interplay between political intentions (as expressed in policy) and philosophy of pedagogy (as expressed in theoretical frameworks). While the ‘lifelong learning’ concept is most frequently occurring in policy work, it is primarily ‘lifelong learning’ as a philosophy of pedagogy which can provide us with important insight into the development of lifelong learning in a professional context and in society.

BACKGROUND: In 2020 the Swedish Government started a gradual raising of the retirement age, but employers have been silent on the issue. Little is known about whether and how they reflect on what it will mean for their organization, or whether they already have, or are going to, make arrangements in order to facilitate and motivate older workers to stay longer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore and describe managers' experiences of older workers and age management in connection with the increase of the retirement age in Sweden.

METHODS: Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with fourteen managers from a broad set of organizations in the public and private sectors, and from the Middle and East of Sweden. The transcribed material was analysed in line with qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS: The analysis ended up in seven main categories with associated sub-categories: Older Workers, Retirement Ages, Transition Initiatives, Competence Transfer, Competence Development, Increased Retirement Ages, Knowledge Gaps.

CONCLUSION: Our findings reveal that there is an ambivalence in addressing the issue of age among the interviewed managers, what we have interpreted and labelled as "silent age discrimination", and it was shown that they do not have elaborated strategies for age management.

In intergenerational projects, learning a craft is an activity that may be of interest to people of different ages. This paper focuses on knitting as a craft. In most Western societies, knitting is often considered a craft for women, but on Taquile Island, Peru, it is the men who knit. This paper discusses knitting from an intergenerational perspective whilst focusing on gender and culture. To this aim, we introduce an intrinsic case study to examine the role of gender and culture in intergenerational learning. The data used in this study was collected during a visit to Taquile Island. In summary, the study’s findings reveal that (i) on Taquile, members of the community invest in maintaining cultural traditions in opposition to being swept along by (con)temporary social changes; (ii) knitting on Taquile is approached as a practical technique in contrast to Western culture where knitting is connected to the concept of ‘well-being’; and (iii) whilst gender structures may set frames for performance, the Taquile case demonstrates that what is typically considered ‘male’ or ‘female’ may vary.

Den här rapporten är en tvärvetenskaplig forskningsöversikt som tagits fram inom ramen för projektet Digital pedagogik och kompetensutveckling för industrin. Projektet leds i sin helhet av RISE – Research Institutes of Sweden, tillsammans med Teknikföretagen och IF Metall som partners i gemensam styrgrupp. Encell – Nationellt centrum för livslångt lärande fick uppdraget att gå igenom tidigare forskning utifrån den gemensamt formulerade frågan: ”Hur behöver lärinsatser i arbetslivet designas - för att skapa lust till ökat och digitalt skalbart lärande som engagerar många och ger påvisbar effekt?"

Policy discourses focus on (and set limits to) what is considered acceptable to say and to do. Within a discourse, a dominant idea can influence how the discourse unfolds. The present study examines the dominant idea that education should be an evidence-based practice. We explore how this dominant idea at the national level is translated into local practice by school superintendents at municipal education departments in a Swedish context. Sixty-five of Sweden’s 290 municipalities were chosen for this study based on their geographical location and size. We found 16 documents from nine authorities that explicitly mentioned evidence-based practice. A discourse analysis of these documents identified six themes that may indicate how school superintendents interpret and translate the dominant idea. The discourses are evidence-based practice in terms of (i) ‘mirroring’, (ii) ‘professional competence’, (iii) ‘collaboration’, (iv) ‘literature review’, (v) ‘method’, and (vi) ‘quality work’. Thus, there are a number of different ways in which the national policy is translated at the municipal level. What we observe in the discourses, however, expresses provisional attempts at defining <em>evidence-based practice</em>, thereby suggesting that, at the local level, education management teams are prepared to accommodate ideas from alternative areas instead of relying on and developing methods and ways of working that (historically) have been used in education. A critical insight for practice is that we should examine the grey areas between research and policy; specifically, where policy materials imitate research in an attempt to influence practice under the disguise of ‘evidence’.