Persistence, Progression and Achievement
Summary: In this countrywide NRDC project looking at persistence in LLN learning we at Lancaster were focusing in particular on priority groups who are said to be 'at risk'. People can be 'at risk' in different and multiple ways both related to learning and to life in general. The term "at risk" is problematic in that it only describes the individual as a learner in relation to provision and 'at risk' of non-completion and not as a person within the wider context of their lives. It does not account for the difficulties that some people face fitting in with what they often experienced as inflexible mainstream adult learning. We worked with people who are seen to be 'at risk' in diverse ways: geographically isolated families, young people leaving care and living independently for the first time, or who are homeless or living in supported accommodation, people who have marked learning difficulties/ disabilities.
Key Facts
Type of Activity: Academic Research - Externally Funded
Research Associate: Rachel Hodge
Dept/Research Groups: Lancaster Literacy Research Centre, Linguistics and English Language
Keyword: Literacy
Project Description
Taking a social practice approach enables some of the links between people, their lives and learning to be made. This allows us to define people not by the barriers they face but by who they are as a whole person and to engage with what each young person brings into the learning environment: who they are, what their current circumstances are, their learning and life histories, unique personalities, learning styles, their abilities, goals and aspirations.
In this project we devised ways of exploring PPA by 'mapping' and discussing with people their life and learning journeys. We talked with them about various life factors, their experiences of learning, the different kinds of support they have had or not had in life and learning, about issues around choice and about their imagined futures. Interviews with staff and managers explored factors related to organisation, delivery and learning inside and outside the classroom which support or constrain progress and achievement as well as their different understandings of persistence, progression and achievement. In this way we have been able to see how all these factors taken together have impacted on how young people have been moving on in life and learning and how provision has responded to their needs, aspirations and challenges.
From our research the QIA has commissioned a set of guidelines (in press) for receiving vulnerable young people in mainstream learning environments. In order to do this we drew on all the interview data and held a providers' forum for support organisations and educational providers involved in the research to discuss the issues and write these guidelines. This also enabled these providers in one locality to discuss ways of strengthening their inter-agency work in order to further develop their support of young people's learning.
Research Significance
Policy
Academic
Purpose of Research
Academic Research - Externally Funded