Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CLEAR (CONSTRUCTING LEARNING OUTCOMES IN EUROPE: A MULTI-LEVEL ANALYSIS OF (UNDER)ACHIEVEMENT IN THE LIFE COURSE (CLEAR))
Reporting period: 2023-10-01 to 2025-09-30
The project Constructing Learning Outcomes in Europe. A Multi-Level Analysis of (Under-)Achievement in the Life Course (CLEAR) is committed to better understanding the factors that affect the quality of learning outcomes (LOs) across European regions and intents to spark innovative policy approaches to tackle underachievement and increase social upward mobility for young people. It focuses the processes of constructing learning outcomes as the result of manifold intersecting institutional arrangements, spatial and socio-economic determinants, discursive and socio-cultural influences, as well as individual experiences, dispositions, cognitive and psycho-emotional abilities. The overall aim is to examine the combination of multiple factors shaping LOs and thus affecting their quality. Based on a better understanding of the processes of constructing LOs, CLEAR inquiries into the impact of policies to boost achievement and tackle underachievement, and designs participative activities at local level to spark innovative policy solutions. It conducts comparative, multilevel analyses in 8 EU countries – Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain – by means of quantitative and
institutional analyses, expert surveys at national and regional levels, qualitative analyses and innovative participatory strategies at local level. Special attention is given to groups that are multi-disadvantaged and/or in vulnerable situations. Dynamic and relational concepts – Life Course, Intersectionality, Spatial Justice – help explore the several mutually intersecting dimensions of the issue – individual, institutional, structural, relational, and spatial. In line with Open Science, the project adopts an innovative transversal participatory approach, enabling young people and other stakeholders to proactively shape educational policymaking and contribute with their views, ideas, and experience-based knowledge, thus enhancing the impact of the project.
institutional analyses, expert surveys at national and regional levels, qualitative analyses and innovative participatory strategies at local level. Special attention is given to groups that are multi-disadvantaged and/or in vulnerable situations. Dynamic and relational concepts – Life Course, Intersectionality, Spatial Justice – help explore the several mutually intersecting dimensions of the issue – individual, institutional, structural, relational, and spatial. In line with Open Science, the project adopts an innovative transversal participatory approach, enabling young people and other stakeholders to proactively shape educational policymaking and contribute with their views, ideas, and experience-based knowledge, thus enhancing the impact of the project.
In the 24 months following the first reporting period, we have successfully accomplished all tasks and objectives set. This included continuing objectives 1 and 9, as well as objectives 4 to 8.
In sum, during the second review period we have
• produced and submitted 19 Deliverable reports
• reached three project Milestones: Milestone 3 – Empirical analyses and expert surveys launched (Month 15), Milestone 4 – Empirical analyses and expert surveys completed (Month 21), and Milestone 5 – Comparative analyses and Innovation Forums conducted
• reviewed and assessed 502 documents addressing learning outcomes at national level;
• conducted semi-structured interviews with 105 local policy actors from the IT, health care, and hospitality sectors;
• conducted narrative biographical interviews with 169 young people in vulnerable positions from 8 lagging and 8 thriving EU regions;
• engaged 494 national and regional experts from education and training, adult learning, labour market and youth work in an online expert survey;
• engaged 307 educational stakeholders (policymakers, professionals, young people, teachers) in 11 transversal and cross-country participatory actions and 11 local Innovation Forums;
• conducted 12 cross-case comparative analyses of the project findings and produced 8 National Discussion Papers;
• disseminated project’s results at 40 national and international conferences, published 16 research articles, and delivered 10 keynote lectures;
• produced and published an open access book with the initial project findings in Bloomsbury Academic;
• organized project’s Final Conference with renowned international experts;
• attracted international visibility through the project website and social media account (LinkedIn) and disseminated the project contents to over 4,7 million visitors (over 6 million in total).
In sum, during the second review period we have
• produced and submitted 19 Deliverable reports
• reached three project Milestones: Milestone 3 – Empirical analyses and expert surveys launched (Month 15), Milestone 4 – Empirical analyses and expert surveys completed (Month 21), and Milestone 5 – Comparative analyses and Innovation Forums conducted
• reviewed and assessed 502 documents addressing learning outcomes at national level;
• conducted semi-structured interviews with 105 local policy actors from the IT, health care, and hospitality sectors;
• conducted narrative biographical interviews with 169 young people in vulnerable positions from 8 lagging and 8 thriving EU regions;
• engaged 494 national and regional experts from education and training, adult learning, labour market and youth work in an online expert survey;
• engaged 307 educational stakeholders (policymakers, professionals, young people, teachers) in 11 transversal and cross-country participatory actions and 11 local Innovation Forums;
• conducted 12 cross-case comparative analyses of the project findings and produced 8 National Discussion Papers;
• disseminated project’s results at 40 national and international conferences, published 16 research articles, and delivered 10 keynote lectures;
• produced and published an open access book with the initial project findings in Bloomsbury Academic;
• organized project’s Final Conference with renowned international experts;
• attracted international visibility through the project website and social media account (LinkedIn) and disseminated the project contents to over 4,7 million visitors (over 6 million in total).
In the CLEAR research project, we have yielded new comparative knowledge on the construction of learning outcomes and academic (under )achievement in Europe. Our attention was devoted to the successful implementation of our empirical fieldwork and the subsequent comparative and reporting phase. As in the first reporting period, the Deliverable reports have not yet been disclosed to the public, which is why we can only provide an assumed potential impact, which needs to be corrected after the full disclosure of our results. We can nonetheless make the following general observations on the project’s current impact:
• The project has raised awareness of the pitfalls and shortcomings of the dominant understanding of measurable learning outcomes, which was echoed by the leading scholars during our Final Conference, as well as by local/regional educational stakeholders during our participatory actions. The dominant Learning Outcomes approach seems characterised by technological enthusiasm, psychological individualism, and equity neglect. This is reflected in the clear predominance of instructional effectiveness that emphasizes technology-mediated interventions, with equity concerns receiving limited attention despite continuous policy rhetoric. While this focus reflects legitimate interests, it raises questions about collective priorities amid persistent inequality.
• The project has generated new evidence on the interplay of actors, factors, and spaces in the construction of learning outcomes. We have engaged with and unveiled the complexity of elements that shape learning outcomes and affect their quality. Instead of producing new indicators, we have problematized the very conditions that enable or hinder young people’s success in and accessibility of local labour markets.
• The project has also created spaces for participation of young people in vulnerable positions. We have addressed diverse issues that young people face, articulated their voices, and connected them with local/regional educational stakeholders. In doing so, not only their voices, but their actual presence has significantly increased the awareness of their issues and sparked interest in better coordinated local actions to establish more inclusive educational environments.
• The project has experimented with innovative participatory policy approaches – the Innovation Forums. We have piloted local Innovation Forums which were designed as controlled environments deemed to test new policy solutions with local/regional educational stakeholders. The results of the experiment have directly informed the project’s final policy recommendations.
• Finally, the project has elaborated a series of actionable recommendations that can foster local and regional cohesion, spark national debates on the educational models, and open new avenues for coordinated policymaking at the EU level. The recommendations invite to move beyond the dominant understanding of learning and achievement and embrace a more nuanced, context-informed, and socially inclusive stance on education and learning.
• The project has raised awareness of the pitfalls and shortcomings of the dominant understanding of measurable learning outcomes, which was echoed by the leading scholars during our Final Conference, as well as by local/regional educational stakeholders during our participatory actions. The dominant Learning Outcomes approach seems characterised by technological enthusiasm, psychological individualism, and equity neglect. This is reflected in the clear predominance of instructional effectiveness that emphasizes technology-mediated interventions, with equity concerns receiving limited attention despite continuous policy rhetoric. While this focus reflects legitimate interests, it raises questions about collective priorities amid persistent inequality.
• The project has generated new evidence on the interplay of actors, factors, and spaces in the construction of learning outcomes. We have engaged with and unveiled the complexity of elements that shape learning outcomes and affect their quality. Instead of producing new indicators, we have problematized the very conditions that enable or hinder young people’s success in and accessibility of local labour markets.
• The project has also created spaces for participation of young people in vulnerable positions. We have addressed diverse issues that young people face, articulated their voices, and connected them with local/regional educational stakeholders. In doing so, not only their voices, but their actual presence has significantly increased the awareness of their issues and sparked interest in better coordinated local actions to establish more inclusive educational environments.
• The project has experimented with innovative participatory policy approaches – the Innovation Forums. We have piloted local Innovation Forums which were designed as controlled environments deemed to test new policy solutions with local/regional educational stakeholders. The results of the experiment have directly informed the project’s final policy recommendations.
• Finally, the project has elaborated a series of actionable recommendations that can foster local and regional cohesion, spark national debates on the educational models, and open new avenues for coordinated policymaking at the EU level. The recommendations invite to move beyond the dominant understanding of learning and achievement and embrace a more nuanced, context-informed, and socially inclusive stance on education and learning.