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CHAPTER ELEVEN: FINDINGS FROM THE TUTORS' SURVEY

11.1 This part of the research was designed to assess the impact of the ALN Strategy on tutors' perceptions of the changes, if any, it had made in the teaching and learning environment and their approaches to learning, teaching and the curriculum.

The Sample

11.2 The sample of 78 tutors was selected from different centres from those in which the learners' sample was based but in the same ALN Partnership areas. This avoided the possibility of the replies from learners influencing, or being influenced by, the participation of their tutors. It also meant that direct and inappropriate comparisons between tutors' and learners' views of programmes were avoided. These interviews took place after data from the first interview with learners had been analysed so that the issues that had been raised by learners could be included in the interview schedule.

The Interview

11.3 The interviews were conducted by telephone between April and September 2004 by three members of the research team and, on average, took an hour. The questionnaire was based on the good practice framework, Literacies in the Community Resources for Practitioners and Managers (2000), which provides the benchmarks against which the quality of tuition is assessed by ALN Partnerships and Learning Connections. In addition to accessing the quality of learning and teaching the questionnaire also provided the opportunity for tutors to reflect on: the learning programme itself, planning, resources, staffing and management within the organisation, their own professional development, partnership working, and the impact of the strategy on themselves, their organisation and learners alike.

Tutor Characteristics

11.4 Of the seventy-five tutors that answered the question about where they provided tuition 14 were based in an FE College, 32 worked in a community centre, 20 in a dedicated learning centre, 3 in a workplace and 6 went to learners' homes to provide tuition. They were predominantly female (66 female and 12 male). Tutors were asked if they were paid or worked voluntarily and 3 tutors stated that they were paid part time and also worked as volunteers. Of the remaining 75 tutors the majority worked part time (39) with 22 being full time and 14 working as volunteers. The age bands that they fell into are shown in Chart 11.1. As can be seen, voluntary tutors were older than the other 2 groups.

Chart 11.1: Ages of tutors with different working arrangements

11.5 The tutors were a highly educated group with over 80% having a degree or above - Chart 11.2.

Chart 11.2: Highest qualification

Entry Pathways for Learners

11.6 This section of the questionnaire was designed to find out how far tutors felt that access to the learning programmes was prompt, easy and open to learners. Tutors were asked about their involvement in providing advice and guidance on learners' plans and aims and if they provided advice about progression possibilities. As can be seen from Chart 11.3, a high proportion of tutors provided advice and guidance about learners plans and aims but fewer provided advice on progression opportunities.

Chart 11.3: Tutor involvement in providing advice and guidance on learners' plans and aims

11.7 The good practice guidelines (2000) specify that the best practice (level 4) means that the learner 'receives information on the options available and possible pathways from entry, through tuition to exit' (page 12). Quite a high proportion of the tutors did not feel that providing advice on progression was an option that they should offer at this early stage in the career of the learners with whom they were working. This was because they felt that the learners' had a long way to go until they were ready to progress and they concentrated instead on working with learners on their plans and learning aims.

11.8 Tutors were asked what they were involved in discussing with participating learners. The good practice guidelines (2000) specify that the best practice (level 4) means that ' initial assessment is a process, building on the initial meeting. It focuses on the specific gaps between the learner's literacy and numeracy capabilities and his/her current or anticipated demands and contexts. Initial assessment leads to the development of a detailed individual learning plan' (page 12). Tutors were not necessarily responsible for all these aspects of the entry pathways to the learning programme. As can be seen from chart 11.4, tutors were most likely to be involved in helping learners to set goals and develop an Independent Learning Plan ( ILP). They were least likely to carry out an initial assessment of literacy/numeracy as many reported that someone else would have done this when the learner first applied for tuition in order to decide in which class or group learners should be placed.

Chart 11.4: What tutors are involved in

Key to Chart 11.4:
A = Initial assessment of literacy/numeracy
B = Identification of strengths and weaknesses
C = Identification of learning strategies
D = Development of ILP
E = Helping set goals

11.9 The good practice guidelines (2000) specify that the best practice (level 4) means that 'individual support is offered and is focussed on strengths and needs as a learner' (page 15). Tutors were therefore asked whether they focussed on strengths or needs or both equally. Of the 73 tutors who responded to this question, the majority focussed on 'both equally' as can be seen from Chart 11.5, however, 18% said that they were primarily 'needs' focussed, which does not sit comfortably with the 'lifelong learning' approach that underpins Scottish policy (Scottish Executive, 2001: 14).

Chart 11.5: Do tutors focus on strengths or needs?

Learning, Teaching and the Curriculum

11.10 These questions focused on the extent to which tutors were able to provide flexible and responsive learning options that responded to learners' needs and wants and developed their knowledge, skills and understanding in context.

11.11 Tutors were asked about how they organised their teaching and they provided the following answers detailed in Chart 11.6.

Chart 11.6: How tutors organise their teaching

Key to Chart 11.6:
A = Organise the sessions around the learners' ILPs
B = Adapt the sessions to the different learning styles of the participants
C = Provide the opportunity for learners to learn in groups (or pairs)
D = Source texts/workbooks or learning materials adapted from real life situations
E = Adapt the curriculum to the needs and learning aims of learners
F = Address the 3 areas of, knowledge, skills and critical understanding
G = Vary the methods you use
H = Foster links with other learning opportunities

11.12 Tutors felt least able to foster links with other learning opportunities. They reported that this was mainly because they were only in a position to work directly with learners and felt that this task was the responsibility of the full-time or guidance staff rather than themselves. Tutors were also less confident about addressing the three areas of knowledge, skills and critical understanding. This was mainly because those that were tutoring students with learning difficulties felt that they would not be able to introduce critical understanding, as this group of learners were not able to work at this level. The ability to provide the opportunity to learn in groups was limited for tutors working in rural areas.

Guidance and Support

11.13 Tutors were asked about what guidance and support they offered. The good practice guidelines (2000) specify that the best practice (level 4) means that opportunities to 'discuss, record, update and review the individual learning plan' (page 15) are provided regularly. Learners should also be able ' to move on at any stage' (page 15). The tutors' responses to our questions are detailed in Chart 11.7.

Chart 11.7: What support and guidance do tutors provide?

11.14 As can be seen the majority of tutors were able to provide opportunities for guidance and reflection and were also able to review Individual Learning Plans ( ILPs) regularly. Providing transfers between learning programmes was more difficult with some tutors reporting that, in their particular locations, there were no appropriate opportunities to which learners could transfer.

Exit Pathways

11.15 In this section, tutors were asked about what they themselves provided when learners exited their programme and what other people in their organisation provided. A number of tutors commented that very few learners that they worked with left in a pre-arranged manner. Instead they would simply stop coming and therefore the tutors were not in a position to conduct a summative review. In other cases people stayed in programmes for a long time especially those with learning difficulties. This reflects similar findings to those reported on the student sample. As can be seen from the Chart 11.8, few tutors offered formal accreditation opportunities and this was partly because accreditation was usually only offered to learners in FE settings and partly because staff, other than the tutors, were responsible for carrying out formal accreditation.

Chart 11.8: What tutors provide at exit from a course

11.16 In those programmes where someone else, other than the tutor, provided exit-pathway advice and guidance, this was most likely to focus on accreditation. Chart 11.9 shows however, that many programmes did not offer formal accreditation. When viewed in conjunction with chart 11.8, it can also be seen that a substantial proportion of learners left with no exit guidance or review of their ILP from anyone within the providing organisation.

Chart 11.9: Services provided by others at exit

Reflections on the learning programme

11.17 The questions in this section were designed to find out which areas of the overall learning programme tutors felt most satisfied with and what they felt should be improved. Tutors were asked what they saw as the key strengths of local ALN provision and their overall responses are

shown in Table 11.1. Multiple responses were allowed. Four new tutors did not answer this question. As can be seen, more tutors identified learning and teaching as the strongest provision with a small minority choosing exit pathways. The following comments typify tutors' responses to positive changes in aspects of learning and teaching since the launch of Scotland's ALN policy.

• It has made me examine my whole approach to tutoring. It has encouraged me to be more critical of my approach and methodology.
• It has encouraged me to design my learning to be more relevant to learners' lives.
• It has made me strive to develop ILPs and develop a more positive initial assessment that's about strengths, not deficits.
• It has made me more responsive to learners' needs. I'm more aware of the limitations of literacies levels on learners' lives and it's made me more flexible.

Table 11.1: Key strengths

11.18 Tutors were then asked about the ways in which local ALN provision could improve further. Their overall responses are detailed below in Table 11.2.

Table 11.2: Ways to improve provision

11.19 The identified aspects of entry pathways that could be improved included: better diagnostic assessment; more advertising and publicity; better buildings and accommodation; better responsiveness to potential learners. The suggestions to improve learning and teaching included more materials and resources; more, and better-qualified tutors; less haphazard planning for groups. The fourteen tutors that identified guidance tended to focus on the problematic nature of provision and identified that there was little available support and little planning or structure to it. The most problematic area of exit pathways similarly attracted mainly negative comments including that: it was generally a weak or neglected aspect of provision; that a more structured exit interview and pro-forma were required and that there was a need to help learners move on.

11.20 This research was conducted between April and September 2004 and since then there have been a number of publications and developments including the 'Adult Literacy and Numeracy Curriculum Framework for Scotland' (Scottish Executive, Learning Connections, 2005) that includes guidance on exit reviews and 'moving on'. Nevertheless the HMIe Report (2005) suggests that, in local authority provision, ' systematic guidance in relation to literacies learning and exit guidance was less well developed' (2005: 14), so it appears that further developments in this area are still necessary. It also reflects similar findings in the learners' survey where guidance was a weak area of provision.

The National ALN Initiative

11.21 Tutors were asked if the national initiative had made any difference to Who, What and How they taught. Table 11.3 shows that, of those that had been tutors for more than a year and were therefore able to comment, the greatest impact had been on who they taught.

Table 11.3: Where the national initiative has made the most difference

11.22 Of the 38 who felt it had affected whom they taught, 23 perceived that there was now a greater variety of students accessing provision. Thirteen different groups were identified, most of whom fitted into the Scottish Executive's priority groups. They included; ESOL learners, (refugees and asylum seekers), the generally hard to reach, those with health problems, prisoners, the homeless, the unemployed and youth. Three spoke of gendered changes in that they saw ALN now attracting more women (3) and more men (1).

11.23 Other changes to whom they teach included:

• more self referrals
• more priority groups
• more who would have previously been excluded, and
• a greater number of learners (9)

11.24 In relation to what they taught, the greatest number of comments (8) related to the fact that they had shifted from a 3R's approach to an applied approach where the teaching now focused on applied life skills:

• Four saw themselves as being more learner centred
• Three instanced an increase in ICT based work
• One had moved from 1 to 1 to group work
• One now focused on how people learn
• Two suggested they were more creative in their teaching
• One was working with more varied levels of learning

11.25 The 29 who felt the strategy had impacted on how they teach saw this in relation to:

• Better resources and materials being available (7)
• Being more creative in their ideas and methods (6)
• Being more responsive to learners (6)
• Moving from 1 to 1 to group work (3)
• Using more ICT (2)
• Being more organised (2)
• Working with a broader ability range (1)
• Being more able to assess skills and needs (1)
• Recording work and progress more (1)

11.26 Finally, in this section tutors were asked to describe their perception of the impact of the changes for ALN learners. As can be seen from chart 11.10 below, most tutors felt the impact had been positive and only one suggested that it had been negative.

Chart 11.10: The impact of change for ALN learners

11.27 Positive comments focused on outcomes for learners, for example ' it has made a difference in terms of self-confidence and esteem and some in relation to quality of life - time management, filling in forms, using buses, interest in learning in general. People now see themselves as learners'. Another area highlighted by tutors was improvements in the learning environment. For example, ' there are more opportunities and recognition of individual needs - the emphasis is on strengths'. Another tutor reported ' the new centre is much more accessible especially for wheelchair users. It is a bright clean building that's welcoming and so a lot more people come in'. One tutor was concerned, however, that too many resources were directed at administrative tasks and not enough at learners, ' money could be better targeted to students and not to red tape'.

Resources

11.28 In this section, how far resources, including accommodation and equipment, were satisfactory was investigated. The good practice framework suggests that resources 'should promote a positive image of literacy and numeracy learning' and that 'the allocation and use of resources [should be] equitable and inclusive' (2000: 19). Tutors were asked to rate a range of resources and Table 11.4 shows that they were generally satisfied with the quality and suitability of their accommodation, the ICT and the availability of teaching resources. Nevertheless, quite a high number did not have any dedicated rooms or facilities and there was less satisfaction with the range of available software.

Table 11.4: How tutors rated resources

11.29 Tutors were also asked if the ALN strategy had impacted on the level and quality of resources that were available to them. Generally tutors felt that it had had a positive impact as can be seen from Table 11.5.

Table 11.5: What has the ALN strategy impacted on?

11.30 Forty-four tutors provided additional open comments and 30 of these agreed that there had been an increase in both the level and quality of resources available to support learning and teaching. Of these, 14 highlighted particular areas of development including the use of ICT and more appropriate paper based materials from which they had benefited. Nine tutors, on the other hand, indicated that there were still difficulties with the lack of resources available for specific groups including young people, people with learning difficulties and ESOL learners.

Staffing

11.31 This section investigated how far levels of staffing were satisfactory. The good practice framework suggests that ' levels of staff are based on an analysis of learning needs in the area served' . 'The remit of staff members, sessional workers and volunteers matches their expertise, experience and commitment' (2000: 20). Chart 11.11 shows tutors' perceptions of the adequacy of various aspects of staffing. As can be seen, the majority of tutors considered that there were adequate numbers of staff to respond to demand and to provide different levels or types of learning. They were less certain about having satisfactory levels of staffing to respond to perceived 'need' and about having sufficient staff to provide for a range of different learning contexts.

Chart 11.11: Tutors' perception of the adequacy of staffing

11.32 Sixty tutors made additional comments regarding their staffing situation. Thirteen of these informants made comments that suggested that they were, in the main, happy with present staffing. However a number of critical points emerged from the comments of other tutors. Sixteen informants felt that there was a general shortage of tutors. Four felt there was a need for more experienced tutors to be employed and 4 others mentioned concerns about staff working very hard, experiencing high stress levels, high absenteeism or having too much paperwork. In a similar fashion, 15 tutors pointed to difficulties with the retention and recruitment of tutors. This was felt to be associated with poor pay and unfavourable employee working terms and conditions. This appeared to be a particular issue for part-time sessional and volunteer tutors.

Staff Development

ITALL Training

11.33 In this section a range of staff development issues were investigated with the first area being about the Initial Teaching in Adult Literacy Learning ( ITALL) training. Only just over a third of our sample had taken part in this training (interviews were taking place when this training was just being implemented) but those that had participated had found it effective as can be seen from Table 11.6.

Table 11.6: How effective has the ITALL training been?

11.34 However, in the open question the 5 people that commentated on the ITALL training had mixed views about its value. Two participants suggested that they had learned very little on it because they had some prior background knowledge, and they perceived it as a very basic introduction to ALN. Two commentated on the lack of an appropriate level follow up training. The fifth comment referred to the PDAITALL as 'excellently taught, despite the content.'

11.35 Since the survey was conducted a large number of tutors have completed the PDAITALL and an updated and revised version of the support materials has been published ( Report on the Scottish Adult Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, 2004-2005, Learning Connections, September 2005) so this snapshot is not representative of current reactions to the programme.

Access to staff development

11.36 Good practice in staff development is described as 'continuous access is offered to up to date information, advice, support and training' (2000: 22). Tutors were therefore asked about their access to staff development and the impact it had had on their practice. Fifty-five tutors (70%) had participated in training programmes and Table 11.7 shows the range of staff development days they had received.

Table 11.7: Number of development days attended by tutors

11.37 Access to staff development was not evenly spread with voluntary staff getting far less access than full-time staff as can be seen from Table 11.8.

Table 11.8: Access to staff development

11.38 Tutors were asked what staff development opportunities were available, if they were adequate and if they were actively supported to attend staff development activities. The results for the whole tutor population are detailed below in Table 11.9.

Table 11.9: Staff development opportunities: availability, adequacy and active support

11.39 This overall picture hides the differences between tutors as 82% (18 out of 22) of full time staff felt they were actively supported but only 56% (10 out of 17) of voluntary staff and 38% (16 out of 42) of part-time staff felt that they had good support. Conversely, 24% of the part-time staff and 29% of the voluntary staff had no support for staff development whereas all full-time staff were supported to at least some extent. Research shows ( e.g.NRDC, 2003) that appropriate staff development is important to ensure the quality of teaching and learning. Given that a high proportion of the staff delivering learning and teaching in ALN work part-time or voluntarily (see Learning Connections, 2004) this raises important questions for the provision of quality opportunities for learners.

Management

11.40 This section investigated how far managers were supportive of staff and if there was regular and systematic consultation with learners. Tutors were asked if they felt supported by their managers and, as can be seen from Table 11.10 nearly 70% felt that they were.

Table 11.10: Did tutors feel supported by their managers?

11.41 The good practice framework suggests that 'decision-making is based on consultation with learners, the community or communities served and partner agencies' (2000: 21). Tutors were asked whom managers consulted with and the results are detailed in Chart 11.12.

Chart 11.12: Who managers consulted with

11.42 As can be seen tutors were consulted with regularly but almost half considered that managers did not consult with learners. Tutors were less able to comment on consultation with the community and with partners but generally felt that managers consulted with these 2 groups.

11.43 The final question was designed to uncover the forms of communication that existed between management and learners. Forty-six tutors (61%) indicated familiarity with the range of communication existing between management and learners and the responses to this question are summarised in Table 11.11.

Table 11.11: Major routes of communication between learners and management

11.44 In 3 instances informants suggested that little or no communication existed between management and learners. Another respondent was concerned that management did not always use appropriate communication methods with learners and stated that: 'Sometimes learners are sent letters - inappropriate communication is used. [This is] not thoughtful about learners' difficulties in reading etc'. In general it appears that there is room for improvement in communications between management and learners.

Monitoring and Evaluation

11.45 This section examined how evidence about learners' experiences is gathered and evaluated. Good practice involves drawing on 'evidence from a wide range of sources and findings inform the cycle of planning. Learners are involved in evaluation through regular informal consultation…[and] through formal arrangements' (2000: 23). Tutors were therefore asked about their monitoring and evaluation practices. Chart 11.13 shows that most tutors recorded and submitted data on their learners and most involved learners in the evaluation of the learning programme. Fewer involved learners in evaluating their learning environment mainly because they had little ability to change it and therefore saw asking learners about it as a tokenistic exercise.

Chart 11.13: Monitoring and evaluation practices

Procedures

11.46 Tutors were also asked to give more detail about their monitoring and evaluation procedures and 76 responded. Of those that provided details, 40 indicated they had formal evaluation procedures in place, e.g. used questionnaires at specified intervals, kept records of lessons and conducted assessments of students. Six relied on more informal procedures e.g. collecting student feedback through opportunistic contacts, whilst 13 specified a use of both informal and formal methods. Several of the respondents also suggested that students were involved in self-evaluation procedures. One tutor commented that monitoring/evaluation took up a large, and not necessarily agreeable, amount of their time when she said: 'Forms, forms, forms - swamped by them!'

11.47 Thirty-four of the tutors suggested that ILPs were regularly used as an element of their monitoring and evaluation although there was variation in the regularity of the evaluation sessions. Some tutors appeared to refer to the ILP on a weekly basis while others talked of using them at the end of a session. This variation may, in part, reflect the differing length of learners' courses.

11.48 Table 11.12 details the most commonly cited evaluation methods deployed by tutors.

Table 11.12: Details of the evaluation procedures and methods

11.49 Overall then, tutors are carrying out learner-centred monitoring and evaluation, 45% are using the ILP as the focus of this work and a number have identified some problems mostly to do with the inappropriateness of the evaluation procedures for the learner groups that they worked with.

Summary

11.50 The ALN strategy is generally having a positive impact on tutors, the organisations that they work for and the learners through:

• Increasing the number and range of learners participating in programmes
• Improving tutors' approaches to teaching and learning
• Increased funding and resourcing
• More positive experiences for learners
• Raising the local and national profile of ALN

11.51 There were some areas where improvements were needed as follows:

• Fostering links with, and encouraging transfer to, other learning opportunities
• Improved guidance and support
• Improved exit pathways for learners
• Improved communication with learners by management
• More attention to the needs of English as a Second or Other Language ( ESOL) learners
• Access to good quality and appropriate staff development and support for part-time staff and volunteers
• Increasing the number of tutors using ILPs on a regular basis

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