COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE EXPERIENCE OF ORGANIZING ADULT EDUCATION IN THE BALTIC COUNTRIES

Abstract

The study is devoted to the issue of the priority of formal, non-formal and informal adult education in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The article analyzes the most significant advantages and disadvantages of each of the analyzed forms of education. The defining psychological and pedagogical characteristics of formal pedagogical education are identified, in particular, normativeness, systematicity, standardization, and continuous control by state authorities. The main downsides of the formal pedagogical education system in the studied countries are determined as situational irrelevance to the specific needs of the adult target audience and likelihood of its emergence in the context of the modern labor market. In the process of the study, the main forms of informal education were identified, including one-time lectures and video lessons, online consultations, communication tools, and others. It is noted that the disadvantages of informal pedagogical education in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia contain such factors as non-systematicity, short-term orientation of educational services, and ignoring the need to verify educational information according to the criteria of its scientific validity. It has been established that the concept of non-formal education determines the prerequisites for self-realization, acquisition of new knowledge, skills and abilities, increasing motivation and the level of professional competence. It has been proven that non-formal education, while not necessarily purposeful and structured, actively contributes to the expansion of professional knowledge, skills and abilities and is positioned as one of the key competencies of the individual. It has been argued that the harmonious combination of formal, non-formal and informal education provides a synergistic effect on the efficiency of the educational process in the Baltic countries. Also, It has been found that the educational environment in the era of internationalization provides for academic mobility, active international relations, projects, research initiatives and academic programs, as well as the integration of the international, intercultural and global dimension into the goals of higher education. Policies and programs that should be implemented in response to globalization as a tool for maximizing its potential, have been identified. It has been proven that informal education is flexible, not limited by time frames, does not involve certain procedural formalities, and at the same time, is aimed at the process of increasing the level of life activity, allowing adult individuals to increase their own socio-economic status.