Problematising the Policies' Purposes of Adult Education: A Semiological Approach to the 'NEAAL' and Its Lifelong Learning Reductionist Mindset

Abstract

The study seeks to redefine the purposes of Adult Education Policies (AEP) at the EU level, moving beyond traditional views focused on qualifications and economic adaptation, and instead advocating for a socio-ethical-political framework. This framework incorporates critical, creative, and existential dimensions. Drawing on Biesta's critique of the democratic deficit in lifelong learning, the study calls for re-evaluating AEP through three educational domains: qualification, socialisation, and subjectification. The analysis centres on the "Council Resolution on a new European Agenda for Adult Learning 2021-2030" (NEAAL 2030), using content analysis and a semiological approach, with MAXQDA for analysing predefined categories from the theoretical framework. The investigation reveals that crucial concepts such as "education", "learning", "training", and "skills" are reduced in meaning, aligning with Barthes's critique of mythologies. This reduction perpetuates a normalised discourse in AEP, resulting in a democratic deficit and a limited teleological approach. Despite its purported neutrality, NEAAL 2030 endorses a reductionist regime that overlooks pluralistic perspectives and fails to foster relationality within the EU's adult education. The research challenges this normalisation and reductionism, advocating for a comprehensive and democratic framework that empowers individuals and recognises diverse perspectives in EU adult education policies.