Adult Education Policy in 2000’ in Cordoba and Barcelona. Preliminary notes of an ongoing research.
Author(s):
Alicia Acín (presenting / submitting)
Conference:
ECER 2013
Network:
23. Policy Studies and Politics of Education
Format:
Paper

Session Information

23 SES 03 B, Education Policies and Social Cohesion and Development

Paper Session

Time:
2013-09-10
17:15-18:45
Room:
G-102
Chair:
Christina Segerholm

Contribution

In this paper I expose progress of the doctoral thesis “Adult secondary education. A comparative study between Córdoba (Argentina) and Barcelona (Spain)” which continues a research developed in 2010-2011 in Córdoba.

¿What similarities and differences presents adult secondary education in Córdoba (Argentina) and Barcelona (Spain)? is the main question, disaggregated in other questions of which become important for this paper ¿Which are political decisions taken in the last decade?

Its aim is to compare the current composition of adult secondary education in Córdoba and Barcelona and main changes in the last decade. This temporal delimitation is due to Argentina attempts reinstall some specificity of adult education and I want to analyze what are the trends in Spain, particularly in Barcelona and Cataluña which has competencies in education.

Regardless of other emerging issues, the comparison is structured around sociopolitical, organizational and pedagogical dimensions of the object of study. This paper is related to sociopolitical dimension, referring to relations with the state in legal, political and administrative terms, and focuses on the first question: the changes in recent years as a result of main political decisions. In this dimension aspects to investigate are relationship between the State and the autonomuos community or province, the administrative unit of adult education and the guidelines of the international agencies in that area.

In the vast adult education field I focus on education provided by educative system, called school adult education, according Brusilovsky (2000) and considered by Lancho (2005) adult  education strictly. Interest in secondary education reflects the relevance acquired in Argentina from National Education Law which extend permanent education right and compulsory education to secondary and poses challenges in terms of democratizing educational policies (Sinisi et al, 2010)

Education policies are state’s actions in relation to educational practices and how it solve knowledge distribution, considered as a cultural good. The State is a privileged actor for its capacity to impose legitmate but, in globalization context, nation state is affected by supranational an intranational forces, undermining its autonomy and decision making (Dale, quoted in Vega Gil, 2011; Bonal and Tabarini, 2011). The rules do not guarantee their impact but mark the “borders” of involved actors actions’ who accept or reject, resist, reintepret and print their hallmark in macro, meso and micro political level, through their interests, tactics an social representation (Miranda et al, 2006). In adult education history, according to sociopolitical contexts, involved actors and prevailing conceptions, policies range from seeking specificity to standardizing to regular education system. Their dependence on certain units of government or others is also an important factor because it marks certain guidelines.

Method

In comparative research field, in recent years, there have been intense debates about the problem of comparison, what is it and what are the most appropriate procedures to compare that questioned classical perspectives in comparative education based on quantitative methods and focused in educational systems’description and analysis. Martínez Usarralde (2000), Ferrer (2002), Acosta (2011),Vega Gil (2011) refer to new approaches that incorporate contributions from other disciplines and perspectives. As part of the qualitative tradition and recovering the contribution of these debates, I take elements of educational ethnography and case study, complementing with phases of comparative research. Based on primary sources, I use the following methodological procedures: a) analysis of documents: laws, regulation, rules) as well as institutional documents from Córdoba/Argentina and Cataluña/Spain; b) semi-structured interwiews to key actors: political and technical officials, school principals, coordinators, programme’s responsibles; c) small discussion group with teachers, managers, technical team members or programme’s responsables, active or retired; d) observation in schools. This paper is based on document analysis and information from interwiews and small discussion group.

Expected Outcomes

Political decisions taken in Córdoba during 2000’ express the will to reinstall some specificity, diluted in the policies of the 90's. Process favored by actors with experience in adult education and union participation who take part of provincial government now, through National Education Low 26.206/2006 and young and adult education promotion by national government. Progress was made in actions that expand or innovate incorporating distance education, specific curricula design (partially funded by national government), establishing schools in confinement’ context, designating supervisors through open competitions and extending services to outlying areas, although with precarious driving charges. In Cataluña in 2004 competencies in adult education returned from Social Welfare and Familiy Department to Education Department. In agreement government-union teachers, besides transferring adults’ education centers located in prisons to Education Department and unify distance education, including adult education, the implemented actions (offer delimitation, ordering adults’ basic teachings, conversion of classrooms in centers, determining driving charges) are considered as “schooling” by Beltrán Llavador and Beltrán Llavador (1996) and reinforce the academic school online that, in 1981, UNESCO equated to less developed countries (Formariz, 2009).

References

-Acosta, F. (2011). Comparative education in Latin America: Status and prospects. Latin American Journal of Comparative Education, Year 2, No. 2, pp. 73-83. Beltrán Llavador, F. and Beltrán Llavador, J. (1996). Policy and practice of adult education. Valencia: Universidad de Valencia. - Bonal, X. and Tarabini, A. Globalization and educational policy: the mechanisms as a method of study. Journal of Education 355. May-August 2011, p. 235-255. - Brusilovsky, S. Adult Education School. An identity construction. New Educational Editions. 2006. - Ferrer, F. (2002). The current comparative education. Barcelona: Ariel - Formariz, A. (Ed.) (2009). Basic training for adults: social imaginary, theoretical approach, democratic organization. Barcelona: Institute of Education Sciences. University of Barcelona. - Lancho, J. (2005). Adult education in autonomous Spain. Madrid: UNED. - Martinez, M. J. (2003). Comparative Education. New dare, renovated challenges. Madrid: The Wall. - Miranda, E. et al (2006). Policy Reform of the education system in the 90s. New configurations emerging from the Federal Education Law and its implementation in Córdoba. Cordoba: Editorial Bruges. - Sinisi et al (2010). Contributions to think on adult education at the secondary level: a study from the perspective of the subjects. Buenos Aires: Ministry of Education of the Nation. DINIECE. - Vega Gil, L. (2011). The comparative and international education. Historical processes and global dynamics. Barcelona: Octahedron / ICE-UB Documents -Law 2/2006, May 3, of Education. BOE Nº 106 -Law 12/2009, July 10, of Education. BOE Nº 189 -National Education Law 26.206. BOE Nº -Government Agreement 232/2006, December 27 -Decree 325/2006, Augus 22, creation of training centers located in adult prisons and its amendment, Decree 130/2009 - Federal Education Council Nº 127 of December 2010. Education in contexts of deprivation of liberty in the national education system - Federal Education Council Nº 118 of September 2010. Continuing education for youth an adults’ education

Author Information

Alicia Acín (presenting / submitting)
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
Córdoba

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