Fieldwork research
WBL conducted an extensive project focusing on the role of lifelong learning in the lives of participants, as represented in national surveys in three fieldwork areas – rural Essex, Nottingham and North London. Analysis of biographies elicited through the fieldwork identified the distinctive features of lifelong learning in sustaining and transforming lives and communities.
Other fieldwork has explored the importance of school and adult learning in the formation of civic attitudes, civic participation and mental health and well-being. In-depth interviews with members of UK Birth Cohort Studies were carried out to:
- Clarify the processes and causal linkages underlying statistical observations.
- Test the robustness of findings from quantitative research.
- Develop understanding of the relationship between data collected through surveys and information elicited through more detailed fieldwork.
Findings from earlier WBL fieldwork were reported in the book 'The benefits of learning: the impact of education on health, family life and social capital', published by RoutledgeFalmer in February 2004.
