Abstract
Educational learning and development is evidenced in a range of sectors and is of interest to a range of stakeholders, particularly in regards to its capacity-building potential. This introductory chapter seeks to conceptualise and contextualise this area in the following three ways. The first section will present various approaches taken in conceptualising educational learning and development, including an overview of current contexts. The second will present ten distinct empirical data sets that have been analysed and assist in conceptualising and contextualising this area. The data sets will be used in the third section to identify eight 'hot topics' and 'wicked problems' in educational policy-making and practice in order to further understand and re-conceptualise educational learning and development from new and perhaps also challenging perspectives.