Work in Progress
Reframing adult literacy and numeracy course outcomes: A social capital perspective
Summary
- Item:
- 10347
- Title:
- Reframing adult literacy and numeracy course outcomes: A social capital perspective
- Type:
- Managed research project
- Project no:
- NR4L05
- Status:
- Finished
- Date commenced:
- 1 December 2004
- Contact:
- Stephen Black
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to explore adult literacy and numeracy program outcomes in terms of social capital in different educational contexts. The research focuses on several student groups including:
* Young people (including youth at risk)
* Indigenous people and
* People from non-English speaking backgrounds
These groups are selected because they are heavily represented in adult literacy and numeracy programs. For example, in some areas of Sydney almost all students in adult literacy and numeracy classes comprise non-English speaking background migrants (e.g. TAFE provision in the Bankstown, Granville and Meadowbank areas). To date research has not recognised the particular characteristics and needs of this target group. Young people, and especially youth at risk, have been a focus of research in recent years (see ACAL reports - Literacy and Youth 2001, The Relevance of Literacy 2000), but not specifically in terms of social capital. So too in the case of Indigenous students. Older people (i.e. older than 45) are likely to be members of two of these groups. These student groups will have attended adult literacy and numeracy programs in New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. We will be looking at programs primarily in TAFE RTOs, but not exclusively. This reflects the balance of adult literacy and numeracy provision in Australia which favours TAFE. The selection of these programs from which we'll draw the interviews will be based on a preliminary phone survey of 'best practice' professional advice from the following:
* The relevant peak professional organisations - State Adult Literacy and Numeracy Councils
* DEST
The best practice issue is problematic given that there will be diverse opinions regarding what constitutes best practice in adult literacy and numeracy programs. One of the outcomes of this research may well be an added understanding of what makes a 'best practice' program.
Our preference is to interview students who have participated in an adult literacy/numeracy for a period of approximately one year. To a large extent the timeline for this research dictates when interviews can be conducted. Ideally, students should be interviewed at the conclusion of a course of at least one year's duration, but this is not possible within the time parameters of this research given that most courses commence in January/February and conclude in December of the same year. But this may not be such an issue of concern if 2004 students are followed up and interviewed early in 2005. Further, many students participate in adult literacy and numeracy course over several years, so interviewing them the next year is not a problem. A period of one year is indicated because it is deemed to be of sufficient length to result in some significant social capital outcomes. But this period in itself is not significant. Local conditions and programs may vary in the different states and territories, and we aim to interview students who have participated for a long period of time, and preferably a year. We are not exploring the length of time it takes, but rather, following a reasonable period of participation (i.e. one year) what type of social capital outcomes may be achieved?
Approximately twenty people from each student group will be interviewed (i.e. sixty in total), plus the teachers of these students (approximately fifteen). The intention is to document the range and extent to which students have gained in a number of social capital indicators, including:
* self confidence and self esteem which is reflected in changed identities;
* social networks within and across communities (i.e. bonding ties and bridging ties)
These adult literacy and numeracy program outcomes will be analysed against the eight OECD (1982) indicators of social well being: Health; Education and learning; Employment and the quality of working life; Time and leisure; Command over goods and services; Physical environment; Social environment and Personal safety. The research will analyse the complex range of factors in adult literacy and numeracy programs that result in the development of social capital, including student related, teacher related and program/course related factors. The research is not intended to be representative of adult literacy and numeracy generally in Australia and therefore quantitative sampling and associated techniques are not applicable to the purposeful sampling framework to be used for this study. Our focus is on student outcomes and the possible inputs into these as reported by students and perhaps their teachers. Organisational factors will be relevant if they are found, using rigorous and empirical thematic analytic techniques, to be a consistent theme/s in the interview data. This research is important in adding a 'social capital' dimension to the 'human capital' skills currently measured as the outcomes of adult literacy and numeracy programs, and thus it represents, potentially, a 'reframing' of adult literacy and numeracy program outcomes, and indicates additional elements of 'best practice' pedagogy.
Approach
Adult Literacy Research Project
Research questions
The main research questions are:
1. What are the social capital outcomes of participation in adult literacy and numeracy courses?
2. What are the socio-economic outcomes (as gauged against OECD bands) for self and/or community for this participation?
3. What is the role of these social capital outcomes in producing socio-economic outcomes?
4. What are the implications of social capital outcomes for adult literacy and numeracy pedagogy?
5. What are the implications of social capital for reframing adult literacy and numeracy outcomes? (student, course, program, NRS?)
Methodology
The main research approach is qualitative, following in the ethnographic tradition described by Denzin and Lincoln (1999), and favoured in many recent adult literacy studies (e.g. Barton and Hamilton 1998). Specifically, the research involves:
* tape recorded semi-structured interviews (see Patton 1990) with individual adult literacy and numeracy students and individual teachers
* tape recorded focus group sessions involving adult literacy and numeracy teachers from each target group
Transcripts of both interviews and focus groups will be analysed in relation to the OECD indicators of socio-economic well being.
Organisations
1. Meadowbank TAFE College is the largest college in the Northern Sydney Institute. Its main focus is VET with large trade sections and large ABE and ESOL/Languages sections. While the core business of the college is not academic higher education, the college is involved in a great many VET projects, including many Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) and fee-for-service projects. Each year the college enrolls more than 13,000 students, and for many years the college has maintained a strong ABE section with more than 1,000 enrolments each year and an annual budget in excess of $1 million. The section also has strong links with UTS for practicum students, and many ABE teachers have lectured in language and literacy courses at UTS.
2. Charles Darwin University (CDU) is a merger of the Northern Territory University, Centralian College and the Menzies School of Health Research and is a dual sector university (TAFE and Higher Education) with the mandate to build a capacity of first-rate scholars and researchers to support regional development in Northern Australia. CDU delivers more than 90% of VET in the NT. The Learning Research Group, to which Professor Falk belongs, conducts highly successful national and NT-based research and consultancy projects that include large-scale survey and evaluation work as well as smaller but significant projects such as case studies. Clients include DEST, NT Department of Employment, Education and Training and NCVER.
3. James Cook University is a multi-campus university with the main sites located in Townsville and Cairns and each city having a population of approximately 130,000. Smaller campuses are located in Mt Isa, Mackay and Thursday island. JCU has a track record of research collaboration with VET providers in the region including the four TAFE Institutes. JCU has a particular reputation for leading research in the areas of language and literacy.
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