Adult learning and education in Spain and Portugal: an interpretative study of doctoral theses (2006-2018)

ABSTRACT

This article presents a cartography of the field of research in adult learning and education (ALE) via a comparative study of academic production at doctoral level in Spain and Portugal based on a systematic documentary analysis of the summaries of doctoral theses concluded between 2006 and 2018. The aim is to advance the state of the art of research on ALE in recent doctoral theses in both Countries and highlight trends of contemporary knowledge construction in the field of continuing education of adults. Two analytical strategies are applied: i) a characterisation of the doctoral theses’ abstracts by a constructed grid with general and specific categories; and ii) a quantitative strategy of identifying frequencies in the grid for 18 keywords, 6 frameworks and paradigms and 12 associated to concepts. The mapping of priorities and absences in doctoral research at Higher Education Institutions (HEI) demonstrate that in Spain, there is a tendency to present the role of ALE closely related to assisting individuals and groups to adapt to the educational system, to society and to labour demands. In Portugal an unresolved tension between the adaptation of adults to society through ALE and the conscientization of adults by ALE to transform society remains.

KEYWORDS:

• Adult learning and education (ALE)
• doctoral thesis and academic production
• higher Education Institutions (HEI)
• comparative study

Acknowledgments

This work is funded by National Funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology under the Project UIDB/05739/2020.

Compliance with ethical standards

We warrant that our manuscript is original work and has not been accepted for publication by another periodical. We further warrant that our work does not infringe on the copyright or statutory rights of others and does not contain libelous statements.

Our research do not involves Human Participants and/or Animals.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The recent creation of a specialised research centre in Portugal: The Adult Education and Community Intervention Research Centre (CEAD) at the University of Algarve could have an future impact on the current ALE research scenario.

2. The Spanish National Repositoires used were: RECYT-Repositorio Español de Ciencia y Tecnología (https://recyt.fecyt.es) and TESEO-Base de datos del Ministerio de Educación de Tesis Doctorales (https://www.educacion.gob.es/teseo/irGestionarConsulta.do).

The Portuguese National Repositoires used were: RCAAP-Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (https://www.rcaap.pt/) and RENATES-Registo Nacional de Temas de Tese de Doutoramento em Curso e de Doutoramentos Concluídos (www.dgeec.mec.pt/np4/renates/).

3. Source: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, http://estadisticas.mecd.gob.es/EducaDynPx/educabase/index.htm?type=pcaxis&path=/Universitaria/Tesis/2017/&file=pcaxis

4. Source:General Directorate for Education and Science Statistics, (Direcção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência, DGEEC), website www.dgeec.mec.pt/np4/245.html. Table: Number of doctoral theses conducted, recognised or registered in Portugal, in years 2000, 2006, 2011 e 2018.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

María R. Belando-Montoro

María R. Belando-Montoro, PhD in Education. Senior Lecturer in Educational Theory and Social Pedagogy at the Complutense University of Madrid. She currently holds the position of Vice-Dean for International Affairs at the Faculty of Education. She has been coordinator of the Master's Programme in Advanced Studies in Social Education at UCM. In recent years she has directed seven Projects for Innovation and Improvement of Teaching Quality. She has taken part in several research projects on issues related to participation and civic engagement. She has published books, chapters and articles in the following areas: Education-Social Pedagogy and Public Policies in the Education of Adults and Elderly People.

Rosanna Barros

Rosanna Barros has a PhD in Education by the University of Minho and is Adjunct Professor at the University of Algarve. She is associate convenor of the Research Network on Policy Studies in Adult Education of ESREA (https://www.esrea.org/networks/policy-studies-in-adult-education/), since 2017 and is presently running different research projects with either national or international funding. She is a member of the Scientific and Editorial Board of different periodicals, both at national and international levels. She has published books, chapters and articles in the following areas: Critical Sociology of Education, Education-Social Pedagogy and Public Policies in the Education of Adults and Elderly People.

Fátima Lampreia Carvalho

Fátima Lampreia Carvalho (PhD Political Science, Essex 2000) is multidisciplinary researcher currently involved in the study of inclusive socio-educational practices. Her main area of scientific activity is Government and Discourse Analysis applied to the analysis of concrete political and social phenomena. Fatima has performed scientific activities in regulation, the validity of exams and qualifications in England and is specialized research methods. Fatima created the mimetic convergences index for the study of electoral manifestos and is presently a research collaborator at the Research Centre for Tourism Sustainability and Well-Being (CinTurs) at the University of the Algarve.