Constructing Learning Outcomes - by Jenni Tikkanen & Marcelo Parreira Do Amaral & Tero Järvinen & Natália Alves (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

This open access book challenges dominant understandings of learning outcomes and educational (under)achievement and examines the quality and construction of learning outcomes across Europe.

Educational achievement is considered central to economic development and social inclusion, yet its measuring is not a straightforward task, as the controversial discussion on defining learning outcomes show. Rather, they result from a complex process of constructing learning outcomes and entails manifold intersecting factors and actors. This volume argues that gaining an in-depth understanding of educational achievement requires re-thinking and re-conceptualising learning outcomes and their construction processes in a holistic and context-sensitive manner.

Organized along three thematic parts, the chapters in this volume challenge dominant understandings of learning outcomes and educational achievement in research and offer a reconceptualization of learning outcomes by drawing on three major theoretical perspectives, Life course, Intersectionality, and Spatial justice, thus bringing together different disciplinary approaches in a dynamic manner. Importantly, the book does not only offer new approaches and rethinking of learning outcomes, but also a critical reappraisal of the methodological frameworks used to research them, offering new tools for not only overcoming some of the major shortcomings and problems of the currently dominating approaches, but also tapping on the potential of participatory methodologies to facilitate the formulation and implementation of more effective, context-sensitive, and evidence-based policies. Drawing empirical evidence from a European research project, the volume offers novel approaches to conceptualising, understanding, and researching learning outcomes and educational achievement that can promote inclusiveness of education.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Horizon Europe.

Review Quotes

"This book is an innovative and outstanding contribution to the (re)conceptualisation of learning outcomes. It calls for a systematic understanding of the diverse individual and social conditions in which they are embedded and constructed. The book is a must-read for anyone seriously concerned about the future of education and promoting educational equality. With its critical 'voice', it will inspire scholars, policymakers, and educationalists for fruitful debates on the multifaceted processes shaping educational inequalities." --Pepka Boyadjieva, Professor, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria

"This book offers an outstanding contribution to our understanding of how learning outcomes in Europe are shaped by unequal social contexts, viewed through the lenses of life course, intersectionality, and spatial justice. It challenges standardized and quantitative methods commonly used to assess and address learning outcomes, and calls for more participatory and context-sensitive approaches that promote social inclusion, equity, and youth empowerment. A must-read for anyone engaged in education in any form." --Vitor Sérgio Ferreira, Principal Researcher, Sociology, Ph.D. Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal.

"Constructing Learning Outcomes: Problematising (Under)Achievement in Europe critically examines the learning outcomes approach within neoliberal and NPM frameworks. It highlights both its functional benefits and its role in reinforcing social hierarchies. Overall, this book makes a significant contribution to critical education policy studies by offering a nuanced theoretical and methodological framework that promotes equity, inclusivity, and reflexivity in the design and evaluation of learning outcomes." --Markku Jahnukainen, Professor, University of Helsinki, Finland

About the Author

Jenni Tikkanen is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Turku Institute for Advanced Sciences (TIAS) and a Visiting Researcher at the research flagship centre INVEST Inequalities, Interventions and New Welfare State at the University of Turku, Finland.

Marcelo Parreira do Amaral is Professor of International and Comparative Education at the University of Münster, Germany, and Visiting Professor at the University of Turku, Finland.

Tero Järvinen is Professor of Education at the Department of Education/the Centre for Research on Lifelong Learning and Education (CELE) in the University of Turku, Finland.

Natália Alves is Professor of Sociology of Education and Adult Education at the Institute of Education, University of Lisbon, Portugal, and Visiting Professor at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany.