Studies in the Education of Adults

Young people face a wide range of challenges in their transition to adulthood. In particular, young adults (18–29) in multi-disadvantaged and/or vulnerable situations are confronted with significant challenges in their learning and training—all of which impact both their life chances as adults and their further learning experiences. Issues concerning inclusion (social, economic, cultural, political, etc.) have a significant impact on young people’s lives, allowing reflexive/empowering or restrictive/disempowering strategies of activation as an outcome of the implementation of existing education and training policies. In parallel, biographical learning, which refers to inner and outer life courses, may express opportunities and hindrances of institutional, social, and family settings that are becoming more complex in present times and make it more difficult to achieve education and learning towards critical consciousness.

This special issue aims at critically discussing the current lifelong learning approach in the EU, particularly when it comes to policy aims, teaching and learning methods, and human resources investment and management, among other issues. The issue will eventually address the present need to critically reflect on topics related to adult education and training policies when dealing with social inequalities. In addition, it will direct the current debate on existing policies for young adults’ learning in the light of different welfare regimes that are found in various parts of the globe, considering the various strategies and education rationales and their impact on policy formulation and implementation as well as on young people’s biographies.

The papers that will be included in this special issue will focus on young adults learning and will draw conceptually from life course research, intersectionality, and spatial justice with an aim to examine and better understand the factors and dimensions that affect (the quality of) the lives of emerging adults aged 18–29 pursuing education and training. The process of learning can be understood as the result of various interconnected factors and individuals, encompassing institutional frameworks, geographical and socio-economic factors, communicative and socio-cultural influences, as well as personal experiences, predispositions, cognitive abilities, and emotional competencies.

Interested contributors must submit their full papers (mentioning that their paper is submitted for the Autumn 2024 Special Issue before the paper title) on the submission site of the ‘Studies in the Education of Adults‘ (https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rsia20) by June 30, 2024, at the latest.

The anticipated contributions (maximum 6,000 words) should encompass individual-level factors together with institutional, structural, relational, and spatial dimensions. The implementation of an all-encompassing methodology in research is anticipated to facilitate a more profound comprehension of the diverse factors that shape the process of learning and therefore affect its overall quality.

Details on submission and instructions for authors are available at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?show=instructions&journalCode=rsia20.

The expected publication date is November 2024. All submissions will be peer-reviewed.

Instructions for AuthorsSubmit an Article