The Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education

Tonette S. Rocco

Co-published with



The Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education provides rich information on the contemporary issues and trends that are of concern to adult and continuing education, of the programs and resources available to adult learners, and of opportunities to challenge and critique the structures embedded in the field that perpetuate inequity and social injustice. Adult education is a discipline that foresees a better tomorrow, and The Handbook is designed to engage and inspire readers to assist the field to seek new paths in uncertain and complex times, ask questions, and to help the field flourish.

The Handbook is divided into five sections. First, the Foundations section situates the field by describing the developments, core debates, perspectives, and key principles that form the basis of the field. The second section is Understanding Adult Learning, with chapters on adult learning, adult development, motivation, access, participation, and support of adult learners, and mentoring. Teaching Practices and Administrative Leadership is the third section of the handbook, which offers chapters on organization and administration, program planning, assessment and evaluation, teaching perspectives, andragogy and pedagogy, public pedagogy, and digital technologies for teaching and learning. The fourth section is Formal and Informal Learning Contexts. Chapter topics are adult basic, GED, and literacy education, English-as-a-Second Language Programs, family literacy, prison education, workforce development, military education, international development education, health professions education, continuing professional education, higher education, human resource development and workplace learning, union and labor education, religious and spiritual education, cultural institutions, environmental education, social and political movements, and peace and conflict education. Contemporary Issues populate the fifth section of this handbook discussing decolonizing adult and continuing education, adult education and welfare, teaching social activism, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and straight allies, gender and its multiple forms, disability, older adults and intergenerational identities, race and ethnicity, working class, whiteness and privilege, and migrants and migrant education. The editors then provide a concluding chapter and offer some next steps for adult and continuing education and priorities for the future.