The European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA) is a European non-profit scholarly society dedicated to fostering high-quality research on adult education and lifelong learning. Established in 1991, it provides a structured forum for researchers across Europe to collaborate through thematic networks, seminars, publications, and triennial conferences. ESREA’s mission includes facilitating cooperation among scholars, supporting early-career researchers, and disseminating empirical and theoretical work on adult and continuing education. The organization is based at the German Institute for Adult Education in Bonn, Germany.

Examples of work:

• The “Working Life and Learning” Thematic Research Network explores topics such as workplace learning, work-integrated learning, human resource development, and the social and economic dimensions of work and adult education.
• The “Gender and Adult Learning” Network examines how gender influences adult education, including informal learning, higher education participation, and methodological issues, through international conferences and publications.
• The “Policy Studies in Adult Education” Network (PSAE) focuses on adult education policy as shaped by globalization and trans-national education trends, organizing symposia and comparative research on policy effects in adult learning.

Resources

European Society for Research on the Education of Adults. (n.d.-a). About ESREA. ESREA. https://esrea.org/

European Society for Research on the Education of Adults. (n.d.-b). Working life and learning. ESREA.  https://esrea.org/networks/working-life-and-learning/

European Society for Research on the Education of Adults. (n.d.-c). Gender and adult learning. ESREA. https://esrea.org/networks/gender-and-adult-learning/

European Society for Research on the Education of Adults. (n.d.-d). Policy studies in adult education. ESREA. https://esrea.org/networks/policy-studies-in-adult-education/