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You are in: Home > Expert interviews > Interview 4: Professor Peter Jarvis
Interview 4: Professor Peter Jarvis
Professor Peter Jarvis, Co-editor, International Journal of Lifelong Education
This audio interview is the fourth in a series of interviews Routledge is conducting with the editors of some of its key Education journals.
The interview page has been split into sections which can be quickly accessed by selecting any of the links below:
Introduction
These interviews are aimed at students, educational researchers, academics and visitors to the Education Arena website who are interested in particular journals and would like to find out more.
Each interview provides information about the editor in question and details about the creation of their journal and its purpose and scope within the wider sphere of educational research. Each editor is also asked to offer advice, hints and tips to prospective authors who may be hoping to submit papers to their journal.
This fourth interview is with Professor Peter Jarvis, one of the most esteemed, influential and experienced scholars and speakers in the field of education today. Peter is the founding co-editor of the International Journal of Lifelong Education, published by Routledge. The journal provides a forum for debate on the principles and practice of lifelong, adult, continuing, recurrent and initial education and learning, whether in formal, institutional or informal settings.
Professor Peter Jarvis answers the questions
The interview took place at the Routledge offices in Abingdon, UK in January 2009.
Questions
Answers
Q1: The forces of globalisation today seem to be overwhelming the traditional mission of adult education, with courses and programmes being increasingly asked - and even expected - to contribute directly to productivity and competitiveness in the global market, rather than develop the individual. Do you see this 'preoccupation with productivity' as a problem for adult educators in the 21st Century?
Q2: Education can have a profound effect on adult lives in many ways: developing families, communities and community cohesion; reducing prejudice and inequality in society; creating fairer and more ethical individuals; developing creativity and imagination; and the formal development of vocational skills that enable people to get better jobs. What do you see as the most important goals for adult education today?
Q3: What are the main challenges facing adult and lifelong education in the 21st century?
Q4: What other new issues in adult, lifelong and continuing education concern or trouble you today?
Q5: Can I ask you to define what you mean by the 'pharmacology of education'?
Q6: How significant a problem is equality of access to adult education around the world?
Q7: You gave your first lecture in Adult Education over 54 years ago, you have written and edited well over 30 books and 200 papers and book chapters on adult education and learning, you serve on the editorial boards of a number of academic journals and you are the founding editor of the International Journal of Lifelong Education which you have edited for nearly 30 years. My question is this: to what do you attribute this longevity in the field of adult education?
Q8: As a researcher and academic, what first attracted you to the field of adult, continuing and lifelong education?
Q9: When you look back on your career in lifelong education what are you most proud of?
Q10: For researchers, students and professionals who have never encountered the International Journal of Lifelong Education, what is the journal about in a nutshell?
Q11: What do you think are the most contentious issues in contemporary debate and research in adult education which your journal seeks to address?
Q12: As an international journal, who do you feel are your readership, your core audience, and which countries are most active in the area of lifelong education?
Q13: What do you look for when considering articles and submissions?
Q14: What are the most common mistakes made by authors submitting papers to the journal?
Q15: What advice would you give researchers who would like to be published in your journal?
Q16: Have you identified any longer-term trends in the subject of lifelong learning since the journal started in 1982?
Q17: What are your aspirations for the future of the journal?
We also provide a transcription of this interview to overcome accessibility problems if you have hearing difficulties (or for those of you who may just prefer to read the interview).
More about Professor Peter Jarvis
Professor Peter Jarvis is one of the world's most vital, experienced and authoritative voices in education today. He gave his first lecture over 54 years ago and was one of the founding editors of the International Journal of Lifelong Education which he has co-edited for almost 30 years. He has written and edited more than 30 books and 200 articles and chapters on adult education and lifelong learning and he serves on the editorial boards of a number of high-profile journals.
Peter's own lifelong education began when he failed his A-levels at school and joined the ranks of the British Royal Air Force because, in his own words "I had nothing else to do." A firm believer in second chances, Peter's desire to help others led him into the Methodist ministry where he was given the opportunity to study as a Theological student. After gaining a Bachelor of Divinity degree (along with his A-levels) he then went out as a pastoral minister in inner city Sheffield and Wakefield. Finding that his B.D. did not fully equip him to deal with the issues and problems he faced as a preacher, he studied for a Sociology and Politics degree whilst working as a full-time minister to four churches.
Still wanting to be of service, Peter later moved into training teachers. As well as his B.D. he holds a B.A. degree in Economics from the University of Sheffield, an M.Soc.Sc. degree from the University of Birmingham and a PhD from the University of Aston.
In 1988 Peter received the Cyril O. Houle World Award for Adult Education Literature from the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education and then the Medal of the University of Helsinki in 1994. He is a past President of the British Association of International and Comparative Education as well as being the first non-North American to be elected to the International Hall of Fame of Adult and Continuing Education in the USA.
In 1990-91 he was a Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and in 1993 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He has served as Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Alaska in 1994 and in 1995 he was Noted Scholar at the University of British Columbia.
Peter is currently Professor of Continuing Education at the University of Surrey and is a former head of the Department of Educational Studies at the University of Georgia, USA. He also holds visiting professorships at City University (London, UK) and Pecs University (Hungary) as well as being a Special Professor at the University of Nottingham.
For more information on International Journal of Lifelong Education please visit the journal homepage.
