Call for Abstracts | Fourth International Conference of the Scuola Democratica

Call for Abstracts

AONTAS are inviting paper submissions for a dedicated panel on “Learner Voice for Democratic Learning” at the 4th International Conference of Scuola Democratica, taking place at Sapienza University of Rome from 1–4 September 2026.

Learner Voice centres adult learners in policy and decision-making by offering appropriate ways of listening to their concerns to develop more supportive educational experiences and relationships. At stake is what Gert Biesta (2016) has called ‘democratic learning’, the education that flows from participating in constructing a common life together.

Panel convenors Dr. Thomas Murray and Dr. Philip Finn invite papers seeking to engage with critical questions for Learner Voice advocates. How do adult education systems listen to adult learners? How do they act on what learners say? What are the implications for democracy – in our education systems and in our society – of learner participation in decision-making? What does it mean to adult learners to make their recognitions and misrecognitions known? What are the implications of not listening to Learner Voice?

We welcome international and comparative perspectives aimed at sharing diverse Learner Voice theories and practices. From accredited learning to popular education, we are interested in discussing how Learner Voice takes shape in specific adult learning spaces and policy systems.  We warmly encourage early career scholars and researchers interested in Learner Voice to apply.