Profesjonalizacja w edukacji dorosłych – na styku praktyki i nauki. Przykład niemiecki

The aim of the article is to present the current discourse on the professionalisation of adult educators in the Federal Republic of Germany. The issue of professionalisation, which has been present for nearly half a century in German andragogical thought, is still popular in the research community. In the last few years, the topic has gained considerable attention in the context of work on the system of recognition and certification of competences acquired outside formal education system as well as a new paradigm underlying the outcome of the teachinglearning process and the development of competences of participating people. German example shows that well developed network of adult education institutions exerts strong pressure on educational research. It is also intensified by the growing social demand for a high-quality educational offer. The author reviews German empirical studies on professionalizm, highlights its main trends, and identifies various aspects of research regarding professionalization.