On some of the blind spots of adult education research Petri Salo Åbo Akademi University

1. On some of the blind spots of adult education research Petri Salo Åbo Akademi University Faculty of education Vasa, Finland psalo@abo.fi

2. Adult education research too practical, pragmatic, short-sighted, small-scale, profit-oriented, fragmentary, depoliticized, practice-bound, context-bound, normative. small empirical case studies, carried out in specific contexts, the possibilities to draw any kind of general conclusions are negligible. The very idea or character of adult education research is lost …. as is the objects of study, the characteristic research questions, the particular perspectives, methodologies and methods. A practice among other practices

3. Staffan Larsson (2010) Adult education research is not defined and delimited in a very clear way. There can be many reasons, but I want to highlight two. The first has to do with the lack of a common knowledge base, […] This is not particularly surprising, since it is also the case with educational research in general and also areas such as management, gender studies etc. research areas which are more defined by their study objective than by a perspective. What becomes more troublesome is the lack of delimitations of what constitutes this study object: Is it adults who are taught or also adults who are learning without being taught, or is it educational system provided for adults etc.? In the first issue of European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults – RELA(X)

4. Henning SallingOlesen (2006) I face the daily challenge of defining our field at the same time as ´the target is moving´ (p. 241). Since our field isgenerally confusing ideas, societal practices and policies, it is also useful in this case to point out the relation between discourses and policies. More generally this is mainly a political science, or just a first step to identify what we are talking about. Abstractness serves more or less legitimate policy functions. Notions like ´lifelong learning´ and ´learning society´ appear utopian, in the same ways as ´lifelong education´ (p. 243). In the anniversary issue of International Journal of Lifelong Education

5. MieczyslawMalewski (2010) Today the discipline of education of adults possesses neither theoretical continuity nor coherent system of knowledge. On the contrary, the discipline seems cracked and fragmented into separate and incompatible research areas and the community of adult education scholars is torn between research paradigms that reflect competing intellectual traditions. In other words, theorists and researchers dwell in distinct and mutually irreconcilable worlds. One can evaluate this situation negatively and put effort into making a long list of potential damages to the integrity of the scholarly discipline, appealing to emotions and calling for epistemological unity. In the first issue of European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults – RELA(X)

6. MieczyslawMalewski (2010) continues One can also see this situation as natural, indeed unavoidable in the process of scientific development. (p. 54) .. the greatest threat to science is uncritical self-identification of scholars with their discipline as well as the imperative of group solidarity that orders them to defend the discipline from any external critique. Worse than that, this imperative might also concern internal critique. (p. 65)

7. Adulteducation, politics and learning There is no suchthing as the Big Society!

8. The Brave New Autonomous Adult Learner The Church BIBLE Self-directedlearning Malcolm Knowles Self-reflection Jack Mezirow Reflection-in/on-action Donald Schön Experientiallearning David Kolb The Nature Encyclopedia The workers The communistManifesto The Folk Song book

9. Stephen Kemmis et al. (2009) … to the extent to which people can be said to learn anything at all, they do not learn anything other than language games, activities and practices. It seems from our observations that what people learn is (only) how to “join in” to existing or transformed practices (like speaking, reading, writing or understanding particular ideas, or carrying out particular set of activities in a classroom task, or sharing social space with others) (ibid. 5)

10. MieczyslawMalewski (2010) continues Knowledge is not constructed in a receptive-additive way. As Bruner (1996) argues, knowledge is what becomes collectivised within a discourse, within a “textual” community. This means that knowledge is collective and generated through the social practices of epistemic communities. That is, learning is a function of active participation in worlds of social practices. (ibid. 55).

11. Adult education as …. a philosophy, a theory, a paradigm, a concept, a context, a policy and apractice. Mathias Fingers (1990) adult education grew out of practice; as a practice, it addresses concrete problems occurring in the everyday life. Action research in/on everydaypractices

12. Time use in Finnish families 1999-2000 (persons from 25 to 64 years) Gainful employment: 3,8 hours Studying: 5 minutes (45-64 y) to 17 minutes (25-44 y) Sleeping: 8 hours Domestic work: 2,2 hours Radio and television: 2 hours Sport and outdoor activities: 42 minutes Shopping and services: 40 minutes Other hobbies: 20 minutes ….. Per day (24 h)

13. Mitä ihminen oppii ja miten hän on osallisena esimerkiksi seuraavissa sosiaalis-kulttuurisissa käytännöissä? aikuistuminen, naimisiin meno, oman kodin perustaminen, asunnon/osto, omakotitalon rakentaminen, lasten saaminen ja heidän aikuistumisensa, isovanhemmuus, ikääntyminen ja eläkkeelle pääseminen tai joutuminen luonto-, matkustus-, retkeily-, metsästys-, kalastus- tai musiikkiharrastus, ulkoilu, kunto- tai penkkiurheilu rakastuminen, pitkäaikainen parisuhde, sen päättyminen, oman tai puolison/elämänkumppanin uskottomuus ja/tai perheväkivalta oma tai lähiomaisen vakava sairaus, itsemurha, tapaturmainen tai luonnollinen kuolema jatkuva organisaatio- ja/tai aluehallintouudistus, ulkoistaminen, kilpailuttaminen, työajan seuranta, lakko ja työpaikkakiusaaminen (tieto)työssä loppuun palaminen, masennus, psyykenlääkkeiden käyttö, työpaikan vaihto ja irtisanominen (eli asiantuntijuuden, ammattiylpeyden ja –identiteetin vähittäinen mureneminen) alkoholi-, huume-, netti-, peli-, osto-, läheis- tai seksiriippuvuus sekä näiden tiedostaminen ja niistä eroon pyrkiminen

14. Time use in Finnish families 1979-2009 (population in total)

17. The amount of prescriptions of sleep medicine in Finland - average number or prescriptions per doctor/year 19 353 doctors in Finland in the beginning of 2011

19. menwomen

23. International Journal of Humor Research, 2011, Vol. 24 Issue 1, p43-61

26. Various life course practices

29. patientslikeme.com epilepsy

32. Finnishtravelling 2000–2009

33. Finnishresidents’ favouritedestinationcountries for leisuretripswithovernightstays in 2009 and 2008

34. Selänniemi, T. 1996: Travelling to the everlasting summer. Cultural-antropologicalperspective on Finnspackageholidays Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura.

35. Tripadvisor.com hotel reviews

36. Fishing as a hobby in Finland 1981 - 2002 % 1981 1991 2002

37. Berry ormushroompicking as a hobby in Finland 1981 - 2002 % 1981 1991 2002

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