Nurturing Social Capital in Excluded Communities by Julia Preece

Author:Julia Preece [Preece, Julia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Sociology, General
ISBN: 9781351726368
Google: JvhKDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2018-02-06T03:34:52+00:00

Conclusion

Although recent changes in higher education have opened up opportunities for adults who have previously not participated some of those changes have meant higher education is an increasingly complex arena for adults to negotiate. The status of a citizen, moreover, is defined as: ‘The ability of all to share in the use of public institutions and facilities as full members of society entitled to equal respect’ (Hoatson et al., 1996: 128). Learners’ lack of confidence alongside their marginal socio cultural status diminishes their role as active citizens. Most of the CAP students were not confident as learners. They did not have a sense of their rights or obligations. Guidance delivered in a multiplicity of ways during the learning process can arguably help combat the problems faced by adult learners currently experiencing social and educational exclusion. Through the guidance process adults can be enabled to formulate an understanding of their needs and then be better able to vocalise those needs to the relevant person or agency. By incorporating these skills into the curriculum and making them more explicit the likelihood that they will be transferred to other areas of their life is increased. Reflecting on alternative ideas and facts, formulating an opinion and then being able to articulate it in different forums is a constituent activity of what it means to be an active citizen. Whilst guidance is not directly concerned with developing active citizens it can contribute to a learner’s autonomy to act as well as be both a student and a citizen (Lister, 1997).

The integration of guidance activities within CAP provision offered the opportunity to develop awareness and decision making skills. This enabled individuals to think initially about their own needs, then identify and evaluate the available options in order to make realistic progression plans. Acquiring these and other higher education skills via a curriculum that was socially and culturally relevant empowered individuals to become more autonomous learners with a better sense of their status as social citizens. It also prepared them to access formal guidance services with a greater confidence.

Alongside these discussions about skills, guidance and curriculum is the question of IT as an integrated part of learning. An overriding aspect of globalisation has been the impact of information technology on all aspects of our lives. It would be remiss, in talking about a kind of higher education for adults if we did not explore in what way information technology interfaced with the CAP community learners. The next chapter discusses some issues and challenges around this aspect of the educational process.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.