Systematic policy analysis regarding the area of adult and workforce education (AWE) in the United States is limited in the literature. This article presents the results from a historical analysis of federal-level U.S. policy documents spanning the years 1914-2014. We performed a systematic content analysis utilizing a context justification approach to analyze 19 pieces of U.S. legislation to discern broad patterns and trends in the area of AWE policy development. The benefits of examining policy through a lens of governance and system-level trends include gaining a clearer understanding of the evolution of key policy dimensions and how they contribute to shaping current circumstances in the field. Our analyses suggest the importance of historical conditions in shaping policy characteristics. We conclude that it is essential to understand these policy characteristics in order to seek the necessary information to more strategically advocate for AWE in the 21st century, and highlight areas where further inquiry is needed.

中文翻译：

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美国成人和劳动力教育政策的分析与说明

在美国，有关成人和劳动力教育（AWE）领域的系统性政策分析非常有限。本文介绍了对1914-2014年间美国联邦级政策文件的历史分析结果。我们使用情境论证方法进行了系统的内容分析，以分析美国的19项立法，以识别AWE政策制定领域的广泛模式和趋势。通过治理和系统级趋势的角度检查政策的好处包括获得对关键政策维度的演变以及它们如何有助于改变该领域当前状况的更清晰的理解。我们的分析表明历史条件对塑造政策特征的重要性。