The Imaginary Institution of Adult Education: A Reassessment of the Field's Collective Identity

This paper draws upon central concepts from the psychoanalytic tradition, and the work of several theorists working in that tradition – Copjec, Lacan, Laclau & Moffe, Lefort, and Zizek – to explain the identity crisis confronting the institution of adult education and outline a potential course of action for adult educators

Teaching & Research: Learning's Twin Poles

One reason I wanted to be here today is because I have a nagging concern about the drive to incorporate research more explicitly into teaching. It’s reminiscent of the drive for "quality" education in schools, which is also, in principle, very difficult to argue against. The problem with terms such as "research" and "quality" is how they are defined. Many people did, in fact, begin arguing against "quality" education once it became apparent that the measure of quality was standardized testing. I have a similar concern about how some may choose to define "research" and how it will be measured. I’m particularly concerned that it NOT be about indoctrinating students into preordained research methods so they can better meet funders’ and industry’s goals for more applied research