Theories, Policy, and Practice of Lifelong Learning in East Asia

Book excerpt: As the centre of the world economy is moving to Asia, lifelong learning in Asia is attracting a great deal of attention in the educational field worldwide. Asia not only provides the largest education market, but also plays an increasingly important role in educational globalization. However, until now, only very limited literature has been available in English. This book addresses that gap and introduces global readers to the latest developments of theories, policies, and practical issues concerning lifelong learning in East Asia. Case studies on lifelong learning in East Asia - including mainland China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau - are provided in this book. Lifelong learning in East Asia has been strongly influenced by Confucian culture as well as Western capitalism. This book analyses Confucian culture and the negotiation of Chinese and Western learning cultures in lifelong learning. This book will enable educators to understand the recent developments in lifelong learning in selected Confucian-heritage countries and regions, and promote effective international collaboration in lifelong learning worldwide. This book was published as a special issue of the International Journal of Lifelong Education.