Progression in lifelong learning
This project will be undertaken during 2005 and 2006.
For more information on this project, please contact Ricardo Sabates.
This project will provide evaluation of the extent of participation in lifelong learning amongst target groups, assess barriers to learning and monitor the continued effects of social contexts on learning and development through the lifecourse. The project will also provide evidence on how the Department for Children Schools and Families can facilitate greater participation by adults in learning.
The project maps out the educational careers of members of a range of datasets, supporting an integrated vision of pathways of educational progression in the UK. The main focus is on participation in post-16 and adult learning and barriers to such learning.
The project considers progress and participation in adult learning in terms of first rung and more advanced learning. We use available data sources to assess the extent of progress from informal learning to formal learning and from non qualification courses to qualification courses. We aim to assess the extent of enthusiasm of learners and how this changes through the lifecourse and before and after different episodes of learning.
We also examine social class effects on progression through school and beyond. We assess the extent to which child and adult social contexts and experiences in school create barriers to adult learning, limiting the participation of adults below the Level 2 target.
The research draws on a range of datasets, namely, the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), the (planned) Longitudinal Survey of FE Learners, the National Adult Learning Survey (NALS), the 1958 National Child Development Study, the 1970 British Cohort Study, the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) and Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) Adult Learning Module.
The research questions can be differentially addressed in these different datasets. For example, NALS has good cross-sectional information on participation in learning of learners and non-learners. The pathways of adults through learning can be described using the birth cohorts and the BHPS which each include large samples of learners and non-learners. The short-term progression of learners will be assessed using the Longitudinal Survey of FE Learners which will gather a good sample of learners. The Avon Cohort provides particularly rich information on the learning experiences of parents.
Taken together, the datasets provide evidence on pathways through learning of adults of different ages at different periods and in different contexts.
The project also builds on previous work in the 1970 British Cohort Study considering the extent of social class differences in attainment and the relative gap at different ages.
