Researching inequality and lifelong education from 1982 to 2020: A critical review

ABSTRACT

This article explores the International Journal of Lifelong Education archives in the period 1982–2020. We analyse how the Journal engages with the issue of inequality. This is accomplished by systematically identifying relevant articles within the archives, and reviewing these whilst taking account of the societal, cultural and political or economic contexts in which they were written. Most articles identified for review focused on specific disadvantaged groups, discussing ways in which adult education might help, support and strengthen them. A minority took a more critical approach, assessing the drivers for inequality, or problematising the role of lifelong education as a catalyst for addressing inequality or social injustice. In our analysis, we distinguish between inequalities related to class, gender and migration/ethnicity as themes emerging from our initial sweep of the archives, however these themes are represented unequally both in terms of number and attention given across the decades. Perhaps surprisingly, given the different forms of inequality addressed in the Journal, it seems that only very few of these papers can be directly associated with historical events and contexts relevant to the times in which they were written. Theoretically driven conceptualisations of inequality are rarities within the archives, with some notable exceptions.

KEYWORDS:

• Inequality
• class
• gender
• migration
• social and political changes

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on an earlier version of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Lifelong education is widely discussed in both academic and policy spheres, and different terminologies and understandings are used, such as lifelong education, lifelong learning, adult education (Holford et al., 2014; Jarvis, 2010). In this article, we focus on lifelong education in its variety of forms: formal, non-formal and informal and do not engage in this very broad discussion.

2. ‘For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath’ Matthew 25: 29, Authorised Version KJV.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Petya Ilieva-Trichkova

Petya Ilieva-Trichkova is Associate Professor at Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. She is a member of the Editorial Board of International Journal of Lifelong Education. Her research interests include educational inequalities, social justice, higher education, adult education and graduate employability.

Sarah Galloway

Sarah Galloway is Lecturer in Further Education at the University of Stirling, UK where she Directs the Access to Degree Studies programme for mature students. She is a member of the Advisory editorial Board of the International Journal of Lifelong Education.

Bernhard Schmidt-Hertha

Bernhard Schmidt-Hertha is full professor for General Education and Educational Research at the University of Munich (Germany). He studied educational research, psychology and sociology in Munich, where he finished his PhD in 2004 and his habilitation in 2009. He used to work as a professor at Technical University of Braunschweig and University of Tübingen, before he took the chair in Munich. He is co-editor of two academic journals, reviewer for the German Research Association and different national and international journals, and is member of the steering board of the German Educational Research Association. In 2009 he launched the European Network on Education and Learning of Older Adults (ELOA) within ESREA which is still active.

Shibao Guo

Shibao Guo is Professor at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. He specialises in adult and lifelong learning, comparative and international education, internationalisation of higher education, citizenship and immigration, ethnic and race relations, and multicultural and anti-racist education.

Anne Larson

Anne Larson is associate professor in educational sociology at the Danish School of Education, Aarhus University. Her main research interests are education policy and adult education/ lifelong learning at international and national level, including among other topics inequality in participation in adult education and lifelong learning.

Vicky Duckworth

Vicky Duckworth is Professor of Education at Edge Hill University. Vicky has developed considerable expertise as an educationalist and researcher in the field of Adult Literacy and Education. She is deeply committed to challenging inequality through critical and emancipatory approaches to education, widening participation, inclusion, community action and engaging in research with a strong social justice agenda.

Tonic Maruatona

Tonic Maruatona is a Professor of Adult Education at the Department of Lifelong Learning and Community Development, University of Botswana Gaborone, Botswana. Current Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Education, University of Botswana.