Who sets the agenda in life-long learning?

Trans-nationalization of Qualifications Framework: Challenges to Cross-national Research, Practice, Policy Relations

Faculty of Education
ATALPA Room 131/132

The aim of the seminar is to reflect on the complex field of stakeholders - practitioners, researchers, policy-makers - interested in the agenda of the lifelong learning/adult education.

Trans-nationalization of qualifications framework in different parts of the world is currently challenged by the diversity of educational traditions and systems. Likewise, as the universal lifelong learning rhetoric is increasingly marginalizing the concept of adult education, it also hides its internal variety and diversity and makes it even more challenging to define the profession. Under such circumstances, comparing patterns in adjusting or negotiating trans-nationalization policies in different nation-state societies is as important as how the seemingly similar discourses connect to sub-national and local micro-policies.

The seminar will delve into the complexities in the field of adult education how different actors with accustomed negotiation mechanisms develop strategies to protect  its status and ownership while influencing on the relations with others.

Sub-themes to be discussed on the relation between research, practice and policy are:

- Research informing policy
- Research supporting practice and promoting professionalization
- Research empowering adults as citizens, professionals and learners

The seminar is a third in the series of TQF seminars, which aim to develop cross-national academic apprenticeship, based on generational sharing, questioning and creation of knowledge. It is also a part of the collaboration with the VET and Culture Research Network, ESREA, as well as doctoral studies of the faculty of education. The seminar also belongs to the series of events of the 70th anniversary of the Finnish Society for Research on Education of Adults (ATS).

The seminar includes a presentation of the results of the AITURI project and a panel discussion with a goal to form a future plan for following activities. Besides AITURI working group Finnish adult education experts from e.g. OKM, EIO, VSY are invited.

Junior and senior researchers with historicizing, inter-disciplinary and diversity-sensitive approach are welcome to join the seminar to discuss their research topics, search for commonalities and develop research groups with international scholars for the future.

The international experts with a comparative European view include:

* Kathryn Ecclestone, University of Birmingham
* Larissa Jögi, University of Tallinn
* Manfred Wahle, University of Duisburg-Essen
* Markus Weil, University of Zürich
* Georgios Zarifis, Aristotle-University, Thessaloniki.

The seminar will be open and free of charge for researchers and experts. Because of time and space restrictions, the number of research presentations is limited.

Inquiries, enrollment and abstracts should be sent by email to Sini Teräsähde, sini.terasahde(at)uta.fi or Dong Seob LEE, dong.seob.lee(at)uta.fi, by 15.11.2010. The final program will be sent to the enrolled participants.