Schicht, Klasse, Milieu. Bezugskonzepte der Weiterbildungsforschung 1957–2007

Strata, Class, Milieu. Reference strategies in research on continuing education 1957-2007 The author provides a longitudinal look at 50 years of research on participation in continuing education. After presenting some important publications from 1957 (Schelsky, Dahrendorf), he presents sociological reference strategies which were used in the respective time periods to explain the social structure: first strata and class, and then later – due to the influence of Bourdieus – the social milieu: He presents pertinent studies from the field of research on education exploring participation and non-participation in adult education for both periods. The social selectivity of (continuing) education exhibits a regular pattern which is at the same time independent of the social model.