THE PDCA METHOD APPLIED TO YOUTH AND ADULT EDUCATION: POSSIBILITIES FOR PLANNING AND REPLANNING PEDAGOGICAL PRACTIC

Abstract

This paper analyzes the possibilities of applying the PDCA method to educational planning in Youth and Adult Education (EJA), considering the specific characteristics of learners, their different educational trajectories, and the conditions that affect learning processes and school retention. The study is based on the understanding that pedagogical planning should not be reduced to a bureaucratic activity or a rigid program, but rather constitute an intentional, contextualized, flexible process that remains open to monitoring and replanning. Its general objective is to analyze how the logic of the PDCA cycle — Plan, Do, Check, and Act — can contribute to organizing processes for monitoring and redirecting pedagogical practice in EJA. To this end, a qualitative bibliographic study was conducted, based on research concerning educational planning, assessment, Youth and Adult Education, and continuous improvement. The discussion indicates that PDCA can serve as an auxiliary tool for systematizing diagnosis, implementing actions, analyzing results, and making pedagogical decisions. However, its use requires a critical appropriation that avoids reducing education to goals or quantitative indicators. It is concluded that the cycle can contribute to strengthening a culture of reflective planning in EJA, provided that it is articulated with dialogue, formative assessment, and recognition of learners’ experiences and educational trajectories.