Adult Education as Theory, Practice and Research: The Captive Triangle

The authors argue that the aim of research should be to improve practice through a process of critical reflection. Focusing clearly on the everyday concerns and problems of practitioners, they emphasize the importance of practical knowledge. Their definition of practice " is wide, and includes the generation of theory and the doing of research as well as front-line teaching. They show how notions of adult learning " and the adult learner " have been constituted mainly through theory and research in psychology and sociology, and examine action research as a mode of understanding. They conclude by looking at the curriculum implications for the teaching of adult education as reflective practice.