Inclusive Adult Education for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities: A Bibliometric and Comparative Study of Italy, Germany, and Bulgaria

This study investigates inclusive adult education for individuals with intellectual disabilities in Italy, Germany, and Bulgaria through a bibliometric and comparative lens. Despite the growing emphasis on lifelong learning, inclusive adult education remains unevenly conceptualized and implemented across Europe. Intellectual disabilities often intersect with broader social inequities, making it necessary to examine how national systems foster or hinder educational participation. By analyzing 100 highly cited articles indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection, this study maps the intellectual and thematic structure of scholarship on disability-inclusive adult education. Using bibliometric tools such as VOSviewer, the research identifies dominant trends, influential works, and thematic clusters. In parallel, a comparative analysis evaluates national approaches, highlighting convergences and divergences in policies, practices, and pedagogical models across the three countries. Italy shows progress through community-based initiatives and European project networks, Germany emphasizes structured vocational and continuing education pathways, while Bulgaria reflects emerging but fragmented policies influenced by EU integration. The results reveal a fragmented research landscape, with limited cross-country collaboration and scarce focus on comparative perspectives. This study contributes by bridging bibliometric evidence with policy and practice insights, offering one of the first systematic cross-national analyses of inclusive adult education for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Practical implications include recommendations for harmonizing European educational strategies, strengthening research cooperation, and embedding inclusivity as a core principle in lifelong learning agendas.