This paper examines the assumption that adults enter into opportunities to participate in adult education activities on a voluntary basis. It explores, at both the empirical and theoretical levels, the ways in which adults view their opportunities to participate. A unique form of interpretive research called phenomenography guides this study. In-depth, semi-structured interviews seek the conceptions about participation held by 20 workers who had attained a high school diploma or less. Two basic conceptions are revealed: Opportunities to participate are either (a) other-determined or (b) self-determined. An empirical analysis of these findings suggests that the concept of voluntary participation as portrayed in the field of adult education is restricted and does not adequately address issues of power, authority and control. A theoretical analysis illustrates the conceptions' similarity to deterministic, resistant, and dialectical views of social action.
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