Establishing the Adult Learning Sciences through a Shared Scientific Attitude: A Vision for the Future

Abstract

In recent years, adult education program closures have led to a historically low presence for adult education in U.S. research institutions. For a research–to–practice field, the implications of this are considerable. One reason for this development is the field's abandonment of what McIntyre calls the scientific attitude: a commitment to evidence and a willingness to change theory with new evidence. Here, I explore what is meant by the scientific attitude and why it is needed if the research field is to remain tied to U.S. research institutions. I then detail two signs of the scientific attitude's absence from the field's research: (a) untested and untestable theory and (b) scant quantitative research. I conclude with a call for the formation of a new discipline called the adult learning sciences, which works closely with adult education to inform its practices and policies with evidence–informed ideas. To establish this discipline, I specify seven immediate actions that researchers and programs must take.