Citizen science projects have grown in number, scale and scope in recent years. Such projects engage members of the public in working with professional scientists in a diverse range of practices. Yet there has been little educational exploration of such projects to date. In particular, there has been limited exploration of the educational…

This article has three primary goals centring on a re-examination of the research frameworks we use for understanding the politics of social movements. First, I detail the ideological and methodological deficiencies of the old social movement/new social movement framework. Second, I highlight the positive contributions of research that favoured or…

Why do teachers and other educational practitioners become researchers of their own practice? Is their primary motivation one of self-development, the attainment of a doctoral qualification, or the desire to improve outcomes for their learners? Practitioner research is often believed to bring about transformation, particularly in its more…

This article describes an innovative continuing professional development (CPD) programme for experienced English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers, and a research study into its impact. The programme incorporates the principles of Practitioner Research (PR) and focuses in particular on the skills of data analysis and situated…

This paper argues that even though there is continuous research work on participation in adult education, the current state of research is not satisfactory. It develops this assumption by discussing studies that focus on social status and social milieu as explanatory factors for adult education. The authors draw on findings from a research project…

Can adult educational research on learning and identity counter the individualising of neoliberal government policy that seeks to constrain educational "choices" to those that contribute to government economic agendas? This article notes the recent move within post-compulsory education research towards an engagement with Bourdieu because of…

Donald Swanson, a library scientist at the University of Chicago, has coined the phrase "undiscovered public knowledge". As a university-based adult educationalist I am particularly interested in the "undiscovered public knowledge" which lies in the spaces beyond the academy, especially in the many associations, groups and movements involved in…

Discusses concepts and assumptions underlying actor-network theories and the new literacy studies. Identifies lessons for adult education research derived from sociological approaches to scientific knowledge, which examine power circulating in networks of human and nonhuman entities. (Contains 36 references.) (SK)

Grounded theory was used to design a content analysis of peer reviewer comments on qualitative research. Six themes emerged: What is the purpose of the study? How does it build on previous research? How thorough is the methodology? How are the findings presented? What are the contributions, implications, significance? and Is the paper well…

Reflects on the cultural politics of knowledge production since World War II, in which the techno-scientific knowledge base was used to dominate cultural time and space. Examines the status of liberal education and adult education research as a source of productive knowledge, as well as the selection of which knowledge is valued. (SK)

Critically examines British policy statements, asserting there is a gap between participants and nonparticipants in lifelong learning, and learning is an economic imperative. Reviews methods and findings of studies of adult participation, and concludes with the need to bridge the divide between discourses of lifelong learning as defined broadly or…

Argues for an institutional approach to theory and research on situated learning, which would allow for a different frame of reference than the concept of economic rationality as the objective of workplace learning. (SK)

Presents a framework for critical reflection on adult education literature in four sets of questions: methodological, experiential, communicative, and political. Addresses reasons for student resistance to critical analysis. (SK)

This description of the author's research (an ethnographic case study of an adult education center) is used to illustrate the difficulties and divisions between work-based practitioners and university researchers. Other issues include the influence of equal opportunity considerations, ethics and collaborative research, and participant observation…

Analysis of a government-funded project at the University of Warwick illustrates the nature, scope, and funding of continuing education research and the difficulties that arise and the processes of institutional innovation in universities. (SK)