The Nordic model of lifelong learning and its impact on citizens' motivation and barriers to learning

The author argues that there is a new urgency to develop a better understanding of why some adults participate in lifelong learning and others do not and what policies can help reduce barriers to participation. It is from this perspective that this paper explores how the so-called Nordic welfare state, with its specific institutional make up, promotes participation in adult learning and handles three classes of barriers to lifelong learning (Cross (1981, p. 98): (1) situational barriers (those arising from one's situation in life, e.g. lack of time because of work, family responsibility, etc.); (2) institutional barriers (practices and procedures that hinder participation, e.g. fees, lack of evening courses, entrance requirements, limited course offerings, etc.); and (3) dispositional barriers (attitudes and dispositions towards learning). The discussion starts with a short review of comparative data on participation in adult education which leads over to a more general examination of the characteristics of the Nordic Model of lifelong in the context of lifelong learning.

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