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Federal influence on adult education: The Adult Occupational Training Act (1967) in Nova Scotia.

Date

1991

Authors

Chaytor, Kaireen Margaret.

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Dalhousie University

Abstract

Description

The purposes and values of adult education have been embodied in and shaped by the arguments for a number of federal policy initiatives. Debate among adult educators is seldom concerned with the origins of legislation, what interests it advances (or undermines) or how the effects of the legislation will be evaluated. This thesis suggests the value of studying federal legislation to gain understanding of adult education in Canada.
To do so several pieces of legislation pertaining to adult education were discussed. The focus of the study was the Adult Occupational Training Act (AOTA) of 1967. The study pursued the suggestion that to create historical understandings we must be able to portray and evaluate experience, recognizing the theoretical pressures which accompany such evaluation. The AOTA was examined as federal theory and studied for its impact on provincial experience. The intentions of the AOTA were compared with the intentions of the provincial plan for adult education in Nova Scotia.
The AOTA, intended to promote the national economy, pursued its plan with little consideration of regional concerns or needs. Being dependent on federal funding, Nova Scotia accommodated the federal priorities. Accommodating federal priorities resulted in adult education playing a major role in the administration of social policy. The impact of the legislation is presented from the perspective of the participant, Nova Scotia.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Dalhousie University (Canada), 1991.

Keywords

Education, Adult and Continuing.

Citation