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Professional Foundations of Adult and Continuing Education provides an updated foundational overview of the field, delineating key features of adult education and adult learning in the contemporary United States. As an overview text, this book focuses on key guiding understandings of the contemporary practice and related historical context of organizations and practices targeted to adult learners. In addition, the book addresses contemporary concerns of social justice, multiculturalism, technology, impact of commodification of knowledge, and the aging society.

The book is divided into three key sections: the field of adult education defined, the foundations of the field, and the landscape of adult education. Each chapter focuses on the key foundational aspects of contemporary and historical adult education, offering select philosophical and theoretical frameworks as well as key examples of practice. Although the book primarily focuses on the United States, it offers select developing understandings of adult education policy and organizational practices at the international level as well. Ideal for master’s level classes or as a supplement to doctoral work, this foundational text brings new contemporary perspectives to the field of adult education.