Making adult education research more consistent with adult education principles

Abstract

The author discusses the concept of philosophical consistency in research and describes personal efforts to make adult education research more consistent with basic principles of adult education, essentially helping research participants to participate more actively in and take greater control over the research process. Two untried ideas which emerged from a critique of her own practice, “negotiated research” and “self‐directed research”, are presented for consideration by other practitioners. It is argued that while “new paradigm” approaches offer the greatest promise for philosophically consistent educational and research practice in the long term, some interim or compromise research approaches like the ones suggested here may be needed until the new paradigm gains greater academic acceptance.