This paper will explore the relationship between education policymaking, practice and research in the field of adult literacy in Ireland. It draws on our involvement in a series of research reports completed for the national adult literacy and Further Education and Training (FET) services in Ireland between 2018-2022. Each research project was conducted on a national scale, intending to capture literacy practice in their respective areas of family literacy, numeracy, inclusion of adult learners with intellectual disabilities, and inclusion of adult literacy across FET.  This represented a very active period by the national statutory agencies in researching the evidence base of adult literacy to inform governmental strategic planning. It aimed to provide an evidence-base for literacy education to inform emergent policies, in a manner that consulted with and gave voice to the experiences of staff and students at multiple levels, types and sites of adult literacy provision in Ireland.  The findings were written and presented as research reports, before being translated into a series of policy briefing papers (NALA, 2022) and forming part of the evidence-base for consultation process for the first National Adult Literacy for Life Strategy, 2021 in Ireland.  This paper explores how the socio-cultural and political context of this research influenced how it was able to relate to and influence policy.

This research is based on a series of research reports completed for the national adult literacy and Further Education and Training (FET) services in Ireland between 2018-2022. Four research projects were conducted on a national scale, intending to capture literacy practice and experiences in their respective areas of family literacy, numeracy, inclusion of adult learners with intellectual disabilities, and inclusion of literacy across FET (SOLAS, 2020, 2021a, 2021c, ALOA, 2022). They were based on a mixed methods approach, combined desk research with a national quantitative survey of literacy provision, and a series of qualitative engagements through case studies, interviews with literacy staff and students, focus groups and workshops. In a second wave of analysis, these four research reports were analysed using critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 1995) identified key discursive themes which were written into a series of 6 policy briefing papers on adult literacy. This presentation considers the impact of both of these stages of research and analysis as forms of research attempting to engage with and influence policy.

This research emerged in a sociopolitical context of the uncertainty of a global recession which facilitated a deep pessimism to enter Irish public discourses about the unaffordability of public services. This context enabled the embedding of performance management as a mode of regulation across Irish public services (Lynch et al., 2012; Dukelow and Murphy, 2018). This shift from governing to governance echo similar changes occurring across Europe and internationally where the OECD-influenced ‘human capital’ approach and political project of neoliberalism resulted in systemic reforms with greater levels of performance measurement across all sectors in line with EU and national priorities (Clarke et al. 2000; Tett and Hamilton, 2019). This resulted in adult literacy practices being tied more closely to the performance imperatives of national FET policies, similar to what had happened in the UK with the Education Reform Act in 1988 and the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992. The research reveal the deeply pervasive impact of this in placing a stream of constant demands on staff and students to engage with performativity demands, to give data and voice about their experiences, but with little direct influence or sense of determination. They speak of the invisibility of their learning relationships, the learner-centred responsive pedagogy, and impact on learners’ lives and communities which are not recognised by this performativity drive. This research attempts to intervene through research activities in this process, making visible the learner-centred and relational aspects of adult literacy and engaging directly to de-construct barriers to and make accessible the production of scholarly research to influence decision-making and policy processes. The multiple flows of power and different political pressures evident throughout these mechanisms of policy engagement will be considered, critically reflecting on how scholarly research can engage with public policy to support a more social just education system.

ALOA (2022) Inclusion of Adult Literacy Support in Further Education and Training in Ireland: A Research Report. Technical Report. Adult Literacy Organisers Association. Clarke, J., Gewitz, S. and E. McLaughlin (2000) (eds) New Managerialism New Welfare? (Sage: London) Dukelow, F. and M. Murphy (eds) (2018) New Managerialism as a Political Project in Irish Education. Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan. Fairclough N. (1995) Critical Discourse Analysis. London: Longman Lynch, K., Grummell, B. and Devine, D. (2012) New Managerialism in Education: Commercialization, Carelessness and Gender. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan NALA (2022) Briefing papers to support inclusion in the Adult Literacy Services. NALA: Dublin. https://www.nala.ie/publications/briefing-papers/ SOLAS (2020) Enabling Intergenerational Learning: Background Report on Family Literacy Practices in Irish Education and Training Boards (ETBs). Available from: https://www.nala.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Enabling-Intergenerational-Learning-Background-report-on-family-literacy-practices-in-Irish-ETBs-2020.pdf SOLAS (2021a) Development of Good Practice Guidelines for Integrated and Standalone Numeracy Provision for Adults at Levels 1–3. https://www.nala.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/15341_SOLAS_Numeracy_Report_Web_07092021.pdf SOLAS (2021b) Adult Literacy for Life: A 10–Year Adult Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy. Available from: https://www.solas.ie/f/70398/x/b78324692b/15607_all_strategy_web.pdf SOLAS (2021c) Inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in Adult Literacy Services: Research Report. implementation-of-guidelines-on-the-inclusion-learners-background-research-report-2021.pdf Tett, L. and M. Hamilton (2019). Resisting Neoliberalism in Education: local, national and transnational perspectives. Policy Press