Debating adult learning and education research: a fragmented field of diverse theoretial and empirical approaches

This course provides students with knowledge on adult learning and education as a research field which is still today very much influenced by practice, revealing by this means the impact of geography and theoretical traditions in options made by researchers. In addition, the field is characterized by a wide range of theories and theoretical influences from other social sciences, such as sociology, policy studies and psychology, making the field to be defined as heterogeneous, pluralistic and fostering interdisci-plinary. Within this line of reasoning, adult learning and education has been by some authors defined as a ‘wide’ field of research and by others as a ‘weak’ field of research, lacking specific identity and experiencing a ‘crisis’, bounded to institutional and policy changes. Several authors have identified different adult learning and education theories.
In this course, the stress will be put on the critical analysis of this wide specific theoretical field. Additionally, a discussion upon empirical approaches most favored in adult learning and education research will be emphasized such as large-scale surveys, namely these that can be found in educational comparison; qualitative approaches, focused on individuals; policy-related research, included here policy studies aimed at producing knowledge to develop policy-decision; and participatory-action-research within popular education and research.
The general aim of this course is to have a wide overview of adult learning and education research, in an attempt to build a topography or a ‘mapping’ on scientific research within this field and to analyse challenged faced by adult learning and education in what refers to research in terms of empirical options, publishing, research funding and the connections (or the gaps) between theory and practice, involving researchers, the practitioners and learners.
Students will obtain a conceptual understanding of most significant adult learning and education theories, such as the humanist theory, experiential learning and transformative learning, and critical adult learning and education, stressing some of the most referred authors and their theoretical contribu-tions. Also students will discuss the influence other social sciences, such as psychology, sociology and political sociology have in the development of adult learning and education. As a complement, some empirical approaches preferred in adult learning and education research will be analysed, with a stress upon large-scale studies and educational comparison; qualitative approaches, focused on individuals; policy-related research, including here policy studies aimed at producing knowledge to develop policy-decision; and participatory-action-research within popular education. Finally, students will get to know recent research developments in adult learning and education based on the discus-sion of some articles and books published recently and reflect upon different challenges involved in research.

Das Seminar findet wöchentlich statt.
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