The problem of this study was to determine to what extent contemporary adult education theory has similarities to and origins in ancient Athenian ideas about education. The methodology used in the study combined hermeneutics and the critical theory of Jurgen Habermas. Primary sources incuded Aristotle, Plato, Aristophanes, and Diogenes Laertius; secondary sources included Jaeger, Marrou, Dover, and Kennedy. In the analysis of Athenian adult education, three groups of adult educators were identified—the poets the sophists, and the philosophers. The poets were the traditional educators of the Greek people; their shared interest or way of perceiving the world emphasized the importance of community cohesion and health. In Athens in the mid-fifth century B.C., a new group of educators, the sophists, arose to fill a demand of adults for higher and adult education in the skills necessary to participate in the assembly and courts. The sophists emphasized a pragmatic human interest and taught the skill of rhetoric. Socrates and Plato created a new school of educators, the philosophers, who became vigorous ideological opponents of both the poets and the sophists. The philosophers exhibited a transcendental interest or approach to knowledge; the purpose of life was to improve the soul, and the preferred way of life was contemplative rather than active. The philosophers taught the skill of dialectic. Paideia was a Greek word that originally referred to childhood education but which came to mean education throughout the lifespan and the civic culture that supported education. Athenian citizens perceived their paideia to be among their greatest virtues, an attainment which could not be lost to the fortunes of time as could wealth or position. Modern adult education lacks the concern for the communal and transcendental human interests that were important to many ancient Greeks. Modern cultures tend to promote strong individuation of personality and to idealize pragmatic and individualistic concerns. Researchers in the field of adult education often assign to human nature the pragmatic and individualistic qualities of adult learners, but fail to recognize how these features reflect ideologies peculiar to modern American society.

The purpose of this inquiry is to investigate the depth and breadth of involvement of the American Red Cross as an adult education agent from 1940 to 1947. Adult education was broadly defined as any process to improve adults' skill, knowledge, or sensitivity by formal or informal means in a variety of settings and using various materials to enhance learning. The terms training and education were used synonymously. Two major research questions focused the study: (1) What is the historical background of the Red Cross and its relationship to adult education? Supporting questions addressed the Red Cross response to government requests and to national crises, and initiation by the Red Cross of adult education programs and activities. (2) How did the American Red Cross act as an adult education agent from 1940 to 1947? Supporting questions focused on the sanction for adult education; administrative structures; the development, delivery, and unique characteristics of Red Cross programs and activities; and volunteer recruitment. Results indicated that the American Red Cross, early in its history, fostered adult education and promoted programs and activities that filled a gap or addressed a specific need. This effort continued during and after World War II, with services to the Armed Forces and in response to needs of civilians. Programs and activities were developed or modified to prepare citizens for civilian defense, to help women who were left as heads of households, and to assist millions of volunteers helping in the war effort. Members of the Armed Forces were taught survival skills in combat in and around water, convalescent swimming, and first aid. Staff learned to help members of the Armed Forces maintain morale through recreation and recuperation activities and to provide social services to the Armed Forces, veterans, and their families. Over 14 million people received certificates for specific courses taken under the auspices of the Red Cross during the period between fiscal years 1940 and 1947. During fiscal years 1941 to 1945, over 687 million man-hours of service were donated by volunteers. The professions of medical and psychiatric social work grew from job functions established by the Red Cross in military hospitals, and the Red Cross was responsible for giving the recreation profession a major boost. Other programs such as the nurse's aide, water safety, and the Town and Country Nursing program, the latter the forerunner of public health nursing, were established by the American Red Cross. The Red Cross was reported to be the first organization to teach first aid. Overall, the American Red Cross touched the lives of millions of U.S. citizens and people around the world with its adult education programs, which stemmed from its mission to help others in need. / Ed. D.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T16:15:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 VeronicaSantos2.pdf: 1293214 bytes, checksum: fa9ac4ee0ad76b48820e886541fe8fcc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research attempts to locate the different aspects of pioneer history of municipal public policies, in Diadema (SP), for the education of youth and adults (EJA), specifically in the program for literacy. It updates the program characteristics and focus on the final report of ethnographic qualitative research profile of the youth education and adult service student, conducted between 1993 and 1995, an important service evaluation assessment. It proposes an update based on results presented in that research, using them to confront the development of youth and adult education policies in the city with the latest policies in ABCDMRR (Santo André, São Bernardo do Campo, São Caetano do Sul, Diadema, Mauá, Ribeirão Pires and Rio Grande da Serra) Region, in São Paulo State and Brazil, for this population segment. It searches revitalized measurements and qualitative assessments also gathered by that research to write this thesis. / Esta pesquisa localiza os diferentes aspectos na trajetória pioneira das políticas públicas municipais, em Diadema (SP), para a educação de jovens e adultos (EJA), especificamente no programa para alfabetização. Atualiza as características do programa e aborda o - Relatório Final da Pesquisa Qualitativa Etnográfica Perfil do Aluno do Serviço de Educação de Jovens e Adultos -, conduzida entre 1993 e 1995, importante avaliação do serviço. Propõe uma atualização baseada em resultados apresentados naquela pesquisa, utilizando-os para confrontar o desenvolvimento das políticas de educação de jovens e adultos no município e nas mais recentes políticas na Região do ABCDMRR (Santo André, São Bernardo do Campo, São Caetano do Sul, Diadema, Mauá, Ribeirão Pires e Rio Grande da Serra), no estado de São Paulo e no Brasil, para esse segmento populacional. Também procura reatualizar as mensurações e avaliações qualitativas angariadas naquela pesquisa para compor esta dissertação de mestrado.