Reaching the disengaged and disenchanted

Citation

(2004), "Reaching the disengaged and disenchanted", Education + Training, Vol. 46 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2004.00446bab.004

Reaching the disengaged and disenchanted

Reaching the disengaged and disenchanted

New ways of motivating adults to become active learners are needed if the goal of getting more people involved in education or training is to be achieved, says a report from the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA). The report, which draws together work by the LSDA on widening adult participation over the past six years, sets out to identify the key factors that motivate people to learn, the barriers that prevent them from doing so and strategies that organizations can adopt to attract the reluctant, the disengaged and the disenchanted.

A key finding is the need to shift the focus of attention much more towards stimulating demand for learning. This means finding new ways of making learning more attractive for the "hard to reach" and seeking more effective messages and methods of communicating with potential learners, to encourage them to take the first, crucial step into education. The report identifies the main barriers to learning as:

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  negative attitudes towards education, often gained through poor experiences at school;

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  lack of confidence, lack of motivation and peer-group influence;

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  geographical isolation and difficulties of access;

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  problems affording fees or difficulties with the benefits system;

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  difficulties with child care and other family factors;

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  anxieties about large institutions and the way in which learning is provided; and

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  lack of knowledge about the different kinds of learning available.

All these may prevent people engaging in learning in the first place or be a reason for students dropping out. To reduce these barriers, the report says that learning providers need to work actively with their communities to tackle issues of perception about learning, make it easier to find out information and actively reach out to new groups. According to Sue Taylor, LSDA Research Manager, widening adult participation in learning is essential if the UK is to compete with other advanced nations that achieve higher participation rates and qualifications. "We do not know enough about how to reach and engage those who are reluctant to get involved, have become disenchanted or disengaged from learning. What our research does indicate, however, is that informal, community-based learning can be a powerful source of motivation to take part. Better links should be made between this type of learning and the most structured, formal learning carried out in colleges and other organizations. Widening participation is not only about what is offered, but also how and where it is offered, how this is communicated and what advice and personal guidance are available to steer people in the right direction. A key theme is the need to create learning opportunities in a way that fits with people's lives, based on a better understanding of their needs and motivations."

Widening Adult Participation: a Review of Research and Development, by Deirdre Macleod, is available from: Information Services, LSDA, Regent Arcade House, 19-25 Argyll Street, London W1F 7LS. Tel: +44 (0)20 7297 9123; e-mail: enquiries@LSDA.org.uk