Benennen wir doch endlich Defizite! Ein kritischer Kommentar zur Defizitorientierungin Zielgruppendiskussionen

Have we overcome deficit orientation in continuing education yet? Or does it continue to permanently affect us in the background? In education, deficits are often thought of as the individual’s lack of capabilities and skills. However, what is considered to be "lacking" – depending on the prevailing social conditions – is predefined and mostly takes the form of economic arguments in our field. For economic goals – higher profits, successful competition or growth rates of all kinds – people who "fit in" are required. Accordingly, target groups in adult education are defined and deficits to be eliminated are attributed to the people belonging to these groups. In this article, the author advocates finally naming deficits of society, especially the permanent wish to locate deficits.