Adult Education Research in 1970s

In the 1970s, multiple forces pushed adult education development, such as support from the federal government, universities and some professional organizations (such as the Commission of Professors), information centers (such as clearinghouses), various conferences, journals. These changes as well as the increasing number of programs called for more sophisticated research. Some researchers realized that adult education should have its own theoretical foundations (Alford, 1978; Knox, 1975; Long, Hiemstra & Associates,1980).

 

In the 1970s, researchers debated about whether adult education should focus on basic research to extend knowledge and theory or on applied research intended to solve practical problems (Beder & Darkenwald, 1974).

 

Adult education research still relied on scientific empiricism. However, researchers began to realize the limitations of scientific empiricism in adult education research and the necessity to revise research purposes and to develop its own theory. Researchers introduced other theoretical foundations such as rationalism, intuitionism, empiricism and authoritarianism (Apps, 1972; Forest, 1972; Royce, 1964; Shillacc, 1973; as cited in Long, Hiemstra, & Associates, 1980).

 

Adult education research started to transit from the descriptive and positivist perspective to more theoretical, and multiple philosophical perspectives (Long, Hiemstra, & Associates, 1980).