Empirical research in education seems to have an international tendency to concentrate on problems that can be grasped adequately. But that approach tends to direct more research to smaller and smaller areas, where results are more precise but more irrelevant for the complex practice of education. To try to bridge this gap between research and practice in adult education in West Germany, a special institute was founded more than 20 years ago. The institute, in Frankfurt, is now one of the largest scientific institutes in the field of adult education. The Paedagogische Arbeitsstelle (PAS)--in English, the Educational Working Center for Adult Education--is a mediation agency bringing adult education researchers and practitioners together through meetings of researchers and practitioners and through production of more than 100 publications yearly. PAS focuses on the learning process of adult education and what is really changing through the process. Researchers also work with practitioners in the classroom to improve educational strategy. This institute is especially valuable at the present time, when adult education is experiencing a resurgence and growth in West Germany. Not only are professional and vocational courses becoming ever more popular, but more and more people are also taking cultural and personal development courses. (KC)