Association for the Education of Adults EAEA European AE Research – Look towards the future ERDI General Assembly, 2004

Association for the Education of Adults Questions to be answered 1.Who define the research agenda on adult learning? Adult learners, practitioners, researchers, authorities, corporations or any others? 2.What about the autonomy of research and scientific objectives? Research and expertise -as business is determined by the orders or -responds to the challenges of the critical issues of present society. The moral and social mission of science. 3.Are the results of adult learning research relevant from the point of view of challenges of current European practice? 4.Are the findings of research available for the target group of practitioners?

Association for the Education of Adults “..not only the economic competitiveness of Europe should be strengthened through research and innovation. What needs to be strengthened also in a truly international and global context is the compatibility of European institutions, values and forms of solidarity that Europe has developed over time.” Helga Nowotny, Prague Unity and Diversity: the Contribution of the Social Sciences and the Humanities to the European Research Area, 2001

Association for the Education of Adults Challenges of adult learning research The research agenda most funded in adult learning is defined by the economic interests related to human resources. An overview of research achievements (resources in hand) is not available for the practice. The research workshops of adult learning still represent a small group compared to the whole research world Is there efficient networking between research organisations in order to put better focus on key issues? Bridges between research and practice in adult learning are missing Dissemination of research findings in the training of facilitators of adult learning is weak

Association for the Education of Adults Socio-economic Research Education and Training Project Clusters The Fourth and the Fifth EU Framework Programmes (FP4 and FP5) funded more than 55 research projects and thematic networks that address directly issues of Education and Training. Briefing papers summarising the results of individual projects:

Association for the Education of Adults Cluster 1. Education and Labour Market Change: The Dynamics of Education to Work Transitions in Europe Cluster 2. Education, equity and social exclusion Cluster 3. Monitoring and Evaluation of Research in Learning Innovations (MERLIN) Cluster 4. Synergy between Practitioners' needs and opportunities Cluster 5. Towards the Learning Economy-conclusions from FP4 and FP5 projects to shape European policies in Education and Training

Association for the Education of Adults European research on learning European research on learning exists under the Sixth EU Framework Programme ( ) supported under priority 7 ( Citizens and Governance in the Knowledge based Society: The next call for proposals of priority 7 will be published in late 2004.

Association for the Education of Adults Is there a strategy for adult learning research? The Communication "Investing in research : an action plan for Europe" adopted by the European Commission on 30 April 2003, aiming at increasing investment in European R&D to approach 3 % of GDP by Do we have an idea about the proportion of funding for adult learning research within the whole budget of adult learning?

Association for the Education of Adults A Mobility Strategy for the European Research Area The Commission Communication “A Mobility Strategy for the European Research Area (ERA)”aims at enhancing the living and working environment of researches in order to attract and maintain a high level of human resources in research. Researchers’ mobility portal: More efficient provision of practical, customised assistance to mobile researchers through the European network of mobility centres.

Association for the Education of Adults Mobility and European co-operation Benchmarking exercise in order to examine the key aspects of research policy; development of statistic studies in order to monitor the fluxes of researchers. The second line of action concerns financial measures in order to reach a critical mass of mobile researchers. Resource: WORKING GROUP “MOBILITY AND EUROPEAN CO-OPERATION” PROGRESS REPORT

Association for the Education of Adults Challenges of the Lisbon Strategy in the work of the Concrete Objectives of the Education and Training systems in Europe 1.Promising and demanding policy aims since 2000 without practice oriented research which supports implementation 2.Poorly selected indicators on measuring and superficially selected benchmarks on objectives aimed at 2010 are available 3.Low level research exists on inclusive adult learning, learning for socially excluded groups in general

Association for the Education of Adults Challenges of the Listbon Strategy 4.Deficient statistical data on international comparability of adult learning in many fields (participation, non-participation, investment in adult learning ) 5.The practice of non-formal and informal learning basically lacks evidences on its importance, methods, assessment and techniques 6.Quality indicators of lifelong learning are quite weak and inappropriate for practice development 7.Studies on investment in learning focus mostly on human resources development, research on social capital is missing on an operational level

Association for the Education of Adults Demanding research issues of adult learning from the view of practice 1. Policy formation of lifelong learning 2. Validation, assessment of non-formal and informal learning 3. Guidance and counselling on individual lifelong learning paths 4. Techniques of needs analyses of adults 5. Surveys on participation and non-participation 6. Tools for motivation of non-traditional adult learners 7. Funding regime of adult learning 8. European dimensions of competence development of staff Extension of Europe Theme: Challenges to EU enlargement Theme: The challenge of globalisation

Association for the Education of Adults Recommendations for future adult learning research 1.Make opportunities for a discourse on co-operation in a joint research strategy by identifying some key issues until 2010 and beyond 2. Involve all possible stakeholders including adult learning providers (practitioners) and the organisations of learners which may have influence on a European and policy level 3.Find consensus on some relevant themes in the framework of the Lisbon Strategy in order to improve research funding and its policy consequences 4.Develop a set of quality indicators for the evaluation of the results of adult learning research (application of the open method of co-ordination to the Barcelona objective)

Association for the Education of Adults 5.Make joint efforts for the accessibility and transparency of results for practitioners through the Internet, joint publications, regular info service, forums, regular training. 6.Make joint efforts to raise the number of researchers and research in the field of adult learning in the framework of the EU research agenda 7.Have joint research projects around the key questions of practice together with research institutes, universities, adult learning providers. 8.Develop the lifelong learning research agenda and co-operation for regions out of Europe Dr. Janos Sz. Toth President of the EAEA