Emancipation or Instrumentalisation in Erasmus+ Mobility: A Literature Review

Abstract

European education tools and policies show growing social concerns for inclusion while embracing standardised approaches that may put diversity at risk. The Erasmus+ programme is a tool that aims for cultural awareness and European citizenship while promoting a linkage with the needs of the globalised labour market, starting with the higher education field. Given the programme’s expansion to other education fields, namely school education, adult education, and vocational education and training, it remains uncertain how such an extension influences scientific research about Erasmus+ mobility and the relative position assumed therein by each field. Taking emancipatory and instrumental perspectives as a reference, the present study aimed to ascertain which concepts drive the published research about Erasmus+ mobility, mapping their position in the different education fields embraced by the programme. To do so, a literature review was conducted covering articles published between 2014 and 2022. The data analysed through content analysis showed that concepts driving emancipatory and instrumental perspectives are present in the selected articles, although approaches that are not directly linkable to either perspective prevail. The data also show that higher education remains the hegemonic field in Erasmus+ mobility research, indicating that studies focused on the programme’s effects occur mainly in this education field. These findings highlight the importance of in-depth knowledge about the programme’s effects on school education, adult education, and vocational education and training.