Adult Education as a Means to Active Participatory Citizenship (EduMAP)

Particular attention was paid to educational policies and practices needed to foster active citizenship among vulnerable young people, and the practices and experiences of Adult Education (AE) providers, learners, and potential learners. The main research question was: What policies and practices are needed in the field of adult education to include young adults at risk of social exclusion in active participatory citizenship in Europe?

Loughborough led a large research work package that focussed on communication. We asked how can communication inside of and around AE programmes be improved, in order to:

• Reach out to and connect effectively with young people at risk of social exclusion?
• Enhance interaction and learners’ engagement?
• Enhance engagement and collaboration within the AE organisation and with relevant external agents?

After coordinating data collection and analysis from across 20 countries, Professor Jo Tacchi and Dr Amalia Sabiescu developed the Communicative Ecologies and Assemblages Analytical Framework.

The research findings are based on the analysis of semi-structured interviews, focus groups and on communicative ecology mapping with 814 respondents across Europe. These include adult education providers and practitioners, policymakers, young adults (including, but not limited to current learners) in 20 countries: Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the UK. The research design and coordination was a substantial task, and the research and analysis design documents are available for download.

So far, results from the communication research have been published as a major research report Communicative Ecologies in Adult Education, as a chapter in a 2019 volume of the German Adult Education Association’s International Perspectives in Adult Education, and as a Policy Brief. A book on communicative ecologies and assemblages by Professor Jo Tacchi and Dr Amalia Sabiescu is in progress.

EduMAP involves the partnership and cooperation of nine partners:

• University of Tampere, Finland (Coordinator)
• Tallinn University, Estonia
• Foredata LLC, Finland
• DVV International, Germany
• The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
• University of Szeged, Hungary
• Loughborough University London, UK
• Social Sciences University on Ankara, Turkey
• University College London, UK

This project was funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. Contract number 693388.