[Drop-out in adult basic education and literacy-Pandemic-related challenges and theoretical perspectives].

Abstract

The field of adult basic education and literacy occupies a central position in supporting social participation of vulnerable groups. The Covid-19 pandemic brings new transformational processes that also affect the risk factors of drop-out in adult basic education and literacy. Drop-out can be studied as an amplifier of social inequality, which gains new relevance especially in the context of pandemic-related learning conditions. Thus, this paper highlights pandemic-related challenges for the field with particular attention to drop-out. Using a multi-level analysis procedure (expert interviews & narrative literature review), it can be shown that the factors "media literacy and media access", "continuity and course structure" as well as "trust and course retention" are already known risk factors of drop-out, but take on a new significance regarding pandemic-related changes. It can be shown that pandemic-related transformational processes have an effect of a burning glass on already existing problems in the field of adult basic education and literacy. Thus, the pedagogical task of appropriately shaping unpredictable changes takes on special significance in order to counteract the increase of social inequalities.