Progression measurement in adult guidance in Ireland: a contested discourse

This article discusses the findings of a research study on the longitudinal measurement of individual progression in the Irish Adult Education Guidance Initiative (AEGI). The research was underpinned by a critical constructivist methodology in its examination of the three main discourses of the client, practitioner, and policy maker in the field of adult guidance. In line with the current discourse on the role of the user in quality assurance, a specific focus of the study was an analysis of the client’s contribution to the design of a quality tracking system for outcome measurement. The implications for policy, practice and research in the adult guidance sector in Ireland will be explored in this paper.