Conceptions and strategies of Lifelong learning in the European Union - the case studies of three member states

Author(s):

Claudia Neves

Conference:

ECER 2008

Network:

21. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

PRE_C5, Preconference; Paper Session C5

Paper Session

Time:

2008-09-08

13:15-14:45

Room:

B3 333

Chair:

Monica Reichenberg

Contribution

This paper intends to show some preliminary results of an undergoing PhD research project centered in the lifelong learning problematic. The main purpose of this research is to try to understand how do governments of the member states in the European Union comprehend and implement the common orientations, namely in what concerns lifelong learning. In that sense, the focus of this research is the education policies and politics, at supranational level (EU) and at national level (Member States). This paper will be organized in three sections. In the 1st part will present the main goals of the research, justifying its purposes and pertinence. Agreeing that lifelong learning is nowadays assumed by the European Union as a political priority and considering that there are new forms of regulation of education policies, in the specific political context of the European Union, how do governments of the member states adjust and materialize EU guidelines, related to lifelong learning? In this part we will also present the contribution and reflections of some authors about the lifelong learning concept and what are the main tendencies of today’s debate on the issue. The second section will argue the main features of the empirical research, in what concerns the first phase of the analysis: the supranational level. In this phase we tried to understand the conceptions of lifelong learning, implicit and explicit in the European Union documents. These documents were selected according to their relevance and pertinence and are considered by the European Union itself as the framework for education and training policies. The analysis of these documents contents allow us to understand some of the ideological and concept ional frameworks and to identify the European Union guide lines for the strategic implementation of lifelong learning. In the 3rd part of the paper we will present some preliminary findings of the empirical work carried out at national level. According to criteria, which will be justified in the paper, 3 member states countries were selected, and some official political documents were analysed in order to identify (or not) the national strategies for the implementation on lifelong learning. We will try to understand which are the conceptions the state members have about lifelong learning and how they implement it in their political action.

Method

In methodological terms, this research is included in the field of Compared Education because we try to identify the similarities and differences, in the way 3 European Union apprehend and implement common guidelines concerning Lifelong learning. Most of the empirical work in this research is based on documentation analyze (the analyze of European Union reference documents for the national education and training policies, as well as the analyze of documents issued by the national governments of the selected countries) and in a qualitative analyze (based on content analysis of the documents).

Expected Outcomes

Our expectations related to this research are: • To contribute for the construction of a new knowledge and new vision about the conception and application of education policies in European Union; • To expand and deepen the debate around the lifelong learning problematic regarding its potentialities and its perverse effects; • We will also try to contribute to the enrichment of the methodological options in the field of compared education.

References

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Author Information

Claudia Neves

UIED

Fac. Ciência e Tecnologia - University Nova de Lisboa

Carnaxide

174

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