< Previous | Contents

Listening to Learners: Consultation with Learners about Adult Literacy Education in Scotland

9 Conclusions

The learner consultation has confirmed some issues we might have expected, and raised some important concerns from the learner perspective. This final section briefly summarises some of the key concerns raised by the consultation.

Information: First, there is a remarkable lack of information about learning opportunities, even among learners who are on courses. Several strategies are needed to ensure that potential learners know what is available:

• More consistent use of existing learners as resources (asking them to bring a friend, providing them with information to take home, inviting them to make presentations at open days and community events). Not all will be willing to do all of these activities, but there was a strong expression of willingness to spread
  the word.
• Better publicity and marketing approaches and materials, using some of the outlets learners recommend - supermarkets and shops, buses, local radio, community centres, swimming pools, doctors' and vets' offices.
• Make it easier for people to have their questions answered - perhaps taking up learner suggestions of 'education shops' in local high streets, or better information services at the main educational providers so that people don't get passed around from pillar to post when trying to get information.
• Extend professional referrals, making sure that health visitors, social workers, doctors, nurses and Job Centre staff are aware of and have information about the local learning options.

Accessibility: The issues around access, and barriers to access, for adult learners are well known, but not yet overcome. Childcare is needed, to include study time as well as class time. Provision needs to be local enough that travel is easy, and offered at different times of day to suit learner needs. Not only should classes be free, but learners often say they need financial support for travel, childcare and other costs. Other concerns are about support for learners with particular needs, including disabled access to buildings, interpreters for Deaf students, language support for non-English speakers. Barriers are not just overcome once, in order to enter a programme, but are ongoing, having to be surmounted time and again in order to persist and progress.

Choice and control: Provision should offer diversity in terms not only of time and place of classes but also a variety of educational approaches. Although participants emphasised that they wanted to be treated as adults and not children, they were not offered as much choice or control over their learning patterns as some would like. While others said they wanted to leave decisions up to the 'expert', their tutor, that seems to come from lack of confidence rather than lack of insight into what their needs are. Non-participants especially talked about wanting to learn for enjoyment, that classes had to interest them for them
to enrol.

Progress and progression: Progress in adult education is often measured by educators in terms of acquisition of skills, or completion of modules. Learners themselves sometimes want the reassurance of their tutor telling them they are making progress, but many have their own ways of identifying their learning in terms of application of skills, and changes in their literacy practices. Assessment approaches should take account of application more than acquisition, because learning goals are mostly about being able to do things in life.

There is very little emphasis on progression from ALN into other things - whether jobs or further education. It makes a striking contrast with the other learners who also have very few educational qualifications and have been out of education for many years, but nevertheless are thinking about 'what next'. None of the ALN learners talked about their future plans. Without putting pressure on learners who may have a long way to go to be ready for next steps, ALN could open up a sense of possibilities and options by providing information for learners and the chance to explore options.

Changing the culture of learning: At the national level, learners are looking for leadership in terms of changing the culture of learning. The Government, media and educational institutions all have roles to play in this culture change. More resources for adult education would increase its visibility in the community. Television and newspapers can help make learning a more 'normal' part of everyday life, and address the stigma still often associated with adult literacy learning. Adult learners themselves can play a bigger role in reaching out to others, and sharing what they have gained.

Listening to learners: Finally, learners point out that they know better than anyone what they want, what experiences they are having and how they could be improved. To make the best use of this resource learners have to be asked. More consistent and formal methods for evaluation and feedback are needed. Both discussion and written methods need
to be:

• Confidential (so that comments can be made about tutors);
• Accessible (in terms of language and form);
• Regular, expected parts of programme activities;
• Easily used (e.g. suggestion boxes and comment cards);
• Responded to (feedback on what the student views were and what decisions were taken as a result).

Feedback from consultation is essential so that learners will know their voices have been listened and responded to. Where changes cannot be made an explanation should be provided. To consult learners as an exercise without providing feedback on what was done as a result would only increase scepticism, and decrease willingness to participate in consultation in the future. Providing feedback, even when many suggestions cannot be acted up for resource or other reasons, would provide learners with a sense that they are involved, important and respected.

Listening to learners should happen at all levels of the adult literacy and numeracy education system. There should be consultation within each individual class, with learners evaluating their course. Consultation at the programme level should be used to identify new course provision and revise existing courses, train new tutors and inform programme management. At the community level, learner consultation should provide valuable input to planning and quality assurance. At the regional or national level, ongoing learner consultation should identify issues and generate innovative solutions. Developing an adult education system that learns requires us to listen to learners, and pay attention to what they say.

< Previous | Contents