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Capturing Lifelong Learning Data through International Surveys and Novel Innovative Methods

  • Ellen Boeren
  • Catherine Lido

Previous literature has highlighted the predominant use of qualitative research methods within the field of adult education. While a wide range of opportunities to exploit and gather large scale quantitative data are available, these avenues remain underexplored. The aims of this chapter are twofold. First, it familiarises readers with a range of datasets gathered through international survey programmes managed by International Governmental Organisations. Examples include the European Commission’s Adult Education Survey, the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), UNESCO’s Literacy and Assessment Programme (LAMP) and the World Bank’s STEP Skills Measurement Programme. It links the existence of these survey programmes to a wider debate on the use of benchmarks and indicators underpinning data-driven policy approaches. Second, it discusses examples of the application of novel and innovative methods that have been used to capture lifelong learning data in real-world projects. It highlights the work undertaken by the University of Glasgow’s Urban Big Data Centre, and zooms in on research undertaken within the Integrated Multimedia City Data (iMCD) project. Its work is being discussed against wider developments in relation to the use of ‘big data’ in the social sciences. Throughout the chapter, we reference the limitations of large survey and innovative data work, such as issues relating to privacy and the difficulties in including hard-to-reach groups. We focus on cooperative work in interdisciplinary teams with colleagues from varying methodological backgrounds who can contribute to projects underpinned by triangulation to provide comprehensive answers to relevant research questions.

  • Keywords:
  • Big Data,
  • Innovative Methods,
  • International Governmental Organizations,
  • Quantitative Methods,
  • Survey Research,
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Ellen Boeren

University of Glasgow, United Kingdom - ORCID: 0000-0002-2285-5814

Catherine Lido

University of Glasgow, United Kingdom - ORCID: 0000-0002-6255-9905

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  • Publication Year: 2023
  • Pages: 207-219
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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  • Publication Year: 2023
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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Chapter Information

Chapter Title

Capturing Lifelong Learning Data through International Surveys and Novel Innovative Methods

Authors

Ellen Boeren, Catherine Lido

Language

English

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0253-4.22

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2023

Copyright Information

© 2023 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

Book Title

Adult Education and Social Justice: International Perspectives

Editors

Maria Slowey, Heribert Hinzen, Michael Omolewa, Michael Osborne

Peer Reviewed

Number of Pages

324

Publication Year

2023

Copyright Information

© 2023 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Publisher Name

Firenze University Press

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0253-4

ISBN Print

979-12-215-0252-7

eISBN (pdf)

979-12-215-0253-4

eISBN (xml)

979-12-215-0254-1

Series Title

Studies on Adult Learning and Education

Series ISSN

2704-596X

Series E-ISSN

2704-5781

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