성인교육은 학교교육의 한계를 극복하는 데 주안점을 두고 있다. 그러나 현실적으로 시행되는 성인교육은 학교교육의 모형에서 크게 벗어나지 못하고 있다. 그 이유는 성인교육이 특정 기관에서 주도되고 있기 때문이다. 성인교육 기관이 유지되려면 일정한 수 이상의 성인학생들이 확보되어야 한다. 성인학생들을 지속적으로 확보하기 위해서, 성인교육 기관은 성인교육의 필요성을 역설해야 하고 이 때 보상 패러다임을 적용하게 된다. 보상 패러다임 성인교육은 성인들로 하여금 부족하거나 실조되었다고 느끼게 함으로써 교육의 필요성을 절감하게 만든다. 보상 패러다임에 의한 성인교육은 당연히 처방 프로그램으로 진행된다. 성인학생들은 실패자나 실조자로 규정됨으로써 교육을 받으면서도 자아가 손상될 수 있다. 성인들로 하여금 배움을 통해서 지적 호기심을 충족하고 보람과 의미를 찾게 하려면 보상 패러다임을 넘어서야 한다. 성인들은 자신들의 인생에서 주체이었듯이 학습에서도 주체가 되어야 한다. 문제의 제기에서부터 방법의 탐색과 적용 그리고 해결에 이르기까지 성인들은 주체이어야 한다. 이러한 과정을 설명하는 데 훈련은 물론이며 교육도 적절한 개념이 될 수 없는데, 그 이유는 성인들에게 학습과 터득이 핵심 활동이기 때문이다.

Adult education has been focused to overcome the limit of schooling. Adult education in Korea is usually enacted on the basis of compensatory paradigm. Compensatory education is supposed to provide more opportunities to under-represented students, and therefore, to help them to overcome academic and social barriers. Compensatory education is based on cultural deprivation theory, which has been a theoretical rationale of the War on Poverty by improving the educational effectiveness and efficiency during the 1960s and the 1970s in the United States. Compensatory education offers remedial programs designed to improve and enhance the educational achievement of students who have been identified as at risk. Compensatory adult education also offer remedial education or training to the adults who are assumed to be lack of knowledge and skill to adapt to rapidly changing society. The reason that adult education institutions drives toward compensatory-remedial model is they need to get maximum economies of scale. And this practical need turns the priority of education as a result. I argue that adults should not be urged to learn by compensatory-remedial education. Because they are already grown-up and have enough experience to cope with social change, they should not be hurted by giving educational opportunity. They can learn and apprehend without teaching. Self-directed learning is more important and significant than well-programed teaching to adult students. We need to distinguish learning from teaching, educating and training. In this respect, I suggest learning community based on spontaneous and autonomous participation of self-directed adults who set questions and solve the problems of their own accord instead of compensatory-remedial education. To support their learning, I recommend more concerns should be paid to improve learning environment such as convenient libraries and tax-exemption system for buying books and etc.

Adult education has been focused to overcome the limit of schooling. Adult education in Korea is usually enacted on the basis of compensatory paradigm. Compensatory education is supposed to provide more opportunities to under-represented students, and therefore, to help them to overcome academic and social barriers. Compensatory education is based on cultural deprivation theory, which has been a theoretical rationale of the War on Poverty by improving the educational effectiveness and efficiency during the 1960s and the 1970s in the United States. Compensatory education offers remedial programs designed to improve and enhance the educational achievement of students who have been identified as at risk. Compensatory adult education also offer remedial education or training to the adults who are assumed to be lack of knowledge and skill to adapt to rapidly changing society. The reason that adult education institutions drives toward compensatory-remedial model is they need to get maximum economies of scale. And this practical need turns the priority of education as a result. I argue that adults should not be urged to learn by compensatory-remedial education. Because they are already grown-up and have enough experience to cope with social change, they should not be hurted by giving educational opportunity. They can learn and apprehend without teaching. Self-directed learning is more important and significant than well-programed teaching to adult students. We need to distinguish learning from teaching, educating and training. In this respect, I suggest learning community based on spontaneous and autonomous participation of self-directed adults who set questions and solve the problems of their own accord instead of compensatory-remedial education. To support their learning, I recommend more concerns should be paid to improve learning environment such as convenient libraries and tax-exemption system for buying books and etc.

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adult education, compensatory paradigm, remedial program, cultural deprivation, self-directed learning, education·learning·apprehending, learning community