EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION AND AIMS
1. This study was conducted on behalf of the Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department of the Scottish Executive, with the following three research questions driving the study:
- What motivates adult learners to take up learning opportunities?
- Can we distinguish between the relative importance of interest in the subject/enjoyment of learning as opposed to more instrumental reasons (related to jobs for example)?
- How do these vary for different sectors of the population?
2. The study uses a model of participation in adult learning derived from the theories of Maslow and Hertzberg. The model suggests that rather than being a universal activity that is inevitable once certain barriers are removed, participation is the result of basic needs being fulfilled, certain factors being satisfied, and the presence of a specific motivation for learning. In the context of this study it is important to recognise that only some of these factors may be affected by policy frameworks. For the purposes of this discussion, participation in learning means being involved in an activity leading to new information or understanding, either alone or in an organised setting.
3. The study lays out policy interventions that have the potential to support part-time participation by certain under-represented groups of adults in non-formal and formal education. The lack of available and specific data makes the analysis more complex than otherwise would be the case, but throughout the document the aim is to develop a number of specific, concrete recommendations for policy to support participation.
Background and context
4. The growing interest in lifelong learning over the past twenty years has placed more importance than ever before on questions of why adults choose to participate, or not participate, in education. Part-time learning is a particularly important area to consider as it may act as a critical pathway to educational involvement for people who have historically been excluded from education.
5. The majority of studies on participation identify factors associated with educational engagement without analysing why those factors matter. For example, social class background predicts educational engagement very well, but there is little further research on why it has the effect it does. In this study, the author has created a theoretical model allowing the specific effects of different factors for different groups to be discussed.
6. There are a number of questions that could helpfully be addressed at policy level to assist with understanding lifelong learning. These include what levels of participation are reasonable to expect in a learning society, what standard measures should be used to define and capture participation, and whether there are priority areas within lifelong learning. There is a need to avoid the assumption that everybody should be learning all the time, and that some participation must lead to more participation.
Findings and recommendations
7. Many of the central factors in decision making about participation are difficult to affect directly through policy because they are highly subjective, rooted in long-term experience, and based in values or culture. An example is an individual's belief that they are too old to learn, which can be seen as a personal judgement reflecting what they have heard throughout their life and their cultural values surrounding learning. This individual is unlikely to participate in learning however easy access is made by policy initiatives.
8. The research shows consistently that the dominant reasons for educational participation tend to be vocational, and policy can play a role by increasing the benefits of such learning for all involved. However, learning for other reasons is also valuable, and helps to create a culture where learning is the norm. While policy may be able to ensure that the basic requirements for a wide range of learners to participate in learning are addressed, it may be harder to increase motivation.
9. Learners may not distinguish between interest and instrumental reasons for participating in education. Once the learner's basic needs are met, they are likely to be most motivated by learning which is both interesting and beneficial economically. If the learner's basic needs (such as employment income or an equivalent) are not met, then it is more likely that educational participation for a purely instrumental purpose will be considered.
10. The factors affecting the decision to participate in education are analysed for a number of key under-represented groups. Due to lack of specific data this analysis relies on theoretical generalisation, meaning that the evidence-based general model for decision making on participation in learning is applied to the group in question to generate insights into their particular circumstances. This approach is not as reliable as evidence-based information on each group, but suggests that people will participate in learning when there is:
- Some protection from financial risk
- Flexible provision
- Peer and academic support for learners
- Clear information about how learning can benefit the learner
11. One of the challenges to understanding lifelong learning is that the structures, policies, and measures used to frame and analyse learning are left over from the previous era of highly differentiated and exclusive education. They tend to create rigid boundaries between formal and informal education, for example, or between full-time and part-time participation. It would be helpful for adult participation in learning if the procedures for entry into learning, the availability of funding, and other practical factors were as seamless and consistent as possible.
12. There is a need for more empirical research to identify the particular factors influencing the participation decisions of specific groups of people, an area about which data is lacking.