From Theory to Practice: A Quantitative Content Analysis of Adult Education's Language on Meaning Making

Translating theory to practice has been a historical concern of adult education. It remains unclear, though, if adult education's theoretical and epistemological focus on meaning making transcends the academy. A manifest content analysis was conducted to determine if the frequency of meaning making language differed between the field's U.S. scholarly journals, practitioner journals, and federal policy writings. This study found the field's leading U.S. practitioner journal and its federal policy agencies used meaning making language less so than the field's leading U.S. scholarly journals. Scholarly and practitioner journals, however, showed increased use since 2003. Implications for increasing meaning making language in practice and policy are discussed. Limitations for generalizing findings and interpreting authors' intentions are addressed.