The imagined learner in adult literacy education policy research
An international comparison
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4199588 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alisa Belzer (0000-0002-7875-406X, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey), Anke Grotlüschen (0000-0003-3072-1741, Universität Hamburg, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 369-388 |
| Publication date | 2022-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Review of Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-8566 • E-ISSN: 1573-0638 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11159-022-09956-8 |
| OpenAlex | W4285385889 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 43 |
This article provides a comparative analysis of the ways in which learners are portrayed in researchers' descriptions of adult literacy education policy. Although adult learners are rarely referred to directly in policy or in policy research, a range of assumptions about them may be inferred through close analysis of related research literature. This analysis draws on an earlier meta-synthesis (prepared by the first author and Amy Pickard) of adult learner portrayals in qualitative research which identified a typology of "learner characters" that were predictably employed in descriptions across a large variety of texts. They argued that these learner types were likely to "drive the action" in terms of further research, policy and practice just like characters drive the plot in literary narratives. Asking "Who are the (imagined) learners in research that describes policy documents pertaining to adult literacy?", this article takes this line of thought further by demonstrating that identifying learner types in policy analysis research can inform thinking about who the policy is really for, what is valued, and who benefits. This, in turn, can provide researchers with a distinctive lens for policy analysis and critique. The authors of this article identify five types of imagined learners: the Problem, the Pawn, the Afterthought, the Competitor, and the Competent Citizen
Action (physics · Adult education · Discourse analysis · Educational research · Linguistics · Literacy · Narrative · Narrative inquiry · Pedagogy · Policy analysis · Political science · Research Policy · Sociology · Typology · Variety (cybernetics · Adult and Continuing Education Topics · Computer Science · Global Education and Multiculturalism · Global Educational Policies and Reforms · Public Administration
Literacy Before It Counts
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The social practice approach
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Handbook of Education Policy Research
Morphology of the Folktale
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Changing discourses
Failing adult learners
The changing faces of adult literacy, language and numeracy
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Navigating between Māori particularism and economic universalism in adult literacy provision in Aotearoa New Zealand
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| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |