Extensive scholarly activity by Associate Professor Maria Gravani, Director of the Master’s Programme in “Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning” at the Open University of Cyprus
The first book featuring contributions from Dr Gravani in two chapters—one co-authored with PhD candidate E. Koutoulianou—is titled: “Adult Educators in the Face of Crisis in Europe: Managing Challenges, Shaping Identities and Changing Cultures” (2025), edited by Jogi, L., Zarifis, G. K., and Lattke, S. This work is the result of her long-standing collaboration with the ESREA–ReNAdET network (https://esrea.org/networks/adult-educators-trainers-and-their-professional-development/), which she co-directs, and examines the evolving identities, practices, and challenges faced by adult educators in Europe amid recent crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, migration, and economic and social disruptions. The book explores how these events impact the identity, autonomy, and professional practice of adult educators, taking into account their often precarious working conditions. Co-editors of the volume include Prof. Larissa Jogi (Tallinn University, Estonia), Prof. Georgios Zarifis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), and Dr Susanne Latke (German Institute for Adult Education).
Publication details: Series: Research on the Education and Learning of Adults, Volume 12, Sense|Brill. Open Access available here.
The second book, in which Dr Gravani contributes four chapters, is titled “Understanding the Experiences of Adult Educators: Narrative Lessons for Professional Knowledge, Values and Practice” (2026), co-edited by Fahy, C., Gravani, M. N., O’Brien, S., and Zarifis, G. K. It focuses on the professional knowledge, values, and practices of adult educators, using a narrative approach and life stories to illuminate the depth and complexity of experiences, concepts, and events shaping their professional profile. The book is published by Routledge. More information here.
Additionally, in her article “Non-formal education in later life: An educational, sociological, and psychological analysis of older adults’ motivations, goals, benefits, and barriers in Cyprus” (pp. 1–16), published in a special issue of Educational Gerontology and co-authored with Dr Andri Piliri, a PhD candidate in Continuing Education at OUC, she presents a study conducted with older adult learners and their educators in a non-formal education programme. The study explores the motivations, goals, perceived benefits, and barriers to participation of older adults in Cyprus’s main non-formal adult education programme. Read more here.
Finally, Dr Gravani begins her tenure as co-editor of the international peer-reviewed journal Journal of Adult and Continuing Education (JACE) (Sage) with the introductory article “A legacy of scholarship” (Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 31(3), 545–549), co-authored with Slade, B., Gravani, M. N., & Bogossian, T. (2025). Link here.
Source: Open University of Cyprus | News/Events | News (https://tinyurl.com/5csrdjjn)