through the looking glass: adult education through … the looking glass 19 hanna lamented the lack...

Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 51, Special Edition, December 2011

Through the looking glass: adult education through the lens of the Australian

Journal of Adult Learning over fifty years

Roger Harris and Anne MorrisonUniversity of South Australia

In this paper we review fifty years of articles published in Australian Journal of Adult Learning in its various iterations. We examine the different roles of the journal: to illuminate the history and trends of adult education authors; to be the flagship of the adult education profession in Australia; to reflect on significant national events; and to mirror the changing knowledge base of the discipline. We analyse the authorship of the articles over fifty years, and determine patterns in contribution to the journal by gender, location, institutional affiliation and author numbers. We also examine key themes that have surfaced in the writings on adult education. The articles published in the journal are significant because they are primary sources of the day, unfettered by the perspectives, viewpoints and standards of later periods. Our paper serves as a useful looking glass through which we might be able to view more clearly the shifting research interests of the past and the challenges in the future for the adult and community learning sector.

18 Roger Harris and Anne Morrison

Introduction

Contentanalysisofpublicationactivitycantellusmuchaboutagivenfieldofstudy,aspublicationsreflecttheknowledgebaseofadiscipline.ThefieldofadulteducationinAustraliahasbeenwellservedbyitsnationalassociation,(now)AdultLearningAustralia,anditstwokey‘voices’:theannualnationalconferencesandthejournal.Thefivedecadesoftheassociationhavebeensuccinctlysummarisedinvolume50(3)ofthejournaland,thoughthisprovidesacontextualbackdropforthispaper,thefocushereisratheronthejournal,currentlyentitledtheAustralian Journal of Adult Learning.

Thejournalhasjustwitnessedfiftyyearsofpublication(itwasfirstpublishedinJuly1961).Itisoneofthelongestrunningjournalsonadulteducationintheworld:webelievethatitmaybethethirdmostdurable,aftertheIndian Journal of Adult Education startingin1939andAdult Education Quarterly in1950.Forexample,Studies in the Education of Adults (UK)beganin1969,Studies in Continuing Education(Australia)in1978,whiletheCanadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education andtheInternational Journal of Lifelong Education (UK)bothcommencedonlyin1981.TheAustralianjournalhas,therefore,playedacrucialandsustainedroleinthepromotionofadulteducationinthiscountryoveralongperiod,andassuchmeritscloserexamination.

What role has this journal played?

AdulteducationinAustraliahasconsistentlybeenindesperateneedofavoice.Hannawroteinanearlyissueofthejournal:

AdultEducationisregardedasamarginalactivitystuckontooureducationsystemsomewherebetweenourleavingprimaryschoolandourgoingsenile;wehavetorunitwithmeagrebudgets,leftoverfacilitiesandotherpeople’ssparetime…Thoughthesituationisimprovingslightlyallthetimeadulteducationhasnotachievedarecognisedstandinginthiscountry.(1965:3)

Through the looking glass 19

HannalamentedthelackofrecognitiongiventoadulteducationintheMartinCommitteereport(1964)ontertiaryeducationinAustralia,andthelackofresearchtothattimeintoadulteducation,methodsofteachingadultsandtheadultlearnersthemselves,despitethegrowthofadulteducationinthepostwarperiod.Fastforwardtothe1990sandtherewasarosyglowofoptimismfollowingtheSenateInquiryof1991,Come in Cinderella.ThiswasthefirstnationalaccountofadulteducationsinceDuncan(1973[1944])andformallyrecognisedACEasthefourthsectorofeducation.TheSenate’sfollow-upreport,Beyond Cinderella: Towards a learning society(1997),recommendedanunequivocalcommitmentbygovernmenttotheconceptofalifelonglearningsociety,andthebringingtogetherofthenationalACEpolicyandVETpolicy.However,notmuchhasactuallyhappenedsince,andthecelebratoryfiftiethannualconferenceofAdultLearningAustralialatein2010wasstillearnestlyinquiring:WherehasCinderellagone?

Yetthejournal(aswellastheassociationanditsconferences)haspersistedasthevoiceforthefieldinstrivingtobuilditsstatusandcredibility.Theverytitleofthejournalprovidesaglimpseofthemetamorphosisofthedisciplineoverthesefiftyyears.Therehavebeenonlytwochangesofname,withthejournaltitlemirroringthechangingnameoftheassociation—fromAustralian Journal of Adult EducationcommencinginJuly1961,toAustralian Journal of Adult and Community EducationinApril1990andtoAustralian Journal of Adult LearninginApril2000.Thesechangeshavereflectedatleasttwosignificantshiftsoverthistime—thefirstfromeducationtolearning,thesecondfromemphasisingtheassociationtoemphasisingthefield.Wesuggestthatthesere-alignmentsmirrorquiteaccuratelythediscipline’schangingfocusonlearningascorebusiness.

Significantinthecontinuinglifeofthejournalhavebeenitseditors.Therehavebeensevenmaineditors(Table1).Acrosshalfacentury,theygavebirthtoandnurturedthejournal,providing‘aregular,


informativeandspiritedpublication…andhavethereforeleftalegacyaboutwhichadultandcommunityeducatorsinAustraliatodaycanfeeljustifiablyproud’(Harris,1997:56).Forexample,Helygaveus‘ajournalwhich…wecouldproudlysendoverseas’(Crowley,1968:42)and,underShawandAllsop,thejournal‘becameanadulteducationpublicationofhighreputeinternationally,…ofhighstanding,…thepublicationofwhichhasalwaysbeenrecognisedasoneofthemainreasonsfor[theassociation’s]existence’(Crowley,1976:60).Thisstandinghascontinuedtothisday,asevidencedbyitshighstatusaccordedundertheformerExcellenceforResearchinAustraliaregime’sjournalrankingsystem.

Table 1: Editors of the journal

1961–1963 ArnoldHely AdelaideUniversity

1963–1965 DesCrowley AdelaideUniversity

1965–1970 JohnShaw UniversityofNSW

1971–1973 JohnShaw/JoanAllsop UniversitiesofNSWandSydney

1974–1976 JoanAllsop UniversityofSydney

1976–1978 Seriesofguesteditors(BarrieBrennan,ChrisDuke,AlfWesson,JackMason/JackMcDonell,DougRobertson)

UniversityofNewEngland,AustralianNationalUniversity,PrestonInstituteofTechnology,MonashUniversity

1979–1983 NicolasHaines AustralianNationalUniversity

1984–1989 BarrieBrennan UniversityofNewEngland

1990–2012 RogerHarris UniversityofSouthAustralia

Wecontendthatthejournalhasplayedatleastfoursignificantroles.First,ithasilluminatedthehistory,trendsandpatternsofadulteducationauthorsinAustralia(andevenbeyond)acrosshalfacentury.Second,ithasbeenthemostvisible,accessibleandlastingvoiceoftheadulteducationdisciplineinAustralia—theflagshipoftheprofession.Third,ithasprovidedareflectiononsignificantnational


eventsandtrends.Andfourth,ithasbeenamirroroftheknowledgebaseofthedisciplineanditsissues,andhowtheychangeovertime.Theanalysesinthispaperprovideevidenceforeachofthesefourroles.

Durstonnotedasearlyas1968that‘TheAustralian Journal of Adult EducationisprobablythemosttangibleproofoftheAssociation’sstatedconcernforencouraginginquiry,researchexperimentandpublicationinthefieldofadulteducation’(1968:79).Twentyyearslater,continuingthistheme,Brennanconcludedthat‘Oneoftheotherimportantservicestomembers,andadulteducatorsgenerallyinAustraliaandoverseas,wasthe[journal]…WorkingfromAdelaide,HelyensuredthatthenewjournalfromanewAssociationwouldmakeanimpact’(1988a:34–35);and‘Publicationscontinuedtobesignificantintheserviceofmembers.Thejournal…continuedtoserveAustralianandoverseasreadersinthetraditionsetbyHelyandCrowley’(1988b:28).

Thepolicyandpurposeofthejournal(usuallystatedontheinsidefrontcover)hasnotchangedmarkedlyovertheyears,continuingtoemphasiseitskeyfunctionsofadvocacy,researchandknowledgegeneration:

1961:Toprovideaforumfordiscussiononadulteducationmatters.

1973:Todescribeanddiscussactivitiesanddevelopmentsinthefieldofcontinuingeducationforadults;topublishaccountsofinvestigationsandresearchinthisfield;toprovideaforumforthediscussionofsignificantideasabouttheeducationofadults;andtoreviewrelevantbooks,reportsandperiodicals.

1984:ItshouldbeofaqualitythatwillcommandrespectinAustraliaandoverseas.ItshouldprovidesubstantialoriginalinformationandviewsonthepracticeofandresearchintoadulteducationinAustraliaandoverseasandthereportingoforiginalresearchofsignificancetoAdultEducation.


1990:Itaimstoprovideinformationandanalysisonthetheory,researchandpracticeofadultandcommunityeducation…;andtopromotecriticalthinkingandresearchinthisdevelopingandincreasinglysignificantfield;…[Its]primefocusisonAustralia,thoughpapersrelatingtoothercontextsarealsopublished.

Inthispaper,weanalyseauthorshipofpapersoverfiftyyears,anddeterminepatternsincontributiontothejournalbygender,location,institutionalaffiliationandauthornumbers.Wealsoexaminekeythemesthathavesurfacedinthewritingsonadulteducation.Anon-refereedjournaluntilApril1999,double-blindpeerreviewwasintroducedinthatyearforthemajorityofsubmissions,whichincreasedbothrateofflowandqualityofcontent.However,allarticlesareinformativeinstudyingthehistoryofaprofessionanditsjournal.Theyaresignificantbecausetheyareprimarysourcesoftheirday,unfetteredbythestraightjacketsoflaterperiods’perspectives,viewpointsandstandards.Sooftenwearepronetojudgingthepastusingourpresent-daylenses/frameworks/paradigms.Inthefinalanalysisthispaperis‘postdictive’ratherthanpredictive,andthereforetellsusmoreaboutthelasthalfcenturythanwhatislikelytohappeninthefuture.Giventhebrevityofthispaper,ouranalysisspanningfiftyyearsis,bynecessity,abroadsweep.Nevertheless,webelievethepaperservesasausefullookingglassthroughwhichwemightbeabletoviewmoreclearlytheshiftingresearchinterestsofthepastandthechallengesinthefuturefortheadultandcommunitylearningsector.

Methodology

Wehaveanalysedthejournal’scontentoverthisfifty-yearspan—asizabletask.Mostcontentanalysesofacademicsembraceonlyadecade.Previouslyinthisjournal,Durston(1968)reviewedthefirstsevenyears,Long(1983)studied‘preoccupations’throughtenyears,andHarris(1997)examinedvariousaspectsofthejournalduringitsinitialtenyears.Inrelationtoadulteducationjournals


internationally,Taylor(2001)examinedallsubmissions,bothacceptedandrejected,totheAmericanAdult Education Quarterlyfrom1989to1999;MorelandexploredintheBritishThe Vocational Aspect of Education(nowtheJournal of Vocational Education and Training)‘someoftherecurrentandemergentissueswhichhaveoccurredinthejournal,particularlyinthelast10years’(1992:3);whileLongandAgyekumwrotetheir‘reflectionsofachangingdiscipline’(1974:99)byanalysingthejournalAdult Education(theforerunnerofAEQ)from1964to1973.Anexampleofatwenty-yearanalysiswasDickinsonandRusnell’sstudyofAdult Educationbetween1950and1970,‘toascertaintrendsandpatternsinthecontentsofthejournalasindicationsofthedevelopmentofthedisciplineofadulteducation’(1971:177).

Wehavenotidentifiedanyattemptsinadulteducationatjournalcontentanalysisoverafifty-yearspan.Twoinstanceswehavefoundinotherdisciplinesareinsociologyandtraininganddevelopment.Shanas(1945)analysedtheAmerican Journal of Sociologythroughfiftyyearsinthefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury,whileGalagancelebratedfiftyyearsoftheAmerican‘magazine’Training & Development bypresentingabriefsamplingofsomeissues,ideasandpeopleoverthesecondhalfofthetwentiethcentury:‘Fromtheno-nonsenseidealismofthe1940sand50s,throughthesocialconsciousnessofthe60sand70s,tothebottom-linethinkingofthe1980sand90s,Training & Developmentmagazinehasbeenthevoiceoftheprofession’(1996:32).

OurprocessinanalysingtheAustralian Journal of Adult Learning hasinvolvedhuntingdownbackcopiesofthejournal,adifficulttaskgivenchangesinstorageoverfiftyyearsandtheabsenceofelectronicaccessformuchofthatperiod.Therewereafewissuesthatwecouldnotlocate,butmostwereobtained.Wecompiledaninventoryofallthearticles,bothrefereedandnon-refereed.Decisionsneededtobemadeonwhattoinclude:wedefinedtheterm


‘article’asareasonablysubstantialpaper,andweomittededitorials,commentpieces,bookreviews,researchabstractsandeulogies.Weexperiencedconsiderabledifficultyintrackingdowndetailsonsuchmattersasauthorgender,institutionalaffiliationandgeographicallocation,sinceearlyissuesoftendidnotrecordsuchinformation(e.g.theearlypreferenceforauthorinitialsdidnotprovidegenderclues).Somemissingdetailswereidentifiedthroughalternativesources(e.g.electronicdatabasesorotherwritings)butafewcouldnotbeidentifiedatall.Themostdifficulttaskandonethatrequiredconsiderablediscretionwasdecidingonthemajortheme(s)ineacharticle.Weallowedamaximumoffourthemeallocationsperarticle.Weminimiseddistortionbyusingtworesearchersworkingindependently,andanydiscrepancieswereresolvedbynegotiation.Weconsolidatedandcheckedthemes,tabulateddatausingExcel,compiledtablesandgraphs(andstandardisedwhereverpossiblewiththeverticalaxisto30%),andundertookanalysisandinterpretation,searchingfortrends,explanationsandsurprises.Someearlythemesthatreceivedfewallocationswerecollapsedintoothers,andwefinishedwith22themes.Intotal,ouranalysiscovered143issues,1100authorsand844articlesoverthefiftyyears!

Trends in authorship over fifty years

ThefirstkeyroleofthejournalisthatitillustratesthehistoryofwritersonadulteducationinAustralia(andevenbeyond)overhalfacentury.Belowwehaveanalysedauthorshipbygender,location,institutionalaffiliationandnumbersofwriters.

Author gender

Overthefiftyyearstherehasbeenadramaticreversalintheproportionsofmenandwomenpublishinginthejournal(Figure1).Whileinthe1960s,90percentoftheauthorsweremale,bythe2000sthatproportionhadmorethanhalvedtoonly41percent.Thus,femaleauthorscurrentlyoutnumbermaleauthors.Thistrend


isconsistentwithfindingsofotherjournals(e.g.theAdult Education Quarterly,seeTaylor,2001:329).

Figure 1: Gender of authors, by decade

Location of author(s)

ThreequartersofallauthorspublishinginthejournalhavebeenlocatedinAustralia.However,theproportionofinternationalauthorshasbeengraduallyincreasing,from14percentinthe1960sto30percentinthe2000s(Table2).DespitethenameofthejournalspecificallyreferringtoAustralia,ithasalwaysencouragedcontributionsfromoverseas,andasthepresstopublishhasincreasinglybeenfeltworldwide,sotoohavethenumbersofarticleemanatingfrominternationalwritersincreased.

Table 2: Location of all authors, by decade

Location of authors

1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Total

% % % % % %

Australia(n=831) 86 75 84 79 70 76.6

International(n=254) 14 25 17 21 30 23.4

Total(N=1085*) 100 100 101 100 100 100

*Thelocationsof15authorsintheearlyyearscouldnotbeverified


WithinAustralia,authorsfromNewSouthWaleshavebeeninthemajority(37%overall).However,thetrendhasbeenforproportionsfromthatstatetodecline(46%inthe1960sto27%inthe2000s),ashavethoseforWesternAustralia(13%to5%).TheproportionsineachofVictoria,SouthAustraliaandQueenslandhavecorrespondinglyincreased,whilethoseintheotherthreesmallerjurisdictionshaveremainedrelativelyconstant(Table3).

Table 3: Location of Australian authors, by decade

Location of author

1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Total

(n=87) (n=114) (n=155) (n=219) (n=270) (n=845)

% % % % % %

NewSouthWales 46 51 40 36 27 37

Victoria 16 13 12 17 24 18

SouthAustralia 12 5 10 22 14 14

Queensland 4 - 20 13 17 13

AustralianCapitalTerritory 5 15 7 - 6 6

WesternAustralia 13 10 5 3 5 6

Tasmania 5 4 4 5 4 5

NorthernTerritory - 1 3 4 3 2

Total 101 99 101 100 100 101

Ofspecialinterestinthesejurisdictionalpublishingpatternsisthepeaksinparticulardecades.Manyfactorsmayaccountforthispattern,butonethatstandsoutisthelocationofthejournaleditoratanypointintime.ComparingTables1and2,wefindthattheeditorshipofthejournalwaslargelyinNSWduringthefirstthreedecades,whenthepercentagesofcontributionsinthatstatewerehigherthaninthelasttwodecades.ThepeaksinSAinthe


1960s,andagaininthe1990sand2000s,mayalsobeexplainedinthisway,aswiththeACTinthe1970sand1980s.Thisisaveryinterestingphenomenon.Wearenotsuggestingthatthisisevidenceoffavouritism(anditcouldnotbeanywayonceblindpeerreviewwasintroduced),butitcouldbeexplainedbythepresenceoftheeditorraisingregionalawarenessofthejournal,perhapsthroughseminarsinlocaluniversitiesorbyprocuringlocalreviewwriters.

Internationalauthorshipexhibitssomeinterestingpatterns(Table4).Publishedcontributionshavecomefrom37countriesaroundtheworld.Twocountriesshowamarkedincreaseincontributionsovertime:India(overall16.5%)andNigeria(overall13%),possiblyduetoanawakeningtotheimportanceof(andevenpressuretoproduce)publications,andtothefocusofthejournalonadultcommunityeducationwhichremainscriticallyimportantinthosecountries.Itshouldbenotedthatnodistinctionhasbeenmadeintheanalysisbetweenrefereedandnon-refereed(practice)papers—iftherehadbeen,thepatternsmayhavebeenratherdifferent.Overall,thepatternsinpublishedarticlesfromtheUSA,CanadaandNewZealandaresimilar(around12%),thoughtheproportioncomingfromtheUKhasbeensurprisinglysmall(5%)giventhesimilaritybetweentheadulteducationsectorsinAustraliaandtheUK.


Table 4: Location of international authors, by decade

Location of author

1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Total

(n) (n) (n) (n) (n) (n) (%)

India - 4 1 15 22 42 16.5

Nigeria - 3 1 3 26 33 13.0

USA 1 11 - 10 9 31 12.2

Canada 1 1 7 9 12 30 11.8

NZ 2 7 8 3 10 30 11.8

UK 4 3 2 2 2 13 5.1

Sweden - - 1 - 10 11 4.3

Fiji - - - 7 - 7 2.8

Germany 2 - 2 - 3 7 2.8

PNG 1 3 1 1 1 7 2.8

Others 2 5 7 8 21 43 16.9

Total 13 37 30 58 116 254 100

Institutional affiliation

Two-thirdsofallauthorsworkinuniversities,notsurprisinglygivenpublishingisoneofthecorebusinessactivitiesforstaffandhigherdegreecandidates(Table5).Thisproportionhasremainedfairlyconstantoverthefiftyyears,thoughithasrisentojustoverthreequartersinthepastdecade.Thisincreasecanbeaccountedforbytherecentpressbyuniversitiestohavetheirhigherdegreestudentspublishingbothduringtheircandidatureandaftercompletion.Thiswouldnothavebeensourgentinthefirstthreedecades.Theimportanceofpublishingforstaffincollegesofadvancededucationisreflected,especiallyastheirinstitutionsmovedtowardsuniversitystatus,intherapidlyincreasingfiguresofpublicationsinthe1970sand1980s.Theapparentfallawayfromtheendofthe1990sisduetotheirchangeofstatus,resultingintheirresearchproductivitybeingsubsumedunderuniversities.


Table 5: Institutional affiliation of authors, by decade

Institutional affiliation of author

1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Total

(n=100) (n=152) (n=185) (n=277) (n=386) (N=1100)

% % % % % %

University 64 60 36* 65** 77*** 64

Adult/communityeducationorganisation 22 13 14 10 7 11

OtherHEinstitution(e.g.collegeofadvancededucation/teacherscollege/instituteoftechnology)

2 13 21 1 1 6

VET/TAFE - 3 10 5 2 4

Researchinstitute - - 1 3 2 2

Private(includingretired) 1 3 4 4 2 3

Governmentdept.(e.g.education,agriculture,health)

3 6 13 9 5 8

Other 8 3 2 2 3 3

Total 100 101 101 99 99 101

*Includes4HDR(higherdegreeresearch)students(whereindicated)**Includes15HDRstudents(whereindicated)***Includes61HDRstudents(whereindicated)

Itisnoticeable,anddisappointinggiventhejournalspecialisesinadultlearning,thattheproportionofarticlesbeingpublishedfromadulteducationorganisationshasreducedbyonethird(from22%inthe1960sto7%inthe2000s)overthefiftyyears.Itwouldappearthatthissectorisbeingsqueezedbythenumberofcontributionsfromthehighereducationsector,butalsofromgovernmentdepartmentsandtoalesserextentfromtheVETsector.Thosewhoworkinadultandcommunityeducationareinclinedtopractice,ratherthanpublish,especiallyasthequalityofpublishedworkcontinuestorisesteadily.


TheintroductionofamorestructuredandenlargedTAFEsystemaftertheKanganReport(TAFE,1974)isreflectedinthesefigures,withnoTAFEarticlespublishedinthe1960sbut3percentinthe1960sand10percentinthe1980s.Theincreasing‘vocationalisation’oftertiaryeducation,especiallyfromthemid-1980s,probablyaccountsforthepercentagesfromtheVET/TAFEsectordecliningfromaroundthattime.Furthermore,thoseauthorsinthesectorundertakinghigherdegreeswouldhavebeencountedinuniversityfigures(accordingtotheirarticle’sinstitutionalaffiliationby-line).

Single/multiple authorship

Overfiftyyears,thisjournalillustratesamarkedtrendtowardsmultipleauthorship.Nodoubtthisisasmuchindicativeofthemorecollegial,collaborativeandintensifiedworkenvironmentsineducationalinstitutionsnowadays,asitissymptomaticofthe‘publishorperish’syndrome.Figure2,whichshowstheratioofthenumberofauthorstothenumberofarticles,revealsthatpaperswereusuallysoleauthoredinthe1960s,whilemultipleauthoredpapersweremorecommonbythe2000s(withameanof1.7authors).

Figure 2: Number of authors per article, in five-year periods


Itisinterestingthatmultipleauthorshipcontinuestorise,despitesomeuniversitiesimplementingrecordingsystemsthatreduceanindividual’spublicationproductivityaccordingtothenumberofco-authorsspecifiedonagivenarticle.Inthisway,university‘counting’regimesactuallyworkagainstcollegialandcollaborativepractices—eventhoughinrealitytheprocessesofobtainingresearchgrants,conductingresearchprojectsandpublishingfromsuchactivitiesaremostappropriately,andbecomingnecessarily,carriedoutinteams.

Key themes in the journal

Asummaryofthe22keythemesanalysedinthisstudy,andtheirfrequencyacrossthe844articles,ispresentedinTable6.‘Students/learners’wasthemostfrequenttheme,occurringinonequarterofarticles,followedby‘philosophy/theory’and‘vocationaleducation’inonefifthofarticles.

Table 6: Frequency of themes in the journal over fifty years, 1961–2010

Key themes across 844 articlesAllocations

Number* %

Students/learners 208 24.6

Philosophy/theory 170 20.1

Vocationaleducation 163 19.3

Lifelonglearning/education,continuingeducation,later-lifelearning

151 17.9

Adultandcommunityeducation 147 17.4

Teachers/educators/teaching 146 17.3

International 136 16.1

Evaluation 127 15.1


Key themes across 844 articlesAllocations

Number* %

Informal/non-formallearning 118 14.0

Highereducation 117 13.9

Literacy/basicskills 66 7.8

Rural/regional 63 7.5

Methods/methodology 61 7.2

Historical 57 6.8

Formallearning 56 6.6

Curriculum 54 6.4

Technology 52 6.1

Gender(female/male/general) 34 4.0

Indigenous 32 3.8

Bridging/foundationeducation 27 3.2

Competency 18 2.1

Environment 15 1.8

*Uptofourthemeswereallocatedtoeacharticle

Havingdiscussedthepatternsinauthorship,wenowbrieflydiscusseachofthesethemesinthesectionsthatfollow,structuredaccordingtotheremainingthreerolesofthejournal(voiceofthediscipline,reflectionofsignificanteventsandtrends,andamirroroftheknowledgebase).

Voice of the adult education discipline

Thesecondroleofthejournalisthatithasservedasthemostvisible,accessibleandlastingvoiceoftheadulteducationdisciplineinAustralia—theflagshipoftheprofession.Asthevoiceofadulteducation,itisinformativetoexaminetheproportionsofarticles


focusingonphilosophy/theory,lifelonglearning/education,historyandinternationalmatters.

Philosophy/theory (20%) and lifelong learning/education (18%)

Philosophy/theoryhasalwaysbeenafocusinthejournal,thoughthedeclinefromthemid-1970sisaninterestingandconcerningtrend(Figure3).Toacertainextentthismaybeexplainedbythegreateremphasisonresearch-basedarticles,ratherthanrelyingmerelyontheoreticalviewpointsandopinionpieces.Durstonnotedinanearlyreviewofthejournalthat

therehasbeenanemphasisoninquiryandpublicationbutverylittleresearchandexperiment...thefactremainsthatthereareexceedinglyfewstudieswhichmeetthecanonsofadequateresearch.Therehasbeenlittlesystematicattempttoisolateandinvestigateparticularproblemsscientifically.(1967:5)

Thedeclinemayalsoreflectthevocationalisationofthefield,especiallythevocationallyorientednatureofadulteducationwithintheneweruniversitiesprimarilyconcernedwithdevelopmentofpost-schooleducators.Thiscanbecontrastedwiththefirstfewdecades,whenthedisciplinewasintenselydebatedastheassociationestablisheditself,asitbecameveryinvolvedwithinternationaladulteducationdevelopments,andasarticleswerewrittenbyacademicsindepartmentsofadulteducationwhosecorebusinesswasthestudyofthediscipline.AsBrennanreflected,‘[t]hereweremanyheatedargumentsintheearlydaysonwhat“adulteducation”wasandthereforewhatitwasthatwasbeingadvocated’(2001:377).Rossell,likemanyothersofthistime,lamentedtheneglectofadulteducationintheMartinReportof1964,andsuccinctlysummarisedthedisappointmentinthisway:

Thechallengefacedbyadulteducationtodayisinfacttobridgethegulfbetweenthetheoryofcontinuingeducationandpractice;ifwefailtobridgethegulf,thenwedeservetheobscuritywithwhichtheMartinReporthasshroudedus.(1966:13)


Smith,forexample,believedthat‘theterm“adulteducation”hastendedtobeusedalmostexclusivelyforgeneralenlightenment,hobbyandrecreationclassesandnon-vocationalstudies…[andthat]thisisfartoonarrowaconcept’(1968:69).Ayearlater,Duke,inclaimingthat‘adulteducationhasbeendubbed“therapyfornormals”’(1969:105),compiledaremarkablepieceofprescience:

Butsolongasimmediatelyneededinformationortechniquesappearmorenecessarythanteachinghowtothink,Ifearthatcontinuingeducationwilltaketheformofshort-termtechnicalinstructioninawiderangeoffields,withold-styleadulteducationasakindofsocialandpersonalfringebenefit.Itwillprobablybeonlyafterbitterexperienceofredundancy,unemployability,employeeandmanagerialinflexibilityinthefaceofinnovation,andoftheeconomicandsocialcostsofthese,thattheneedforcontinuingeducationratherthanjustforad hocshotsofreinstructionwillberecognised.(p.106)

Butevenby1978,Roothcouldlamentthedeclineinthestudyofadulteducationasadiscipline:

theformalstudyofthetheoryandpracticeofcontinuingeducationisregrettablymissingintheAustralianscene…ItmustbeacknowledgedthatinAustraliacontinuingeducationisstillintheprocessofemergingbothasadisciplineandasaprofession.Itlackssomeofthedefinitiveconceptsandprecisionthatgiveformtoadiscipline.(1978:39–40)

Aroundthistime,withspecificreferencetolearningtheory,Corsonpronouncedthat‘anymentionoflearningtheoryinadulteducationcanproducemiscarriagesamongstfemaletutorsandprematureimpotenceamongstthemales’(1976:73–74)!Debatesovertheverynatureofadulteducationhavecontinuedunabated,withSmithstillaskingin1983:

Whatexactlyisadulteducation;whodoesit;howdotheydoit;whodotheydoitfor—andwhy?Anappealtoadulteducators


(whoevertheymaybe)tocloseranksandstopbickeringdoeslittletohelpthemtoanswerthisalmostimpossiblequestion.(1983:19)

TheviewofthesituationthiscenturywasneatlyencapsulatedbyMcIntyre,whowrotethat‘adulteducationwasdefinedasthenegativeotherofvocationalworth—asnon-award,non-vocational,non-accreditedlearningfor“leisureandpersonalenrichment”’(2001:65).

Figure 3: Percentages of articles on philosophy/theory and lifelong learning/education

Oneprominentandtangibleexpressionofthephilosophicalapproachisthetrendinpublishingonlifelonglearning/education.Theclearpeakinthefirsthalfofthe1970sillustratestheintensefocusatthattimeinternationallyonthenotionoflifelongeducation,promotedinthepublicationLearning to be‘asthemasterconceptforeducationalpoliciesintheyearstocomeforbothdevelopedanddevelopingcountries’(Faureetal.,1972:182)andenergeticallyfosteredbyUNESCO.Emphasesontheimportanceoftheindividuallearnerandlearningoccurringinawidevarietyofcontextsandsettingswereespeciallyappealingtoadulteducators.Encapsulatedinthisnotionweresuchprinciplesas:‘Everyindividualmustbeinapositiontokeeplearningthroughouthis[sic]life.Theideaoflifelongeducationisthekeystoneofthelearningsociety’(p.181)and‘Educationshould


bedispensedandacquiredthroughamultiplicityofmeans.Theimportantthingisnotthepathanindividualhasfollowed,butwhathe[sic]haslearnedoracquired’(p.185).Inthiscountry,theKanganReport(TAFE,1974)shortlyafterwasstronglyimbuedwiththisphilosophy.

Thenotionoflifelonglearninghasbeenresurrectedinrecentyears,thoughmorestronglywithaneconomicflavour.AsBrownwrote,‘untilveryrecently,thesecondwaveofthelifelonglearningdebateconcentratedalmostentirelyontheeconomicbenefitsofeducationreform’(2000:12).Somewritersinthejournalhavetakenacriticalapproach.Clark,forinstance,warnedthat‘inthecontestedgroundoflifelonglearning,therearerealriskswhenoneinterestgroupgainshegemonicascendency’(2000:144),andSanguinettibelievedthat‘Akindofmissionaryzealexudesfromtheideathatlifelonglearningwillsolvetheindividual,national,economicandsocialproblemsofourtime’(2000:1).Cruikshankcontinuedthedebateovertheeconomicpredominanceintheconcept:

Wemustchallengethecurrentfocusoftheneweconomyandthewaythatlifelonglearninghasbeenshapedtofitintothiseconomy.Lifelonglearningmustbemorethana‘competitiveadvantage’inajobsearch,andameansfordisplacingothersinthejobmarket.Itmustbenefitboththewholepersonandthebroadercommunity.Wemustre-thinkthevalueoflifelonglearningasitiscurrentlyconstructedandworktowardpromotinglifelonglearningpoliciesandpracticesthatwillimprovethequalityoflifeforpeople—asworkersandascitizens.(2003:20)

International matters (16%) and history (7%)

Thejournalhasalwaysmaintainedakeeninterestininternationalmatters,evidentintheproportionofarticlesfocusingoninternationalthemes(Figure4).Suchinterestwasgreatest,notunsurprisingly,intheearlydaysofthejournal,whenthoseinthefledglingassociationoftenlookedoverseasatinitiativesanddevelopmentsinothercountriesandastheAustralianadulteducationleadersplayeda


significantroleininternationaladulteducationactivities.Suchafocusoninternationalmattersisanimportantindicatorofthehealthofthejournal,inthatitdemonstratesthatithasnotbeenoverlylocalisedinitsinterestsandhascontinuedtoacceptarticlesfromoverseaswritersinformingAustraliansofeducationalactivitiesandtrendsinotherregions.

Figure 4: Percentages of articles on international and historical issues

Thefluctuatingpatternofpublishingonhistoricalmattersrevealsanumberofpeaksofinterestoverthehalfcentury.Thereweremanyarticlesinthefoundingyears(1960s)oftheassociationandthejournal,thenanotherresurgenceinthelatterhalfofthe1980swhentrainingreformwasbeginningtobedebatedseriouslyfollowingtheKirbyReport(Kirby,1985)andtheannouncementoftheCBTimperativebyministerialdecreein1989,andtheSenate(1991)inquiryintotheACEsectorstimulatedpublishinginterest.

A reflection of significant national events and trends

Thethirdroleofthejournalisthatithasprovidedareflectionofsignificantnationaleventsandtrends.Wecanseethis,forexample,inthehistoriesofthethreepost-schoolsectors,andinmanyofthe


issuesembracedinthepublicationsuchasliteracy/basicskills,regional/ruralmattersandtechnology.

The three post-school sectors (voc. ed. 19%; ACE 17%; and HE 14%)

Figure5illustratestheproportionsofarticlespublishedinthejournalthatrelatetothethreepost-schoolsectorsofadultandcommunityeducation(ACE),highereducation(HE),andvocationaleducationandtraining(VET).TheearlydominanceofpublicationsonHEdemonstratesthepre-eminenceoftheuniversitysectorinadulteducationinthe1960sandearly70s.TheAustralianAssociationofAdultEducationwasestablishedbystaffindepartmentsofadulteducationintheseuniversities.Sincethentwosignificanttrendsbecomeevidentinthefigure.OneistheincreasingnumberofarticlesonACEespeciallyinthesecondhalfofthe1980sasthetwoAustralianassociationsforadulteducationandcommunityeducationgrewcloserandultimatelyamalgamatedin1989tobecometheAustralianAssociationofAdultandCommunityEducation(thischangebeingreflectedinthenewnameofthejournal)andhighlightingthestrengthofinvolvementofthecommunityandneighbourhousemovementatthattime.Thisflurryofactivitywasreflectedinrenewedpublishing.Thesecondmarkedtrendistheincreasing‘vocationalisation’ofthetertiarysector(includingadultandcommunityeducation)fromtheearly1980ssothattheproportionofarticleswithavocationaleducationflavourrosesharply,peakinginthemidtolate1990s.Bythebeginningofthenewcentury,Merlyncouldwriteconcerning:

thepervasivenessofthefundingpressuresonsmallcommunityorganisationstovocationalisetheircurricula.Indeed,adulteducationhashadthegroundunderitshiftedsofarintothevocationalistcamp,eventhosewhoalignthemselveswiththestatusquoarebeginningtorealisethatwiththelossofethicalpractice,criticaldevelopmentandlearnervolition,liberaldemocracyitselfisunderthreat.(2001:309)


Figure 5: Percentages of articles relating to the three post-school sectors

Literacy/basic skills (8%)

Fromthemid-1970s,therewasamarkedriseintheproportionofarticlespublishedonliteracy,andanothersmallerincreasefromtheearly1990s(Figure6).ThistrendcorrespondswiththeexpansionofTAFEfollowingtheKanganReport(TAFE,1974),withitsemphasisondevelopmentoftheindividualandthegrowthincommunitycolleges,andsubsequentlywithfederalgovernmentpoliciesrequiringliteracyprogramstobeincludedasanessentialpartofretrainingandupgradingexistingskills—forexample,theNationalPolicyonLanguagesin1987,theAustralianLanguageandLiteracyPolicyin1991andtheNationalCollaborativeAdultEnglishLanguageandLiteracyStrategyin1993.Theconsequenceofsuchemphasiswas‘areframingofadultliteracyandnumeracyprogramsawayfromliteracyforsocialpurposestowardsliteracyforproductivity,fornationaleconomicgoals’(Castleton&McDonald,2002:5).


Figure 6: Percentages of articles relating to literacy and basic skills

Regional/rural issues (8%) and technology (6%)

Thepatternforpublicationsonregionalandruralmattersisasteadystream,withincreasinginterestfromthe1990s(Figure7).Fromearlywritingsonsuchsubjectsasagriculturalextensionandruraladulteducation,thefocusshiftedlatertowardsruralhealthissuesandlearningcommunitiesinregionalareas.Thisrisecorrespondswithincreasingpoliticalinterestinregions,aswellastheincreaseininternationalarticles,particularlyfromcountrieslikeIndiaandNigeriawhereruralissueswereunderstandablytopicsofintenseresearchinterest.AspecialissueontheMurray-DarlingBasininNovember2009alsogeneratedanincreaseinthenumberofarticlesinthiscategory.


Figure 7: Percentages of articles with a focus on regional/rural and technology issues

Interestintechnologyhasalsobeensteadyoverthelifeofthejournal,withapeakintheearlypartofthiscentury.Naturally,whatcountsastechnologyhaschangedmarkedlyovertime.Earlyconceptsoftechnologywereconcernedwithradio,audiovisualsandtelevision.WhileKristeracknowledgedthat‘theselectionofmediaforteachingisatasksurroundedbymystiqueanduncertainty’,thissameauthor,commentingontheroleoftechnologyinadulteducation,observedthat‘abadlectureisstillabadlecturenomatterhowmanytechnologicalgadgetsituses’(1980:24).Gradually,computerskills(oftenforlater-lifelearners),computer-basedlearning,satellitetechnology,theinternet,podcastingandonlinelearningenvironmentsbecameimportanttopicsfordiscussion.

A mirror of the knowledge base of the discipline and its issues

Thefourthsignificantroleofthejournalhasbeentoactasamirrorofthediscipline’sknowledgebaseanditsissuesastheychangeovertime.Whathasbeenthepatternofpublishingoverthefiftyyearsonitscoreareasoflearning,teaching,evaluationandcurriculum?Thefollowinggraphsprovideinsightsintothesethemes.


Teachers (17%) and learners (25%)

Understandably,giventhenatureofadultandcommunityeducation,highproportionsofarticleshavefocusedonteachersandlearners(Figure8).Inthe1960s,theemphasiswasontheeducatorsratherthanthelearners;Wendellamentedin1974

ourinadequateunderstandingofhowpeoplelearn.Wehavenotyetclosedthegapbetweenourviewsofteachingmethodandourunderstandingofwhatactuallyoccursinlearning…whatisneededinadulteducationisalearningmethod,notateachingmethod.(1974:4)

Forthenexttwentyyears,thesetwothemesbegantofollowremarkablysimilartrajectories.However,bythelater1980s,learnershadclearlybecomethekeyandsustainedfocus,tothepointwherecurrentlythreetimesmorearticlesconcentrateonlearnersthanteachers.Thisshiftoverthepasttwodecadesmaywellbelinkedtoagreaterfocusonequitygroupsandtheirlearningneeds,aswellasonthelearningapproachesmostappropriateforthosestudyingwithincompetency-basedprograms.Theroles,characteristicsandcapabilitiesofeducatorshavereceiveddecreasinginterest,especiallywiththeadventofcompetency-basedprogramsandwiththepredominanceoftheCertificateIV(intrainingandassessment)thathasbeendeemedtobesufficienttrainingforeducatorroles.


Figure 8: Percentages of articles on teachers and learners

Evaluation (15%) and curriculum (6%)

Theevauationthemeexhibitsafluctuatingtrendwith,interestingly,higherinterestthancurriculum(Figure9).Thegradualrisefromtheearly1990snodoubtcanbeexplainedbytheincreasingpressforaccountabilityineducationgenerally,andinparticularinthiscontextintheadultandcommunityeducationandvocationaleducationsectors.Thedemandforevidenceofoutcomeshasbeenfeltstronglyinthesesectors.Incontrast,therehasbeenasteadyinterestincurriculumoverthehalfcentury.Theheightofwritingoncurriculumwasinthelate1970sandinthe80s,andwhatismoststrikinginthetrendinFigure9isthedropinarticlesdealingwithcurriculumfromthelate1980s.ThiscoincidesexactlywiththeintroductionoftheNationalTrainingReformAgendawithitsemphasisoncompetency-basedtrainingandthedevelopmentofcompetencystandards,andfromthemid-90swhereemphasiswasontrainingpackagesinplaceofcurriculum.Thosepublishingpapersgravitatedtothesetopicsratherthancurriculumper se.


Figure 9: Percentages of articles with a focus on evaluation and curriculum

Formal (7%) and informal/non-formal learning (14%)

Thedisciplinehasseenamarkedriseininterestininformal/non-formallearning,stimulatedbyresearchinto,inter alia,thenotionofsituatedlearning,workplacesaslearningsites,andlearninginnon-formalorganisations.Thisrisehasbeenreflectedinliteratureandresearch.Thepatternforthisjournalconfirmsthepopularityofpublishinginthisareavis-à-visformallearning(Figure10).

Figure 10: Percentages of articles on formal and informal learning


Blakelythoughtinthemid-70sthat‘non-formaleducationisanideawhosetimeforimplementationhascome,thoughthescholarlyframeworkneededtopropagateandextendthatideaislagging’(1976:11),andcertainlyduringthe1980stheproportionofarticlesrosesubstantially.Atcentury’sturn,Clarkidentifiedthat‘theviewthattheonly“reallearning”isaccredited,competency-basedandvocationallyfocusedhasbeenunderchallengeforsometime’(2000:143).Yetthejuryappearstoremainoutonitsvalueandcredibility.MasonandRandalllamentedthat‘fewadulteducatorshavebeenabletoconvincegovernmentsthatnon-formaladulteducationprovidesvocationalandlifeskillsandshouldbeaswellsupportedasformalvocationaleducationandtraining’(1992:179).Someyearslater,Whytewroteinsimilarveinthat‘generallyspeakinggovernmentsdonotregardnon-formal,informal,ornon-crediteducationaspriorities’(1987:6).Stillby2009theviewcouldbearticulatedthat‘informalityinthecontextofeducationandparticularlyadultlearningiscurrentlyundervaluedineconomicterms’(Golding,Brown&Foley2009:48).

Methods/methodologies (7%)

Whilenotasustainedpatternofinterest,thereweretwodistinctburstsonthistheme(Figure11).Thefirstwasinthesecondhalfofthe1970s;thiswasanerawhenself-pacingwasatitsheight,self-enhancementgroupswerepopularasamethod,mathsmethodswerebeingdebated,andopenlearningandpersonalisedlearningwerebeginningtobemuchdiscussed.Articlesappearedonallthesetopics.Thesecondflurrywasinthefirsthalfofthe1990s,withpaperspublishedonfeminismandinclusivemethodologies,usingmetaphors,suggestopedicmethodsinlanguagecourses,managingorganisationalchange,RPLmethodologiesandteamteaching.Someofthepapersonthistopicrelatedtoresearchratherthanteaching.


Figure 11: Percentages of articles on methods and methodology

Thefivethemesleastpublished(referredtoinTable6)allhaverelativelyflatpatternsoverthefiftyyears(andsofigureshavenotbeenincludedhereforspacereasons).However,theydoreflectsomeinterestingtrends,thoughminorintermsofnumbersofpublishedarticles.

Gender (4%).Thepatternforpapersconcentratingongenderissuesrevealsarelativelylateinterest.Therewasasteadyrisefromtheearly1970s,asharperriseduringthe80sandapeakinthefirsthalfofthe90s.Suchincreasinginterestisprobablylinkedtotheincreasingproportionsofwomenauthorsandtheincreasingsocialandpoliticalawarenessofgenderissues.Thepeakreflectsaguest-edited,specialissueongenderinApril1994.

Indigenous issues (4%). ThevolumeofpublishingonIndigenousissueshasremainedsurprisinglylow,throughrelativelysteady,withminorpeaksofinterestinthelate1960sandagainfromthe80s.TheserisesnodoubtreflectsucheventsastheofficialrecognitionofIndigenousAustraliansin1967,theinterestsurroundingtheMabocasein1992andtheincreasinginterestinandintenseconcernforAboriginaleducationandhealththroughthe1980sand90s.


Bridging/foundation education (3% of articles).Thistopichasnotgeneratedmuchinterestamongthosepublishinginthisjournal.Twoproductiveperiodswereinsecondhalfofthe1970sandfirsthalfofthe2000s.PaperswerepublishedonbridgingprogramsattheUniversityofNewcastleandUniversityofWesternSydneyintheearlierperiod,whileaguest-edited,specialissueonenablingeducationinNovember2004helpstoaccountfortheriseinthesecondperiod.

Competency (2%).Thisthemewasanotherlatedeveloper,withlittletonointerestinpublishingonthisthemeuntiltheearly1990s.Followingsomeinterestatthistimeasthereformagendafocuseddebateonthenatureofcompetence,thenumberofarticlesfellawayinthelater1990sandearly2000sastheseissuesbecamemoreembeddedandfascinationwithdebatingcompetency-basedtrainingwaned.Later,concernsoverthemuchpublicisedskillsshortagesandfinancialcrisesfromthemid-2000sregeneratedsomeinterestinarticlesrelatedtoskillsdevelopment.

The environment (2%). Interestinpublishingonenvironmentalissuesisanevenlaterphenomenonthanforgender.Nopaperspriortothe1990swerecategorisedashavingafocusonthistheme;therewereafewthroughthe90s,andsincetheearly2000stherehasbeenincreasedpublishingactivity,correspondingtothegreateremphasisinsocietyandgovernmentongreenissues.Aguest-editedspecialissueontheMurray-DarlingBasininNovember2009explainsthesharpriseatthattime.

Conclusion

InthispaperwehaveanalysedfourkeyrolesoftheAustralian Journal of Adult Learningoveritsfiftyyearsofhistory,andillustratedtheshiftingpatternsoverthisperiodinauthorshipandcontent.Analysisofauthorshiprevealsadramaticriseintheproportionoffemaleauthors(from10%to59%),aliftinthe


proportionofinternationalcontributors(from14%to30%),asustainedhighlevelofauthorshipfromNewSouthWales(averageof37%),anincreaseinthepercentageofcontributorsaffiliatedwithuniversities(from64%to77%)andamarkedtrendtowardsmultipleauthorship(from1.0to1.7authors).Analysisofthe22contentthemesillustrateshowtheprimefocushasbeen,appropriatelyforthistypeofjournal,onstudents/learners(25%),followedbyphilosophy/theory(20%),vocationaleducation(19%),lifelonglearning(18%),adult/communityeducation(17%)andteaching(17%).

Thejournalhascontinuedtomakeasubstantialcontributiontothecauseofadulteducationinthiscountry,providingamouthpieceandconduitfortheassociationanditsprofessionwhichhas:

• linkedadulteducators,bothintellectuallyandintermsofcommunication,whowereotherwisegeographicallyscatteredandnumericallythin,and

• contributedtothelegitimatingofadulteducationasadisciplineinAustralia.

Ithasprovidedtheopportunityformanytohavetheirfirstpaperpublishedinanacademicjournal.Furthermore,thejournalhasservedasaformofprofessionaldevelopmentforadulteducatorsacrossthecountry,encouragingdebateaboutgoalsandhowtoachievethem,actingas‘amediumforvigorous,independentthoughtaboutadulteducationanditsproblems’(Durston1968:81)andprovidingvaluableinformationonnationalandinternationalinitiativesanddevelopments.

Whiledebateshavecontinuedtorageovertheverynatureofadulteducationanditschangingroleinsociety,andwhileauthorsovertimehavelamenteditsshortcomings(aswellascelebrateditssuccesses),theeditors’toilhasnotbeeninvain.Theirefforts,combinedwiththoseofallthe1100authorsoverthistimewho


contributedwhattheyperceivedassignificantineachdecade,haveleftapowerfullegacy.FromHannaclaimingintheearlyyearsthat‘adulteducation[had]notachievedarecognisedstandinginthiscountry’(1965:3),Morriswasabletopronounce45yearslaterthat‘thestoryofadulteducation,inAustraliaaselsewhere,hasbeencharacterisedbyafightforformalrecognition’andthat‘suchrecognition…hasnowlargelybeenachieved’(2010:556).Inthis‘fight’,thejournalhasplayedasignificantpart,astheevidenceinthispapersuggests.However,thefuturecanneverbeassured.Brennan,aformereditor,hadwrittenadecadeearlierthat

OrganisationsliketheALA[AdultLearningAustralia]arenotguaranteedafuture.Thereislittlepointplanningforthe50thbirthday—althoughifitdoesarrive,let’shopetherecordsoftheorganisationwillbeavailableforthenewermemberstoconsultandreadabout.(2001:388)

Thatfiftiethbirthdayhasnowpassed,andtheAustralian Journal of Adult Learningcontinuestoplayitsroleinprovidingoneessentialformofrecordforposterity.

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About the authors

Dr Roger Harris is a Professor in the School of Education and Director in the Centre for Research in Education, Equity and Work, University of South Australia. He has extensive experience in VET teacher education and VET research, with a focus on national training reform. Recently he was director of the national research consortium supporting VET providers in building capability for the future. Current professional activities include the South Australian Training and Skills Commission; Program Leader in the CRC for Rail Innovation; the academic board of a private provider; and Visiting Research Fellow in the Institute for Adult Learning, Singapore for three months.

Dr Anne Morrison is a Research Assistant at the School of Education, University of South Australia.

Contact details

ProfRogerHarris,SchoolofEducation,UniversityofSouthAustralia,MawsonLakes,SA5095Tel:0883026246Fax:0883026239Email:[email protected]

DrAnneMorrison,SchoolofEducation,UniversityofSouthAustralia,MawsonLakes,SA5095Tel:0883026217Email:[email protected]

through the looking glass: adult education through … the looking glass 19 hanna lamented the lack...

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