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Listening to Learners: Consultation with Learners about Adult
Literacy Education in Scotland
Executive Summary
This report describes the consultation process carried out with adult learners
to inform the development of the new strategy on adult literacy and numeracy
in Scotland. The report draws out a number of important messages for policy
makers, service managers and all those engaged in improving learning opportunities
for adult literacy and numeracy learners.
The Learning from Experience Trust co-ordinated the research, working with
WEA Scotland. Focus group discussions were convened with learners and potential
learners in five Scottish regions - Lothian, Glasgow area, Fife, Aberdeen area
and Highlands. In all, 31 focus groups involved a total of 193 adults: 84 literacy
and numeracy learners, 80 learners in other adult education, and 29 not participating
in any adult education.
Qualitative research is most useful to explore people's accounts of their experiences
and ideas, and to try to understand them in context. There are some striking
commonalties among the learners we talked with. There are also some deep differences
among and between them in their experiences, goals and ambitions, and their
sense of their own abilities. They have important messages to tell.
- The value of consulting learners and how little is currently happening.
While there may be individual negotiation of course content between a literacy
learner and tutor, consultation on programme planning or evaluation seems
occasional at best, and more often non-existent. (Section
2)
- Learners' difficulties in accessing learning opportunities. Learners
and non-participants alike had very shallow information 'maps' of their learning
options, mostly derived from personal and family networks. The barriers they
must overcome to access learning (transport, childcare, finance, time, confidence
and support) pose ongoing difficulties, to be overcome again and again. (Section
3)
- The need to better recognise the diversity of learners' needs, interests
and desires. The adult literacy and numeracy system currently has little
ability to accommodate diversity. While most learners were generally happy
with their current class and tutor, some would like options that were not
available, including using computers and progressing to higher levels.
(Section 4)
- The importance of support for learners from both tutors and peers.
Most learners identified their tutor as a crucial person in making them feel
at ease, but other learners are also critical. When learners do not feel comfortable
and supported they vote with their feet, and leave.
(Section 5)
- Striking differences between literacy and numeracy learners and those
in other programmes in terms of aspirations for progression to other learning
or employment. None of the literacy learners talked about what they planned
to do next, but most of the other learners saw their current learning as only
one step to meeting longer-term goals. At the same time, New Deal participants
had a more sober analysis: they were concerned about lack of jobs and their
own lack of work experience. (Section 7)
- Learners want to see more learning opportunities and a greater variety:
short and flexible courses, more intensive courses, drop-in centres and a
wide variety of content areas from computers to mentoring.
(Section 8)
- Learners want to see good quality, adult-friendly facilities in which
to learn. They said most of the buildings in which they currently learn
are in poor physical shape: they would like buildings that are attractive
on the outside (to attract people in), comfortable and informal on the inside.
(Section 8b)
- Learners see the need for resources to support programmes. They want
smaller class sizes and more individual attention from the tutor, access to
computers as well as basic materials like books, paper and pencils. In the
rural areas some would like to use video-conferencing.
(Section 8c)
- Learners emphasise the importance of support services, especially childcare
in encouraging participation. Childcare needs to be offered not just for
class sessions but also to support study time and visits to the library.
(Section 8d)
- Learners would like financial assistance with costs and fees. While
literacy and numeracy classes are free, learners point out that fees for FE
courses prevent progression, and that there are other costs involved in studying
(supporting families). (Section 8e)
- Perhaps most of all, learners want to see a national effort to change
the culture of learning. They had many ideas about how to do this, from
learners as promoters to high street 'learning shops' to TV campaigns. (Section
8f)
- At the same time, learners had little confidence that their views will
be listened to. Some had little confidence that their own views are valuable,
others were doubtful that learners would be heard.
(Section 8h)
The conclusions expand more fully on these points (section
9). These emphasise that the new system supporting adult literacy and numeracy
learning must listen more fully to learners at all levels - on-course evaluations,
development of new programme planning and materials, wider planning and quality
assurance. Learners need to feel they are important, involved and respected.
Continuing feedback to learners on this and other consultation exercises will
be crucial.
Acknowledgements
The Scottish Executive acknowledges the contribution of Dr Juliet Merrifield of
the Learning from Experience Trust in preparing this analysis and report. Dr Merrifield
in turn notes that the report is the result of a great deal of collaborative work.
Special thanks
are due to Cathy Moncrieff and Alan Rea of WEA Scotland for their co-operation
and hard work in ensuring that the focus groups were carried out on time and
to a high quality. Thanks are due to the WEA tutors and tutor-organisers who
worked on the project as co-ordinators and focus group facilitators: it is due
to their dedication and hard work that the quality of the data is so high. Particular
thanks to Anne Bellis and Teresa Cairns for coding the focus group transcripts,
and contributing their insights to the project. Dr Merrifield offers particular thanks
to Catherine Macrae of the Literacy 2000 Team, who oversaw the project from
beginning to end and whose clarity of thought and commitment to literacy learners
made this project a pleasure to work on.
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