ADULT EDUCATION SURVEY, 2022

The Adult Education Survey is a survey that collects data on adult participation in education, training and learning in the context of lifelong learning. Its implementation is in line with EU regulations and the Eurostat methodology set for this survey. The Adult Education Survey 2022 is an integral part of adult education survey in Europe, which is conducted every six years by all Member States.

Adult participation in education by learning forms

Out of all the respondents who participated in the survey, 38.8% of them reported they had participated in some form of education or learning (formal or non-formal education) 12 months prior to the survey. According to the collected data, 61.2% of respondents selected in the sample participated in neither formal nor non-formal education. Concerning the participation in education by learning forms, the share of participants in formal education was 21.5%, while 23.8% of them opted for non-formal education. During this period, the majority of respondents (74.7%) made efforts to learn something during their free time in order to enhance knowledge, i.e., by informal learning.

Formal education is education that is institutionalised, intentional and planned, which is organised by public institutions and recognised private bodies that form the system of formal education of a country. Formal education programmes are recognised as such by competent national authorities in charge of education or similar bodies. Qualifications obtained through formal education are recognised by definition. Of the total of 761 respondents, 56 of them participated in two or more formal education programmes, of which almost 24.6% paid the full costs of education.

Non-formal education is defined as education that is institutionalised, intentional and planned, which is organised by providers of educational services. It is defined by the notion that it is considered an addition to, an alternative and/or extension of formal education within the process of lifelong learning of individuals. Out of 23.8% of respondents who participated in non-formal education, more than a half of them (62.0%) attended only one activity, while 8.0% opted for four or more activities. In the observed period, the largest share of respondents (41.9%) attended courses, of which 61.1% were employed.

In addition to the mentioned two forms of education, adults can learn informally as well. Informal learning is also defined as intentional, but it is less organised and less structured. It includes learning-related events (activities) that can take place almost everywhere – in the family, with friends, at work, etc. The most important thing is intention of an individual to learn something. In other words, informal learning is not a planned and institutionalised activity as formal or non-formal education are, but it is rather initiated by the intent to learn more about a particular subject (e.g., by learning from a colleague at work how to handle a new machine, learning maths through online tutorials, listening to a foreign language in a car, watching documentaries on TV or in a cinema, etc.).

Out of the aforementioned 74.7% of the respondents who tried to learn something this way, the majority learned by using electronic devices (online or offline), then from family members, friends or colleagues and by using printed material (books, professional magazines, etc.). The least used methods of informal learning were guided tours in museums, visits to historical, natural or industrial sites and to learning centres (including libraries).

In the 25 to 34 age group, the highest number of respondents attended private lessons, while on-the-job training was not recorded among persons aged 65 to 69. Courses were most present in the 18 to 24 age group, while persons aged 35 to 44 equally attended all types of non-formal education activities.

Difficulties that prevented respondents from participation in education and training

In addition to the questions about the aforementioned forms of education and training, respondents were asked about possible difficulties that prevented them from participating in one or more education programmes in those forms of education. According to the responses, they can be divided into two groups: those who participated in some form of education and those who did not participate in any form of education. Of respondents who participated in some form of education, 43.9% of them wanted to continue participating, while 56.1% of them did not want it. Out of the respondents who did not participate in any form of education, 14.3% wanted to participate in education after all, while 91.6% claimed they never wanted to participate.

Out of indicated reasons that prevented respondents from participating in education and training, two thirds of women reported that courses had been booked up (72.2%), while more than a half number of men reported they had negative experiences (52.9%).

Knowledge of foreign languages

The largest share of respondents, 48.9%, reported to speak at least one foreign language, while 25.6% of them reported to speak two foreign languages.

Of all respondents, almost two thirds reported to speak at least one foreign language (80.9%).

A group with the highest number of people speaking at least one foreign language were respondents between 25 and 34 years of age, i.e., those who have completed upper secondary education. Concerning persons who reported to speak two or more foreign languages, the situation is different. According to the education level, persons in the age group 18 to 24 who have completed the highest level of education prevailed. The smallest share of persons speaking a foreign language was recorded in a group of respondents with primary education as their highest level of education.

Of the stated foreign languages, English was the most frequently spoken foreign language, followed by German, Italian, French, Spanish, Russian and Slovak.

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Data sources

The data are the result of the survey on adult education in Croatia in 2022 carried out by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics in the period from November 2022 to March 2023 on a sample of 8 004 persons. It is aligned with the survey conducted in European Union every six years under the title Adult Education Survey.

The survey included data on participation of adults in formal and non-formal education as well as in informal learning one year prior to the interview. Besides lifelong learning questions, respondents provided information on their household structure and demographic characteristics as well as on completed and uncompleted education. They also responded to questions about their labour status and characteristics of the main job, but also about access to information about learning possibilities, difficulties that prevented them from participating in education and training, and about their knowledge of foreign languages.

Data collection

The survey data were collected from individuals selected in the sample using CAPI (computer-assisted personal interviewing) and CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) methods. Educated interviewers collected on the field and by telephone respondents’ answers and entered them into a questionnaire previously created on the laptop. Those answers were automatically retrieved into the database of the Croatian Bureau of Statistics.

Respondents were interviewed in two phases in the period from November 2022 to March 2023. In the first phase the interviewers visited the households, while in the second phase households were interviewed by telephone. Immediately before the beginning of each phase, households received an official notification about the implementation of the survey.

The collected data will be used solely for statistical purposes and will not be published as individual data but in aggregated form.

Coverage and comparability

A basic set for the statistical survey on adult education was based on data from the Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Persons who died in the period from 2021 to 2022, persons under the age of 18 and above the age of 69 and persons who did not provide information on the highest completed school were excluded from the basic set. The set included 2 550 092 persons, from which a sample stratified according to four statistical regions according to HR_NUTS 2021 – HR NUTS 2 (Pannonian Croatia, North Croatia, Adriatic Croatia and the City of Zagreb) was selected, as well as according to sex, age and level of education. The target population was divided into four age groups (persons aged 18 – 24, 25 – 34, 35 – 54 and 55 – 69 years) and three groups by degree of education (ISCED 1 – 2, ISCED 3 – 4, ISCED 5 – 8).

After the stratification was completed, a total of 96 strata were obtained. In the final name of the stratum, the first digit represents sex, the second one age group, the third one level of education and the fourth one represents the region.

By using the random sampling method 8 004 persons were selected in a sample, whereby the implicit stratification was done, which means that the persons within each stratum were sorted by household markers and by counties, with the aim of selecting the sample from each of the 21 counties and thus make the final sample representative for the whole of Croatia.

The response was 54.9%.

The following table shows estimates, standard estimation errors, confidence intervals (95%) and variation coefficients for participation rates of respondents in lifelong learning.

Definitions and explanations

Lifelong learning is a concept that refers to adult education. It encompasses all learning activities undertaken during the lifetime with the aim of enhancing knowledge, skills, competences and qualifications from a personal, civil, social and/or working perspective.

Formal education implies institutionalised education recognised by competent national education authorities.

The task of formal education is to provide full-load education for pupils and students in the system designed as a lasting educational path. It also includes education for all age groups, with content of programmes and qualifications that match those who have been trained in initial education. Part-time work programmes may also be considered as formal education if they lead to qualifications recognised by the national education authorities (or other competent institutions). Such programmes often take place in co-operation between educational institutions and employers (e.g. apprenticeship).

Formal education refers to learning activities that are institutionalised and lead to qualifications that can be included in the National Qualification Framework (NQF). The National Qualification Framework recognises learning activities that consist of structured hierarchical programmes with chronological order of levels and degrees, conditions for admission and formal enrolment.

Non-formal education is defined as an education that is institutionalised, intentional and planned, which is organised by the providers of educational services. It is defined by the notion that it is considered an addition to, an alternative and/or extension of formal education within the process of lifelong learning of individuals.

It is provided to people of all ages, but does not necessarily apply the structure of a continuous learning process. Its duration may be short and/or have a lower intensity and usually takes place in the form of short courses, workshops or seminars.

Non-formal education refers to institutionalised learning activities, which are not part of the National Qualification Framework. It contains structured activities that either do not lead to any qualification or lead to qualifications not included in the NQF, e.g., activities within a programme or courses that are not its integral part, but are recognised by professional organisations.

Accordingly, non-formal education can be implemented within and outside the educational institution, and include persons of all age groups. Depending on the situation in a particular country, it may include adult literacy programmes, primary education of children who do not attend school, acquisition of life skills, work skills and general culture. Non-formal education programmes do not have to follow the "ladder" system and may have a different duration.

Informal learning is defined as a form of learning that is deliberate or conscious yet not institutionalised. It is therefore less organised and less structured than formal or non-formal education.

Informal learning is the kind of learning that is usually done outside of an institution without a teacher. It includes learning-related events (activities) than could take place almost everywhere − in the family, with friends, in the workplace, in the local community and in everyday life, based on independent, family or social orientation.

Its most important characteristic is the intent of an individual to learn something.

 

Abbreviations

CAPI	computer-assisted personal interviewing
CATI	computer assisted telephone interview
EU	European Union
Eurostat	European Statistical Office
HR_NUTS 2021 – HR NUTS 2	National Classification of Statistical Regions – level 2 statistical regions, 2021 version
ISCED	International Standard Classification of Education

 

 

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