Reducing barriers to participation in adult literacy and numeracy tuition Tina Byrne Adult learning and social media Nov 3 rd 2011
Outline of presentation • Overview of international and Irish research • Empirical studies – with older people and men • Findings from the research • Identifying barriers to participation • Reducing barriers to participation
Typology of barriers • Contextual barriers – policy stance towards educational disadvantage; • Dispositional barriers – negative attitude to education, learning seen as irrelevant, lack of confidence and self-esteem;
Typology of barriers • Informational barriers – availability, quality and reliability and appropriate information on service; • Institutional – dislike of classroom settings, administrative and pedagogical practices; and • Situational – time, childcare, transport, financial. • Overlap between barriers.
International literature – older people • Perception – lived with literacy difficulties and may not perceive this as an issue; • Physical factors – visual or cognitive impairment; • Coping strategies – highly developed ‘work arounds’ including avoidance or referral; • Past experience – negative experiences of formal schooling.
International literature • Male culture, such as fear of ridicule by peers; • Fear of failure; • Scepticism about the benefits of learning; • Stigma – social stigma and social conditioning; • Taboo zone – questions sense of masculinity ‘men earn, women learn’; and • Feminisation of learning spaces – ‘something that women and children do’.
Irish research Dearth of research in this area: • Bailey & Coleman; Owens; Kett; Corridan; De Brun & Du Vivier. • Results from IALS 1997 – cohort working age 16 – 64 years. • Direct correlation between age and literacy skills at level 1. • One reason late introduction of free second level education.
• Those with profound literacy difficulties least likely to be involved in education or training. • Adult literacy returns 2010: - 70% of all learners under 45 years of age; - Women comprise 60% and males 40% of overall learner population; - 8% of learners aged 65+
NALA research • 3 research projects 2008 – 2009 ‘hard to reach’ populations: - 24 older learners 60 yrs + recruited from adult literacy centres in Dublin; - 43 older people not engaged 60 yrs + recruited organisations country wide; - 32 men 20 – 60 yrs country wide. • Majority early school leavers. • Employment histories manual labour.
Research methodologies • Qualitative approach using individual interviews and focus group discussions. • Pre-coded baseline data questionnaire, • Ethical approach; - principle of informed consent, - confidentiality and anonymity. • Access through ‘gatekeepers’.
Key findings from research In line with international and Irish research: • Negative experiences of formal education; • Gravitated towards manual labour – low/no take up on training or promotion; • Fear and ridicule, embarrassment of being ‘discovered’; • Social stigma; • Coping strategies.
Experience of education ‘I left school when I was 12 I didn’t like it at all’ ( female, age 72); ‘Did I like school ... That would be a definite NO!’ ( male, age 64); ‘They’d beat ya, they treated ye like an aul dog that time. Rough. ( male, age 66 ).
Workplace ‘They all started speaking ridiculing the five of us that had volunteered to do it’ ‘They were slagging us but I’m delighted now because they are the ones that are waiting for the next one to come up’ ‘All that was in the canteen was fear, that’s all it was. But then when they seen that we went out and done it and were able to come back and speak to one another about computers, its then they found themselves lost ( Focus group, Carrick on Suir).
Fear of discovery ‘I used to dread when me nieces and nephews had birthday’s because I never got them a card. I used to drop down to them and give them money. The worst time was me ma’s and da’s silver anniversary, I really wanted to get them a card, but I couldn’t ‘My children still don’t know, they think I’m coming here to do a computer class. I never told them. They’re always ringing the house and I’m never there, so me son said to me daughter me ma’s always out, do you think she has a fella?’ ( Focus group, aged 74-80 Dublin )
Social stigma ‘I never ate out, I was afraid someone would say, will we go in for a cup of tea’ ‘I used to hate when someone would say will we go for something to eat? I was afraid of the menu you see, I used to just order the same thing all of the time’ ‘The people around here where I live always thought I was stuck up. I never used to come out or stop to talk to anyone in case I’d make a mistake, or say something stupid, you know. ( Focus group, aged 64-80 yrs, Dublin)
Coping strategies • Home ‘it was the same with the school ... My children never knew you see. My husband used to write out the notes and I’d copy them’ ( female, aged 80 ) • Work ‘I used to write out the menu, and if they wanted lasange I’d get one out of the freezer and learn how to spell it that night ( male, aged 67) • Social ‘I used to say I forgot me glasses, but I didn’t even wear glasses’ (female, aged 71)
Identified barriers • Mostly dispositional, need to look at institutional and informational: • Stigma, embarrassment, lack of confidence; fear of ridicule; • Previous experience of school; • Age limit – too late to start now; • Proportion questioned relevance of education in later life ‘I got this far without it why would I need it now’
• ‘Some people are very embarrassed, you know, to go into a class and say I have a problem. They might say that stupid aul fella coming in to us’ ( Male, 62 yrs) ‘ I used to walk by the place but I was afraid to go • in. I used to go the church and pray to St. Anthony to help me’ (Female, 67 yrs) • ‘It took me two years, two years, I remember I stood outside for four hours one day and I just couldn’t do it’ (Focus group, Carrick on Suir)
Broad criteria for reducing barriers • Create targeted promotional drive; • More flexible provision; • Keep consulting older people; • Keep training the trainers; • Strengthen links between local groups; • Outreach.
Final word Oh the enjoyment of it, everything, I can’t believe it. I used to think I was stupid you see. When I first came here I was afraid of me life, I said ‘I’m brutal, I’m going to be no good, they won’t want me’. Now I can’t believe it, I’m reading and writing and I’m learning poetry, and I just think ‘God, this is great, great. I wish I was able to do it years ago ( female, aged 73).
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