Theme 3 – The Authenticity and Value of Knowledge

This chapter reflects on the concept of knowledge – or perhaps, more accurately, the multiple knowledges – generated in this field of study. We consider, through drawing on some of the examples of ways in which knowledge about out-of-school learning is constructed in the case studies, issues such as the authenticity and value of knowledges pertinent to this field, the power structures and knowledge hierarchies involved and the localised sites of such knowledge production. We conclude with some thoughts about how researchers can manage the tensions involved in making decisions about whether to try to integrate or to keep separate such multiple forms of knowledge.