Zusammenfassung Der vorliegende Beitrag setzt sich zum Ziel, die Folgen der Nutzung von Bildungsmonitoring-Daten für die Weiterbildungsforschung zu analysieren. Am Beispiel der Volkshochschul-Statistik wird gezeigt, welche Vorteile und welche Nachteile sich aus der Verwendung von Bildungsmonitoring-Daten für die Weiterbildungsforschung ergeben. Explizit wird dies an dem Forschungsprojekt "Governance-Strukturen und pädagogische Leistungsprofile in Organisationen der Weiterbildung" (GLOW) betrachtet, indem das methodisches Vorgehen sowie die auf Basis der Volkshochschul-Statistik durchgeführte Clusteranalyse diskutiert werden.Schlüsselwörter Bildungsforschung · Weiterbildungsforschung · Bildungsmonitoring · Berichtsstatistik · Volkshochschul-Statistik · Clusteranalyse Between giving account and finding the truthThe consequences of using educational monitoring data for adult education research Abstract This article aims at analyzing the consequences of using educational monitoring data for adult education research. Refering to the Statistics on German "Volkshochschulen" (Adult Education Centers) the advantages and challenges that the usage of educational monitoring data brings for research purposes are shown. This is made explicit by focussing on the research project "Governance structures and educational performance profiles in adult education organizations" (GLOW) and Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.M. Engels ( ) Professur für Erwachsenenbildung/Weiterbildung, Innere Kanal Str. 15, 50823 Köln, Deutschland E-Mail: martina.engels@uni-koeln.de K 28 M. Engels discussing the empirical design and the cluster analysis which was carried out on the basis of data from the Statistics on German "Volkshochschulen".

The article relates to different approaches which emphasize a multi-level perspective as well as the institutional conditions that shape adult education. With reference to both the political economy approach and the governance perspective, it is outlined how these more general approaches can be theoretically amended by neo-institutional ideas especially when considering the institutional conditions that shape adult education at an organizational level. Based on a re-analysis of interview data, the findings provide first empirical indications of how institutional conditions of adult education organizations (e.g. the actors involved and their institutionalized relationships of interdependency) can be further specified when neo-institutional ideas are taken into account.