ESREA Network on Access, Learning Careers and Identities

Convenor:
Dr Barbara Merrill
Centre for Lifelong Learning, University of Warwick,
Coventry, CV4 7AL; UK
email: Barbara.Merrill(at)warwick.ac.uk

Co-ordinator:
Professor Etienne Bourgeois
Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de Education
Place du Cardinal Mercier 10
B 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve. Belgium
Email: Etienne.Bourgeois(at)psp.ucl.ac.be

Aims/themes of the network:
This network was formerly known as the Access network. The new title reflects the changing and broadening nature of research and literature in this field. In addressing this wider field the network will focus on access into learning and experiences of learning in a range of educational settings such community education, vocational education, further and higher education. It will also explore the impact of biography and lifelong learning in shaping learning careers and how this process and experiences may lead to changing self and identities. This raises issues of structure and agency and their interaction by taking into account the socio-economic positions in which adult learners are located and the actions that they take to develop their learning identity and career within a particular educational institution. In doing so the network examines the different conceptual approaches to understanding learning careers and learning identities. The network provides a forum for adult educators from a range of disciplines to discuss and debate the issues in relation to theory, policy and practice.

History of the network:
The ESREA Access network was established in 1996 by Chris Duke, Etienne Bourgeois and Barbara Merrill. The first network conference was held at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, in 1996. Since then four network conferences have taken place, two at the University of Barcelona, Spain (1998 and 2000), one at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland (2003) and one at Louvain University, Belgium (December 2006).

Frequency of meetings:
The new network aims to meet every two years.

Recent events and conferences:
The last network meeting was held in Lovain-la-Neuve in December 2006 and was the re-launch of the network.

Publications:
A book will be published in 2008 as part of the ESREA/Peter Lang series entitled: Learning to Change? The Role of Identity and Learning Careers in Adult Education.