Lifelong Learning and the Learning Culture of a College Flexible Learning Centre Evelyn Adams Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Education Institute of Education University of Stirling October 2010 LIST OF CONTENTS PAGE Abstract i Chapter 1 Introduction 1 : Hollypark College Organisational Context 1 : The Flexible Learning Centre 2 : Research Questions 3 : Relevance and Significance of the Study 7 Chapter 2 The Policy Context 9 : Introduction 9 : Lifelong Learning Policies and the Flexible Learning Centre 10 : Economic Competitiveness and Social Inclusion 19 : Criticisms of the Skills Agenda 22 : Social Justice, IT Skills and Demographics 27 : The Scottish Skills Strategy: Employability and Learning 33 : Individualisation and the Individual Learning Account 41 : Conclusion 42 Chapter 3 Lifelong Learning and Learner and Tutor Identities 44 : Introduction 44 : Self-optimising Practices 45 : Benefits of Education 47 : Well-being and the Flexible Learning Centre 49 : The Cultural Theory of Learning 50 : Bourdieu, Identities and Transformations 57 : Tutor and Learner Identities 61 : Pathways, Trajectories and Transitions 62 : Managerialism and the Flexible Learning Centre 70 : Conclusion 72 Chapter 4 Design of the Study 74 : Introduction 74 : The Scope of the Study 74 : Stakeholders 80 : Sampling 81 : Research Techniques 86 : Methodology: The Role of the Researcher and Narrative Inquiry 91 : Data Collection 101 : Data Analysis 104 : Conclusion 108 Chapter 5 The Learning Culture of the Flexible Learning Centre 109 : Introduction 109 : The Flexible Learning Centre in the Field of the College 109 : Profile of Learners: Age and Gender 110 : Reasons for Attendance 112 : The Flexible Learning Centre: an Adult Learning Culture 113 : The Socio-Economic Background of the Learners 114 : The Learning Culture: a Supportive Space 116 : Learning IT Skills 118 : Learners and Students 122 : Wounding Learning Experiences and Technophobia 124 : Social Capital and Underground Working 127 : Conclusion 133 Chapter 6 The Learners: Employability and Well-being 135 : Introduction 135 : The Learners 135 : Overview of the Learners’ Learning Journeys 136 : Categories of Learners 139 : Jobseekers: Narratives 145 : Case Study 1: Grace 146 : Case Study 2: Louise 154 : Case Study 3: Frank 156 : Case Study 4: Helen 159 : Case Study 5: Bryony 163 : Mothers Contemplating Working: Narratives 165 : Case Study 6: Alexis 169 : Case Study 7: Katherine 172 : Case Study 8: Jan 176 : Case Study 9: Olivia 178 : Learners not Seeking Immediate Employment: Narratives 179 : Case Study 10: Charles 180 : Case Study 11: Ian 184 : Case Study 12: Mary 187 : Case Study 13: Nancy 189 : Case Study 14: Deirdre 194 : Case Study 15: Emily 200 : Conclusion 202 Chapter 7 The Tutors’ Identities and Teaching Philosophies 204 : Introduction 204 : The Tutors’ Roles 204 : Professionalism and the Flexible Learning Centre Tutors 206 : The Tutors’ Learning Trajectories 208 : The Tutors’ Professional Identities 213 : Transformations and Employability 218 : Tutors’. Views of Their Practice 222 : Tutors’ Visions of the Future of the Flexible Learning Centre 224 : Conclusion 226 Chapter 8 Conclusion 227 : Introduction 227 : The Research Aims and Questions 227 : The Research Findings 229 : The Positioning of the FLC 232 : The Policy Context: The Lifelong Skills Strategy and the FLC 235 : Final Reflection 238 Bibliography 244 Appendices Appendix 1 Photographs of the Flexible Learning Centre A1 Appendix 2 Observation notes September 2006 A3 Appendix 3 Invitation Letter to Learners September 2007 A11 Appendix 4 Interview questions A13 Appendix 5 Interview Transcript: Jobseeker A15 Appendix 6 Interview Transcript: Mother Contemplating Working A27 Appendix 7 Interview Transcript: Learner not seeking employment A39 Appendix 8 Interview Transcript: Tutor A45 Appendix 9 FLC Database Analysis A63 Abstract This study aims to address a gap in knowledge about Further Education college flexible learning centres and their contribution to lifelong learning. Flexible learning centres were established as a response to the lifelong learning agenda of the 1990s and are now in the front line in responding to government initiatives to improve employability and foster social inclusion. Their tutors work in a contested area where the boundaries between teaching and supporting learning are blurred and the learning achieved may be undervalued by the Inspectorate and college authorities. This study adopts a qualitative approach of narrative inquiry to analyse the learning culture of the Flexible Learning Centre (FLC) of Hollypark College, focusing on 15 learners’ and 2 tutors’ narratives elicited by episodic interviews. The narratives of learning biographies and work biographies of learners and tutors are explored, supplemented by quantitative data from College databases. The study evaluates the ways in which the pedagogical approach of self- directed study with tutor support appears to be successful for predominantly mature learners wishing to acquire mainly Information Technology (IT) skills which may enhance their chances of employment or benefit them in other ways. Building on recent work on learning cultures, social capital, well-being and identity theories, the study gives a voice to these learners who are so far i unheard and despite the demographic population shift to increasing numbers of older people, are not the focus of current government policy initiatives. Focus on employability which is equated with acquiring skills is seen as too narrow to encompass the wider needs met and benefits accrued by attending the FLC. The findings are that this FLC’s approach is particularly effective for older learners in general in acquiring IT skills. Those made redundant, the retired, those in work and carers who may have been out of the workforce for some time may flourish in this learning environment where mainstream courses cannot offer equivalent flexibility and opportunities to structure their own learning. The learning culture of the Flexible Learning Centre provides a space where such learners may not only acquire IT skills but may also increase their social and cultural capital while opening up new horizons for their future. Tutor/learner relationships are of key importance and the learning taking place should be re-evaluated by the Inspectorate and government alike. ii Chapter 1: Introduction Hollypark College Organisational Context Since 2001 I have held a management post which includes, among other areas, responsibility for a flexible learning centre in a further education college. Researching the FLC offered the opportunity to explore an area of college provision which sits uneasily within the overall framework of the college curriculum and operates differently from the still largely traditional college world of fixed length courses and a one year fixed academic calendar. By contrast the FLC offers flexibility in enrolment times and patterns of study. As a practitioner, the research has given me the opportunity to understand more deeply why learners come to the FLC and what it can offer to them. Before this research was undertaken, there had been no research into the learners or the Centre. Hollypark College is a community college in a major Scottish city and was founded in 1947. By the time the Flexible Learning Centre was set up in 1996 the College had been incorporated as a semi-independent organisation, no longer under the control of the regional authority. The College served communities in what are now three local authority areas and had a wide range of full and part-time courses in vocational subject areas along with a large provision of Highers and A Levels for school leavers. The College was structured into several schools and the FLC was originally a kind of Cinderella 1 annexe to the College School of Information Technology and Business Studies with staff withdrawn to what was perceived as the more important realm of traditional classroom teaching whenever a staffing crisis occurred in the parent school. The FLC was finally recognised as distinct from the parent faculty in 2002 with staff managed within a Learning Development Unit which I head. This has had several effects in the development of the identity of the FLC which will be explored later. As a manager, undertaking the research placed me in the ambivalent position of researcher interviewing the tutors and support staff who are part of my team. I was conscious of the tensions this could create and of the difficulty of moving from my managerial role to the role of interviewer. The Flexible Learning Centre The Flexible Learning Centre, which is sited in Hollypark College’s LITEhouse Learning Centre, is a branded Learndirect Scotland centre which offers tutor- assisted self-study IT courses and some online Sage Payroll and Accounts courses along with a few Learndirect short online courses. Learndirect Scotland is essentially a government funded learning broker which directs learners to appropriate courses and centres but has also produced some limited online course materials. The FLC may participate in Learndirect initiatives and must comply with Learndirect quality standards. Materials for self-study are, for most courses, in hard copy folders which the learners use in 2 the FLC or can purchase to study at home. Most courses are at three levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. The European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) is offered in the form of CD materials which can be used in the FLC or at home. In its current version, LITE officially