This study examines the role of Canadian queer theater festivals as unique sites of adult education and social movement learning. Traditionally, social movement learning has focused on informal mentoring or formal instruction in protests, workshops, and lectures, aiming for mass societal transformation. However, newer approaches emphasize personal transformation, with social movements adopting adult education to impact social, political, and cultural life. Theater festivals, especially those centered on queer themes, offer inclusive, accessible, and engaging platforms for sharing experiences, dialogue, and collective social change efforts. These festivals facilitate active learning through workshops, performances, and discussions, allowing participants to engage with social issues creatively. Despite extensive research on Pride festivals, queer theater festivals have been largely overlooked in scholarly discourse. This qualitative study focuses on how attendees of Canadian queer theater festivals learn about queer identities, exploring three key areas: queer culture, identities, and intersections.

Lifelong learning can be indispensable for the adaptation to continuously evolving labor markets and societal demands. In the current study, we examined psychological factors, notably aspects of personality (personality traits in the five-factor model and trait curiosity), self-reflection and motivation in relation to attitudes to lifelong learning. A specific aim was to examine the relative importance of these factors in their contribution to attitudes to lifelong learning. The study was carried out by use of a digital survey and included 717 adults ( Mage = 47.93) within working life. The results showed that self-reflection and trait curiosity were the strongest predictors of attitudes to lifelong learning but work intrinsic motivation and openness to experience (a personality trait in the five-factor model) also contributed with unique explanatory power, although to a lesser degree. The results can inform individualized accessibility strategies for lifelong learning.

Historically, the representation of Black women in film has been non-existent at worst and highly questionable at best. As cross-cultural spectators - a Black female and a White man - we used an oppositional gaze to critically “look” at the representation and adult development of Black female protagonists across U.S. films. Based on a critical visual methodology of 12 U.S. films, four themes emerged - #noBlackgirlmagic, transition from object-to-subject, the lies (you) tell, and hair it is. The implications for adult and higher education are discussed based on the findings.

This study investigated adult learners’ experiences with the language of their new living environment. Migrants and refugees’ personal goals for language learning in their specific life situations were captured in in-depth interviews conducted as part of ethnographically oriented field studies in Finland and Germany. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was chosen as a structured approach to scrutinizing complex lived experiences. The process reveals common experiences among participants: language contributes to a sensation of getting closer or being pushed away and to balancing active participation in society, and it is a necessity for building personal futures. The findings indicate that language is essentially involved in subjective well-being but also, more fundamentally, in every aspect of existence itself. Therefore, the findings extend the potential implications beyond the two European research contexts.

As more adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities move into inclusive settings in the community, it is essential to address budgeting and finance issues to avoid real concerns of financial exploitation. Adults with intellectual and developmental disability often comprise the “working poor”, even if they are among the 20% who are fortunate enough to have access to community-based, paid employment at above minimum wage. Those fortunate enough to be placed on government assistance (1 in 4 are still waiting for funded services) soon realize that this benefit comes with restrictions on their income and savings. These restrictions impact work options, pay range, and benefits. Each person’s budget leaves little for saving and discretionary spending. Our present situation of rising inflation compounds these already significant concerns.