Julia Preece

Professor of Adult Education
Durban University of Technology
South Africa
  • Professor of Adult Education, Durban University of Technology
  • Professor of Adult Education, University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal from August 2011
  • Professor of Adult Education, National University of Lesotho (from Aug 2007-July 2011)
  • Senior Research Fellow, University of Glasgow from 2007 till present
  • Member of PASCAL Learning Cities 2020 network
Interests/Expertise: 
  • Adult education and poverty reduction
  • Lifelong learning with particular interest in gender and African perspectives
  • Citizenship education
  • Universities and Community engagement
Recent research/consultancy: 
  • Recently submitted an application to the AAU for partnership project with Botswana, Nigeria and University of Free State on rural-urban learning
  • National Research Foundation Grant R215,295 (2013-2014) Adaptive leadership for multidisciplinary engagement and service learning
  • UKZN teaching and Learning Research Grant R62,600 (2013-2014) 18 month follow up study Multidisciplinarity
  • Service Learning and Community Engagement
  • Community Engagement and Service Learning (CESL) 2011-2012 funded by University of KwaZulu-Natal, university research projectImplementing the Third Mission of Universities in Africa (ITMUA), (2010-2011) funded by the Association of African Universities, involving universities of Malawi, Botswana, Calabar inNigeria and Lesotho
  • British Academy funded African Partnerships Programme for capacity building and research development on topic of non-formal education and poverty reduction (2006-2009) involving universities of Malawi, Botswana, Calabar (Nigeria) and Glasgow
Recognitions, positions, memberships: 
  • BA (hons) English; PGCE; BPhil (Community Education); MEd (Community Education) PhD (Adult Education)
  • SUALL – Chair of Research Sub Committee
  • BAICE – Elected President for 2006-2008
  • Institute for Learning and Teaching – ongoing
  • World Committee for Lifelong Learning – South Africa representative
  • Selected for inclusion in Academic Keys ‘Who’s Who’ 2006-
  • Distinguished Fellow UNISA, SARChi
  • External Editorial boards – journals (national and international)
  • Higher Education Quarterly  till 2010                                                  
  • Mosenodi (Botswana Educational Research Association)                                      
  • Journal of Transformative Education  till 2010                                                
  • International Journal of Lifelong Education                                                          
  • Lifelong Learning and Widening Participation  till 2010                                                     
  • Compare   till 2010
  • Journal of Education and Development (Malawi)
  • Journal of Social Intervention (Netherlands)
  • AERN on-line journal                         
Selected publications: 
  • Preece J & Croome D (2015) Older adult learning in Lesotho. In Findsen B and Formosa M (Eds).  Older adults and learning: international perspectives, Dordrecht:Springer (in press).
  • Preece J (2015) Negotiating service learning through community engagement: adaptive leadership, knowledge, dialogue and power, Education as Change (10.1080/16823206.2015.1024147)
  • Preece J (2014) Lifelong learning in Africa: a contribution to development, Andragogigal Studies 2, 69-76
  • Preece J (2014) PhD study in South Africa as a community of practice: benefits and challenges, International journal of Continuing education and Lifelong Learning, 6(2), 41-58
  • Preece J (2013) Service learning and community engagement in South African universities: towards an 'adaptive engagement' approach, Alternation Special Edition 9, 265-291
  • Preece J (2013) Community engagement and service learning in a South African university: the challenges of adaptive leadership, South African Journal of Higher Education 27(4), 986-1004
  • Nampota D & Preece J (2012) The university's third mission of community service and the MDGs: a pan-African research project, Journal of Education 55, 105-126
  • Preece J (2012) Africa and international policy making for lifelong learning: textual revelations, International Journal of Educational Development 33, 98-105. Published on-line in 2012 DOI information: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2012.02.007
  • Preece J, Ntseane PG, Modise OM & Osborne M (eds) (2012) Community Engagement in African Universities: Perspectives, prospects and challenges, Leicester: NIACE. pp 232
  • Preece J (2012) Community engagement in Africa: common themes, challenges and prospects, in Preece J, Ntseane PG, Modise OM & Osborne M (eds) (2012) Community engagement in African universities: perspectives, prospects and challenges, Leicester: NIACE pp 216-229
  • Preece J, Biao I, Nampota D and Raditloaneng WN (2012) Community engagement within African contexts: a comparative analysis, in Preece J, Ntseane PG, Modise OM & Osborne M (eds) (2012) Community engagement in African universities: perspectives, prospects and challenges, Leicester: NIACE pp 143-160
  • Preece J, Ntseane PG, Modise OM & Osborne M (2012) The African university and community engagement in context, in Preece J, Ntseane PG, Modise OM & Osborne M (eds) (2012) Community engagement in African universities: perspectives, prospects and challenges, Leicester: NIACE pp 1-25
  • Preece J (2011) Gender and learning: feminist perspectives, in Jarvis P (ed) The Routledge International Handbook of Learning, London: Routledge pp 66-74
  • Preece J (2011) Research in adult education and lifelong learning in the era of CONFINTEA VI, International Journal of Lifelong Education 30 (1) 99-117
  • Preece J (2011) Higher education and community service: developing the National University of Lesotho’s third mission, Journal of Adult and Continuing Education 17(1) 81-97
  • Preece J (ed) (2011) Community Service and Community Engagement in Four African Universities, Gaborone: Lentswe La Lesedi
  • Preece J (2009) Lifelong Learning and Development: A Southern Perspective, London: Continuum
  • Preece J (ed) (2008) Non-formal Education, poverty reduction and life enhancement, Gaborone: Lentswe La Lesedi
  • Preece J, Van der Veen R, Raditloaneng N (2007) (Eds) Adult Education and Poverty Reduction Gaborone: Lentswe la Lesedi
  • Preece J & Singh M (2005) (eds) Adult Learning and Poverty Reduction, Report on the Workshop Held at the CONFINTEA V Midterm Review Meeting, Bangkok, September 2003 Bonn: UNESCO UIE pp47
  • Chilisa B & Preece J (2005) Research Methods for Adult Educators in Africa, Cape Town: UNESCO/Pearson Publications pp 271
  • Preece J & Mosweunyane D (2004) Perceptions of Citizenship Responsibility Amongst Botswana Youth, Gaborone: Lentswe La Lesedi pp 122
  • Chilisa B, Mafela L, and Preece J (2003) (eds) Educational Research for Sustainable Development, Gaborone: Lentswe La Lesedi pp 202
  • Preece J (2008) A social justice approach to citizenship education: an international perspective, in Blee H and Peters M (eds) Citizenship Education 388-400
  • Preece J & Findsen B (2007) Keeping people active: continuing education programmes that work, in Norris L and Pearson C (eds) Global Health and Global Ageing, New York: Jossey Bass 313-322
  • Preece J (2009) Feminist perspectives on lifelong learning, in Jarvis P (ed) International Handbook on Lifelong Learning, London: Routledge 423-433
  • Preece J (2007) Introduction, in J Preece, R van der Veen & W N Raditloaneng (eds) Adult Education and Poverty Reduction, Gaborone: Lentswe la Lesedi

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