Mapping out the Research Field of Adult Education and Learning

Description

This book discusses the current state of the art in research on the education and learning of adults, and how such research has been transformed through contemporary policy and research practices. Gathering contributions from leading experts in the field, the book draws on previous research, as well as new findings in order to provide a map of this research field and its contemporary history. The chapters address a number of questions, including: What constitutes this research field? What theories and methodologies dominate within the field? What “invisible colleges” are active in shaping this academic field, in marking out its contours and in transforming its contemporary battle zones? Who is publishing in the field and who is deemed worth citing? What is the relationship between the shift in state policy on adult education and the research that is conducted on the education and learning of adults? How has the research field changed over time in various western countries? What do these meta-reflections of the field tell us about possible future research endeavours? Rather than speaking from within the field, this is a book about the research field. The diversity of the chapters provide a fascinating resource for anyone interested in research on the education and learning of adults. Front Matter ....Pages i-viii Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Introduction: Mapping the Research Field on Adult Education and Learning (Andreas Fejes, Erik Nylander)....Pages 3-13 Examining the “Weak Field” of Adult Education (Kjell Rubenson, Maren Elfert)....Pages 15-31 Adult Education Research in Germany: Approaches and Developments (Christine Zeuner)....Pages 33-51 Front Matter ....Pages 53-53 Exploring the Adult Learning Research Field by Analysing Who Cites Whom (Erik Nylander, Lovisa Österlund, Andreas Fejes)....Pages 55-72 Invisible Colleges in Research on Adult Learning: A Bibliometric Study on International Scholarly Recognition (Staffan Larsson, Andreas Fejes, Lovisa Österlund, Erik Nylander)....Pages 73-97 The Politics of Publications and Citations: A Cross Country Comparison (Andreas Fejes, Erik Nylander)....Pages 99-115 Front Matter ....Pages 117-117 Adult Education and Learning: A Pluralistic Research Field? (Andreas Fejes, Erik Nylander)....Pages 119-137 Quantitative Research in Research on the Education and Learning of Adults (Ellen Boeren)....Pages 139-155 Adult Education Research from Rhizome to Field? A Bibliometrical Analysis of Conference Programs of ESREA from 1994 to 2016 (Bernd Käpplinger)....Pages 157-177 Front Matter ....Pages 179-179 Revisiting the Debate on International Comparative Adult Education Research: Theoretical and Methodological Reflections (John Field, Klaus Künzel, Michael Schemmann)....Pages 181-202 Debating (International) Comparative Adult Education Research: Reflections on Conceptual Clarity and Methodological Challenges (Marcella Milana)....Pages 203-221 A Rejoinder on the Debate on International Comparative Adult Education Research (John Field, Klaus Künzel, Michael Schemmann)....Pages 223-225 Front Matter ....Pages 227-227 The Research Field of Adult Education and Learning: Widening the Field (Erik Nylander, Andreas Fejes)....Pages 229-234