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Cogent Education

For an Article Collection on

Adult and Continuing Education Research: Transversing Boundaries of the Global and the Local

Manuscript deadline

12 October 2026
 

Article Collection Guest Advisor(s)

Dr. Peter Rule, Stellenbosch University
prule2015@sun.ac.za

Dr. Vohra Veena, NMIMS, Mumbai
Veena.Vohra@sbm.nmims.edu

Journal information

Read the Instructions for Authors on Cogent EducationView Cogent Education on Taylor & Francis OnlineSubmit an article to Cogent Education

 

Adult and Continuing Education Research: Transversing Boundaries of the Global and the Local

In an increasingly globalized world, educational researchers often draw on internationally established repertoires of theories, methodologies and standards of quality. However, context remains important, including the contexts from which theories, methodologies and standards arise and the contexts to which they are applied or adapted. Much of the educational research repertoire, and the disciplines and fields that shape it, have their roots in the Global North. Metrics of research production and measurement of ‘what counts’ as knowledge are massively skewed in favour of the Global North: the current global scholarly ecosystem (Scopus, Web of Science) is heavily biased towards countries in the Global North and research published in English. This entails the danger of discrimination “against different forms of knowledge, particularly that which does not hail from the English-speaking Western world” (Tennant 2020:1).

However, this situation is contested and is changing, informed by factors such as:

  • The decolonial ‘turn’ that contests taken-for-granted assumptions about what ‘counts’ as knowledge and draws attention to how historical and contemporary power relations influence research ecosystems;
  • Increased attention to indigenous knowledge systems and their implications for theory, research and practice
  • Collaboration among researchers from different countries, disciplines and/or research orientations;
  • Comparative studies across national and international boundaries;
  • The development of research cultures, outlets, publishers, institutions in Global South countries.

To some extent Cogent Education reflects these changes. Although published in English, and by a multinational publisher, it draws contributions from a wide geographical spectrum, often based on collaborations across this spectrum.

This article collection seeks to interrogate and trouble the relation between the local and the global in educational research and what our positioning as global-local researchers means for:

  • Selection of research topics and subject matter;
  • Choice of philosophical orientations, theories, models and frameworks;
  • Orientation towards research paradigms, approaches, methods and types of data;
  • Local engagement with ‘globalized’ AI resources such as ChatGPT
  • Engagement with extant scholarship and ‘authoritative’ sources;
  • Grounds for generalizing and/or localizing findings.
  • Researchers’ global-local identities, the tensions and affordances that these involve.
  • The emergence and function of local epistemologies from the global South

It welcomes contributions from contexts within and across geographical, theoretical and methodological ‘hemispheres’.

Key words: adult education; continuing education; higher education; educational research; epistemology; decolonial turn; research ecosystems; global-local nexus.

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 12 October 2026.

Please contact Kristen Brida at kristen.brida@taylorandfrancis.com with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Please be sure to select the appropriate Article Collection from the drop-down menu in the submission system.
Please select Adult and Continuing Education OR Higher Education from the list of available sections during submission. Failure to select the appropriate Article Collection or Section name can result in delays.

About the Guest Advisors

Peter Rule is Director of the Centre for Higher and Adult Education at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. His main research interests are adult learning, dialogue and learning, adult learning and disability, and case study research methodology. He has collaborated with authors from Europe and Africa and edited collections including authors from all five continents. His academic books include Handbook of case study research in the social sciences, edited with Vaughn John (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024), The global scholar: Implications for postgraduate studies and supervision, edited with Eli Bitzer and Liezel Frick (African Sun Media, 2021); Dialogue and boundary learning (Sense Publishers, 2015); and, with Vaughn John, Your guide to case study research (Van Schaik, 2011). He is a senior editor for Cogent Education’s ‘Adult and Continuing Education’ section.

Institutional Page
ORCID Page

Veena Vohra (PhD, MBA) is Professor – Human Resources and Behavioral Sciences and Associate Dean at the School of Business Management, NMIMS, Mumbai. Her research focus areas include contexts of change, organization development, leadership, emotional intelligence, employee silence and work family conflict. She teaches case study research and qualitative research. She has published several research papers, case studies, book chapters and co-authored several books. She has engaged in consulting and training assignments related to leadership development and personal effectiveness enhancement.

Institutional Page
ORCID Page

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

The Guest Advisors do not have any Conflicts of Interest to disclose.

Call For Papers-SPECIAL ISSUE-Disaster Social Work in International Contexts 

 

Summer 2027 Special Issue: Disaster Social Work in International Contexts

Guest Editors

  • Dr. Melanie Gall, Associate Professor, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AR, US
  • Dr. Lauri Goldkind, Professor, Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, NY, NY, US
  • Dr. Pia Ruth Hollenbach, Senior researcher, University of Applied Sciences, Konstanz, Germany
  • Dr. Caroline Schmitt, Professor of ecosocial work and care, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Germany

The proposed issue seeks to advance knowledge and practice at the intersection of social work, disaster preparedness, response, and recovery across diverse cultural and geopolitical settings.

Scope and Themes: Disasters—whether natural, technological, or human-made—pose urgent challenges that test the resilience of communities and the capacity of social workers. As the climate crisis intensifies, conflicts proliferate, and public health emergencies persist, social work’s role in disaster contexts becomes increasingly critical. This special issue will highlight innovative practices, case study examples as well as theoretical contributions, and comparative insights that address these challenges.

Disaster social work has emerged as a vital field at the intersection of humanitarian response, climate change adaptation, and social justice. Disasters—whether natural, technological, or human-made—exacerbate existing inequalities and disproportionately impact marginalized communities, requiring social workers to address not only immediate needs but also long-term recovery and resilience ( Dominelli, 2023). Globally, frameworks such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 emphasize inclusive, community-centered approaches to preparedness and recovery, highlighting the essential role of social workers in protecting vulnerable populations (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [UNDRR], 2015). Social workers contribute by providing psychosocial support, facilitating access to resources, advocating for human rights, and ensuring that disaster responses are culturally sensitive and equitable (Rowlands & Tan, 2017). Case studies from Japan, Haiti, and the Philippines demonstrate how social workers help rebuild social fabrics after earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons, underscoring the need for culturally grounded interventions and interdisciplinary collaboration. International standards, such as the Sphere Handbook and IFRC guidelines (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2022), also call for psychosocial and community-based interventions that align closely with social work values. As the climate crisis intensifies and humanitarian emergencies proliferate, disaster social work provides an indispensable framework for increasing preparedness, mitigating harm, fostering resilience, and advancing global equity.

We welcome manuscripts that engage with (but are not limited to) the following themes:

  • Cross-national comparisons of disaster social work practice and policy
  • Culturally grounded interventions in disaster contexts
  • Disaster preparedness and resilience-building in vulnerable populations
  • Ethical, legal, and human rights issues in disaster response
  • Collaboration between social workers, governments, NGOs, and international agencies
  • The role of technology and digital platforms in disaster social work
  • Training, education, and capacity-building for social workers in disaster contexts
  • Lived experiences of affected populations and community-based responses
  • Inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral learning experiences on DRR

Types of Submission

  • Manuscripts submitted could be commentaries, brief reports, empirical research manuscripts, conceptual papers, theoretical and/or policy analyses, narratives, or knowledge translation studies/activities.
  • Submissions may include original research articles, conceptual papers, case studies, and commentaries.

Submission Guidelines

  • Authors should follow the guidelines for writing articles for Advances in Social Work.
  • Manuscripts should be original and not under consideration by any other publication.
  • Submissions should adhere to the APA 7th edition style guide.
  • Manuscripts should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words, including references.
  • Submit your manuscript online through the Advances in Social Work submission portal.
  • All manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

Authors should submit a full manuscript by September 30, 2026. Submitted manuscripts will be anonymously peer-reviewed. This issue is scheduled to appear in August 2027.

Deadline for manuscripts: Sept 30, 2026 

For more information, please contact the Guest Editors through Lauri Goldkind: goldkind@fordham.edu or Carol Hostetter, Editor, Advances in Social Work: chostett@indiana.edu

References

https://advancesinsocialwork.indianapolis.iu.edu/index.php/advancesinsocialwork/announcement/view/162 

New IASSW–Springer Publication: Social Work Scholarship in the Global South. 

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