Adults continue to learn throughout their lives, particularly at times of transition or novelty. However, the social sciences have done little to investigate the nature of what is learned, and have so far focused mainly on the professional domain. Tania Zittoun (University of Neuchâtel), Alex Gillespie (London School of Economics and Political Science) and Marcos José Bernal (University of Neuchâtel) are breaking new ground in the study of life courses by analysing the content of three online diaries kept over a period of 20 years, in this longitudinal study combining qualitative and quantitative methods. They observe that, through processes of differentiation and distancing, learning in adulthood continues in all areas of life. Their approach to analysing diaries is useful for understanding personal development from childhood to old age.
Researchers have identified two learning processes: on the one hand, progressive integration and differentiation are ways of achieving greater system stability. On the other hand, distancing is a way for people to make sense of their situation by referring to previous or parallel experiences. The dynamics of learning are particularly catalysed when people experience disruption. However, in some cases, the difficulties raised by these crises destabilise the person, who may have difficulty finding appropriate resources and find themselves at an impasse. At such times, breakdowns can become vulnerable events and hinder learning.
Researchers also distinguish three modes of knowledge: spheres of experience (practices developed idiosyncratically, i.e. individually), cultural subsystems (practices shared by a group to which the person belongs) and formal knowledge (culturally defined and generally taught in a formal way). In the professional sphere, expertise is often seen as an adult learning process. Thus, adults' experiences develop in different fields linked to different contexts and social frameworks, requiring different modes of knowledge.
Various routes of learning and development in adult lives
Zittoun and colleagues make three main propositions. First, they suggest that over the course of their lives, people engage in different domains of interest, both formal and informal - various spheres of experience, cultural subsystems of knowledge or formal knowledge - and, over time, are likely to develop expertise in these domains. Secondly, they propose to examine how, in each domain of life (other than work), knowledge can be differentiated and distanced, including the relationships between domains. Thirdly, when people encounter disruptions that may disrupt one or more of these domains of experience, they are likely to draw on a diversity of resources - including from other domains - and so engage in a transition, leading to learning and development
Research
- Research projec "Societal Crises and Personal Sense-Making: Transitions, Mobility, and Imagination Across the Lifecourse"
Article "Development and vulnerability across the lifecourse"
- Zittoun, T., Gillespie, A., & Bernal Marcos, M. J. (2023). Development and vulnerability across the lifecourse. Culture & Psychology, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X231201384