Global and European adult education policies in times of crisis : between shifts in normativity and epistemological continuity

Mikulec, Borut (author)

We examine possible shifts in epistemic and normative ideas between the 2011 European Agenda for Adult Learning of the European Union (EU) and the 2009 Belém Framework for Action of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), adopted in the period marked by the global financial crisis, and the 2021 European Agenda for Adult Learning of the EU and the 2022 Marrakech Framework for Action of UNESCO, adopted in the period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. We build on the epistemological framework developed by Bagnall and Hodge (2018, 2022) and method of document analysis. Our findings indicate shifts in desirable ends adult education should fulfil in society between the analysed European (EU) and global (UNESCO) adult education policies, and unchanged epistemologies over the decade, as in European policy ‘design’ or ‘instrumental’ epistemology remain dominant, while in global policy ‘design’, ‘developmental’ and ‘emancipatory’ epistemologies still coexist and compete. We conclude by pointing out the relevance of the epistemological framework developed by Bagnall and Hodge for adult education policy scholars.

• Language: English
• Keywords: epistemologies, adult education, adult learning, normativity, European agenda for adult learning, Marrakech framework for action
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 8–23
• Numbering: Vol. 45, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-178220
• UDC: 374.7
• ISSN on article: 0260-1370
• DOI: 10.1080/02601370.2025.2486812
• COBISS.SI-ID: 238164995
• Publication date in RUL: 21.01.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International journal of lifelong education
• Shortened title: Int. j. lifelong educ.
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 0260-1370
• COBISS.SI-ID: 28958209

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: izobraževanje odraslih, epistemologije, učenje odraslih, normativnost, evropska agenda za učenje odraslih, Marakeški okvir za ukrepanje

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P5-0174
• Name: Pedagoško-andragoške raziskave - učenje in izobraževanje za kakovostno življenje v skupnosti