Papers by Palle Rasmussen
Aalborg Universitetsforlag, 2009
Until recently, teacher education in Denmark for primary and lower secondary school (the Folkesko... more Until recently, teacher education in Denmark for primary and lower secondary school (the Folkeskole) was organised in separate teacher training colleges. During the last ten years two comprehensive reforms of the system of medium cycle higher education have been implemented, first the act on centres of higher education in year 2000 and later the act on university colleges in 2008. These reforms have fundamentally changed the organisation of teacher education. Teacher education programs are now located in university colleges which also run programs in social work, daycare pedagogy, nursing and other subjects. But the university colleges are not part of the regular university sector, so teacher education is still generally separated from the research-based university tradition. Currently this fact is much debated. Two main types of arguments are being put forward for relocating teacher education to universities. One is that it will improve the subject knowledge of teacher and thus enable them to raise the skill levels of Danish students in core subjects. This is deemed necessary in the wake of international comparative surveys of achievement (like the PISA). Another argument is that many students seem to fear being “locked” in the professional role as teacher and would like to have the wider range of choices – and perhaps the higher prestige available in universities. In the paper we discuss the second of these arguments, the question of recruitment, on the basis of existing evidence. Furthermore we will present and discuss a new model for teacher education being developed in collaboration between the Northern Denmark University College and Aalborg University.
International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, 1994
International Review of Education, Sep 13, 2016
We would like to thank the Joint Committee of the Nordic Research Councils for Social Science for... more We would like to thank the Joint Committee of the Nordic Research Councils for Social Science for financially supporting the study. Thanks also to the Director of the IIEP, Paris, Gudmund Hernes and to N.V.Varghese who read the manuscript, provided valuable input, and offered to publish the study, thereby disseminating more widely some of the experiences from the five Nordic countries. We would also like to thank Ian Denison, at the IIEP, for his assistance with technical matters concerning the publication.
In this paper I present and discuss selected aspects of the education policies presented by the d... more In this paper I present and discuss selected aspects of the education policies presented by the different political parties in the 2022 election. I draw on documentation from the election platforms and programme texts presented on the websites of the parties that gained representation in the Folketing.
Programme statements on education and education policy may be approached in different ways. In this paper I use mainly two approaches:
• Tracing contrasting political ideologies in the perception of the aims and means of education and the policies proposed
• Tracing transversal agendas – problem definitions and policy proposals shared (more or less) by a number of parties
Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 2024
The German tradition of critical theory (often called the Frankfurt School), represented by such ... more The German tradition of critical theory (often called the Frankfurt School), represented by such authors as Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, and Oskar Negt, have given crucial contributions to social and cultural theory in investigating and conceptualizing contradictory conditions of modern Western societies. This paper will discuss the ways in which these critical theorists have approached adult learning and education. Important elements are the role of adult learning in confronting the past and the present of Western societies (Adorno, Horkheimer) and the potential of experience-based learning in supporting open and democratic cultures and communities (Negt). Except for Negt, adult education was a minor topic for these critical theory scholars. Nevertheless, their contributions include important comments on and implications for adult education policy, including questions such as the responsibility of states for education, the democratic character of educational institutions, and the relationship between skills for work and for civil life. Critical theory holds important insights in the societal embedding of adult education and consequences for the objectives. These insights can guide (and have guided) critical research in adult education policy, but they need to be combined with policy analysis concepts and systematic empirical work.
Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 2023
The article analyses the education ideologies and policies of two Danish right-wing populist poli... more The article analyses the education ideologies and policies of two Danish right-wing populist political parties, the Danish People's Party and the New Right Party. The two parties are different in their political trajectories and profiles, but both represent a right-wing populism emphasizing the opposition between the people on one hand and the elite and its alliance with foreigners on the other. In a national context with a strong welfare state tradition, right-wing populism has gained considerable influence on other political parties including the Social Democrats. In mapping the education policy of the two parties, the article draws on partisan political manifesto texts prepared for the 2019 general election, on studies of voter attitudes in that election and on position taking of parties in parliamentary work. It is concluded that the education policies of the two parties focus mainly on the content of education, emphasizing national and Christian values and presenting foreigners and immigrants, especially from predominantly Muslim countries, as threats. Education does not feature strongly in the work of these parties, but their views still have impact. The example of the Danish People's Party shows this; it has secured parliamentary majority for Liberal-Conservative governments and influenced their education policies.
Elfert, M., & Rasmussen, P. (2024). Transnational governance and policy in adult education: The role of the OECD and UNESCO. In M. Milana, P. Rasmussen, & M. Bussi (Eds.), Research Handbook on Adult Education Policy (pp. 132-146). Edward Elgar., 2024
The chapter traces and discusses how two different supranational organizations, the OECD and UNES... more The chapter traces and discusses how two different supranational organizations, the OECD and UNESCO, both established in the wake of the Second World War, conceive and pursue adult education governance and policy. Both organizations have developed policy objectives and tools for adult education in the context of their general work, constituencies, and mandates. The OECD has mainly contextualised adult education and learning as an element of economic competitiveness and development, underpinned by human capital theory, while UNESCO has emphasized adult education as part of cultural and civic development, guided by a human rights approach to education. Over the years UNESCO’s civic agenda has gradually lost out against the priority placed on schooling in international development and the neoliberal individualistic lifelong learning and skills approach promoted by the OECD. In contrast to the OECD, which governs through metrics, UNESCO’s role in adult education is based on normative rather than empirical governing.
Comparative Education Review, 2010
In June 2009, the largest transnational elections in history were held, bringing 736 members, rep... more In June 2009, the largest transnational elections in history were held, bringing 736 members, representing over 500 million citizens, to the European Parliament. These new parliamentarians will set Europe's new agenda and enact aspects of the Lisbon Agenda, ...
Routledge eBooks, Apr 19, 2018
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Papers by Palle Rasmussen
Programme statements on education and education policy may be approached in different ways. In this paper I use mainly two approaches:
• Tracing contrasting political ideologies in the perception of the aims and means of education and the policies proposed
• Tracing transversal agendas – problem definitions and policy proposals shared (more or less) by a number of parties
Programme statements on education and education policy may be approached in different ways. In this paper I use mainly two approaches:
• Tracing contrasting political ideologies in the perception of the aims and means of education and the policies proposed
• Tracing transversal agendas – problem definitions and policy proposals shared (more or less) by a number of parties