[ Back Issues ]

Abstracts of Articles

Volume 4, Number 2, Spring 2003

Staying the course: What factors assist completion of Access programmes?

Julie Murphy, Open College Network for Central England (OCNCE)

This paper arises from research undertaken by the Open College Network for Central England (OCNCE) which involved looking at achievement, completion, withdrawal and progression in relation to locally validated QAA-recognised Access programmes. The paper focuses on issues relating to the completion of Access programmes. The findings indicate that there are ranges of institutional and personal factors that may inhibit or enhance completion of the programme. Notably, variation between providers in the organisation and content of Access programmes can make it harder or easier for learners to complete and to progress to HE. In the light of these findings a number of recommendations are proposed, for both providers and Authorised Validating Agencies (AVAs) to consider

Back to contents

Flexible friends: Beyond formal partnerships in community education

Marion Bowl, University of Birmingham and Polly Wright, Fircroft College

This article describes collaborative work undertaken with two women’s groups by The Play’s The Thing and Birmingham Reachout – two community education projects. It explores the way in which drama, integrated into a framework of educational goal-setting, guidance and network-building, can strengthen individuals’ confidence to move on educationally, while also supporting community-based development. The outcome of this collaboration suggests the value of informal, and sometimes unanticipated, partnerships developed in practice, as well as those forged formally at an institutional level. It also highlights the importance of flexibility in planning education provision for adults who have been socially excluded. In particular, it argues for flexibility in terms of curriculum planning, anticipated outcomes, and accreditation, and calls for funding regimes to take more account of the expressed needs of the learners themselves.

Back to contents

Qualifying the neighbourhood: Reflections on accreditation, participation and ownership

Marion M. Horton and John Grayson, Northern College for Residential Adult Education

The article reflects on the development of accreditation and credit-based training and education for the voluntary and community sectors in the UK. It places developments within a national context of changing governance and political discourse, and offers a European comparative perspective with developments in post-communist Hungary. Through a reflection on the practices of the two authors, and the work of Northern College, one of the adult residential colleges in the UK, the article offers a tentative model for developing participative accreditation processes with voluntary and community organisations. The model depends on the demystification of accreditation and the democratic involvement of community organisations in the process. In order that the really useful knowledge of participants can be captured, they participate fully in the process and therefore have ownership of the final accredited programme.

 ‘As long as I get the knowledge, I’m not too bothered about the bit of paper...’

Back to contents

Self-esteem as a barrier to learning: Literature review and report

Kathryn James, NIACE

This article is taken from a longer piece of work commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills looking at the role of self-esteem as a barrier to learning and as an outcome of learning. It attempts to look at the work that currently exists on the role of self-esteem in adult learning. The article takes the model of self-esteem proposed by Alexander to show how self-esteem can be linked to non-participation in learning. The article suggests that confidence to learn may be one element of self-esteem, but that stress and the socio-economic conditions associated with long-term stress may have a more devastating effect on overall self-esteem, which in turn will have repercussions for non-participation in learning, and also on outcomes from learning.

Back to contents

Credit me with understanding

Alex Howard

This article examines the role of understanding in curriculum development and quality monitoring. It considers why the word itself – ‘understanding’ – was actively discouraged within course programme descriptions and why this word needs to be rehabilitated by learners and educators. The role of management is considered and the concerns of humanist critics like Barnett (1994) are examined from a management perspective. The writer reveals his own liberal humanist credentials and argues that individual identity, education, understanding and public space are all being systematically usurped by corporate agendas and perspectives. Managers wish to train us to see ourselves solely as producers and consumers; but this soulless agenda is a severe constraint on human understanding.

Back to contents

Gramsci, cyberspace and work-based learning

Roy Fisher, University of Huddersfield

Some ideas of Gramsci, in the context of economic and social transformation occurring in the wake of developments in information technology, are briefly discussed in relation to the future of the vocational curriculum and work-based learning

Back to contents