The benefits of Community-based Adult Learning

Abstract

This article aims to summarise research that demonstrates the positive impact of community-based adult learning (CBAL), especially in creating a more equitable education.

Full text

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The benefits of Community-based Adult Learning
Lyn Tett, Professor Emerita, University of Edinburgh
Introduction
This article aims to summarise research that demonstrates the positive impact of
community-based adult learning (CBAL), especially in creating a more equitable
education. The last decade has seen a considerable reduction in funding for CBAL
internationally (Zhang & Perkins, 2022). One reason for this may be that its
effectiveness as a way of reducing inequalities is not well-understood by policy
makers (Webb et al., 2019). I hope that this short article may enable practitioners to
provide evidence of the positive difference that participating in CBAL can make.
Four areas were identified from the literature as the main benefits for participants:
engaging with, and making progress in, learning; developing resilience, self-
confidence, and social capital because of participation in learning; reducing the
attainment gap through supporting parents and their children in family learning
programmes; the positive impact of CBAL on health and well-being. Each section
provides the context against which the changes brought about by CBAL, especially
for those learners that are disadvantaged, should be assessed. In addition, because of
the importance of the support volunteers provide for learners, there is a section on
volunteers and volunteering.
Engaging in learning and making progress
Research shows that participation in adult learning remains highest among
advantaged people who have benefitted from education in the past (UNESCO, 2022)
with participation by ‘low- skilled individuals 40 percentage points below that of
high-skilled adults’ (OECD, 2021, p.12). Disadvantaged groups have been classed as
‘hard to reach’ but a better term might be ‘easy to ignore’ (Lightbody & Escobar,
2021), and CBAL approaches have been shown to address these systemic inequalities
when engaging people in education and learning (Duckworth & Tett, 2019). Learner
engagement is always a collaborative process that places learners at its centre and
requires investment of time and resources to ensure that learners’ needs are met

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(Beattie, 2022). Engagement is most effective when CBAL practitioners build on their
local knowledge of the community and specific groups (e.g. Refugees and Asylum
Seekers), provide easy access to provision through outreach activities, and link to
other professions and institutions such as teachers or the health service (Smythe,
2015).
Once people are engaged, their progression is often driven by the desire to continue
to learn (UNESCO, 2022). This is most likely to happen when learners’ goals are
recognised and supported (Duckworth & Ade-Ojo, 2016). Participation in CBAL
enables adults to upskill and reskill in a changing world and so contributes to
educational and economic progression (OECD 2021). In Scotland, CBAL provides
the first step into education for many adult learners and offers access to the Further
and Higher Education system. It thus plays an important role on the pathway to
progression (Scottish Government, 2022)
Progression is often incremental, with adults moving gradually towards their goals
once they have gained confidence. This type of success then enables them to be
involved in larger life changes such as taking on a new job (Bennetts, 2003). Adults’
life circumstances, for example having caring responsibilities, mean that economic
and educational progress may not be their priority and personal progression can be
the most important outcome of participation (Babb et al. 2021). Sometimes, however,
funders prioritise employment outcomes above learners’ own goals, and this can lead
to learner disengagement (Allat & Tett, 2019). Scottish research on CBAL, for
example, found that increasing self-confidence was a key progression outcome
especially where learners were recovering from ill-health, adjusting to changes in
their personal circumstances, or involved in helping others through volunteering
(Macintyre, 2012).
Promoting resilience, self-confidence, and social capital
Resilience means adapting well in the face of adversity and bouncing back from
difficult experiences and there are several ways in which CBAL can help build
resilience. Ruhose and colleagues’ (2019) study of adults’ workplace training showed

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that participating in learning developed resilience and grit. UNESCO (2010) found
that CBAL had a strong impact on active citizenship, political voice, social cohesion,
diversity, and tolerance, and therefore benefitted social and community life. Tett and
Maclachlan’s (2007) research with literacies learners showed that participating in
CBAL built confidence that then enabled people to do things differently and apply
what they had learnt in different contexts. For example, participants developed a
stronger belief in their own potential and achievements, increased their skills, and had
a greater ability to deal with conflict and stand up for themselves.
At the individual level, social capital comprises two dimensions: trust in people
generally, and personal involvement in social activities (Ruhose et al., 2019).
Participating in valued social networks helps to form bonds between similar people,
and bridges between diverse people. Research shows that participating in learning as
an adult can build social capital by forming bridges between diverse people. For
example, Auckland & Kilpatrick’s study (2021) showed that education and training
assists in the establishment of learning and support networks that can build social
capital through learning, fostering collective leadership, establishing norms of social
inclusion, and developing skills in working together. More specifically, Tett and
Maclachlan’s (2007) research found that bridging social capital had been developed
through learners being at the centre of a range of new networks in relation to their
tutors, other staff, and fellow students. Moreover, these networks built up learners’
knowledge of who, when and where to go to for advice and help. Similarly, a study
of home-school relationships in Scotland (Tett and Macleod, 2020) found that CBAL
practitioners were able to build bridges between schools and parents through engaging
with head teachers, providing opportunities for parents to go into the school, and
encouraging parents to try out new ideas and perspectives based on the value of their
own knowledge.
Supporting parents and their children to close the attainment gap
Working in partnership with parents has been shown to bring benefits to schools,
pupils, and the wider community (Willemse et al., 2018) in ways that lead to ‘a
comprehensive, goal linked programme of school, family, and community

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partnerships’ (Epstein 2018, p.402). Such partnerships are particularly important for
families from the most socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, because
effective home-school partnerships have been shown to be central to a pupil’s
educational success (OECD, 2021). Since parents play a vital role at all stages of
education, Education Scotland (2016, p.4) has argued that family learning can impact
on both ‘closing the poverty related attainment gap’ and lead to ‘improvements in
parental confidence and parenting skills.’
Research (Milbourne, 2005) shows that CBAL practitioners can support parents in
ways that value their knowledge and encourage their active involvement in their
children’s schools. This is because they are more likely to understand the local
community and home circumstances and care about parents as people that have a lot
to offer the school. Practitioners can also act as intermediaries in facilitating effective
communication between the home and the school as well as helping parents to access
and understand other relevant services (Timmons & Pelletier, 2015). Family Learning
Programmes themselves provide supportive social spaces where new networks can be
built, friendships formed and parents’ own development can be prioritized (Marandet
& Wainwright, 2017). CBAL practitioners can also help parents to have their voices
heard in ways that are likely to be positively received through creating a ‘culturally
responsive climate’ (Auerbach, 2010, p.730) where parents and schools respect the
expertise that each brings to the education process.
Increasing health and well-being
Socio-economic disadvantage is a key driver of poor health because the more
disadvantaged someone is the less likely they are to live in good quality housing, have
time and money for leisure activities, feel secure at home or work, be employed, or
afford to eat healthy food (Bambra and Payne 2021, p. 266). Marmot and colleagues’
research (2020) has shown that socio-economic disadvantage also leads to feelings of
lack of control over one’s life, greater levels of stress and anxiety at the individual
level and lack of social cohesion and trust at the community level. More particularly,
the Covid-19 requirements to socially distance and shift from in-person classes to

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online learning led to an increase in mental ill health because learners received less
social and emotional support from friends, family, peers, and staff (Babb et al., 2021).
Research shows that CBAL provision in lockdown had a positive impact on health
and wellbeing. For example, James & Thériault, (2020) found that Local Authority
adult education services produced online responses that reduced isolation and
improved mental health and wellbeing, whilst increasing support for people affected
by job insecurity. Recent Scottish research (Tett, 2023) demonstrates the specific
impact on mental ill health. This research found that the CBAL approach to learning,
which responded to learners through adjusting the curriculum, caring for the whole
person, and recognizing their strengths, resulted in a decrease in anxiety, social
isolation, and loneliness. Other research (Leigh-Hunt et al., 2017) has demonstrated
that taking an asset-based approach based on the resources and skills in communities
and individuals is effective because it promotes resilience that maintains and sustains
health.
In addition, Hammond’s (2004) research found that ‘providing challenges that
learners can meet is important in terms of building self-esteem… [and enhances] all
health outcomes through enabling individuals to see their lives in a broader context’
(p.566). This broader context starts from a negotiated curriculum, based on the
learners’ desires, that emphasizes the knowledge that participants bring, and leads to
increasing skills, confidence, and self-respect (González, et al., 2005).
Volunteers and volunteering
In comparison with other European countries, the UK has a very active voluntary
sector where, within any period of 12 months, 38% of its adult population take part
in volunteering (Ruber & Janmatt 2020, p.57). At the societal level, volunteering can
be valued economically, but more importantly, ‘volunteers contribute to the richness,
stability, and cohesion of the society in which they live’ (Warburton 2010, p.301). At
the individual level, researchers have shown that volunteering can contribute to
wellbeing by reducing mortality, increasing physical ability and levels of self-rated
health, reducing depression, and increasing life satisfaction. In addition, volunteering

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enlarges the volunteer’s circle of friends and acquaintances, enhances self-efficacy
and, especially for retirees, can give them a sense of purpose in life (Connolly &
O’Shea, 2015).
A recent HMI report (Education Scotland, 2022) highlighted the role of CLD
practitioners in supporting and training volunteers because ‘across Scotland,
committed, confident and skilled volunteers are helping their communities survive
and thrive’ (p.7), but also warned that ‘the wellbeing and capacity of volunteers’ (p.8)
must be considered. Research shows that there are both individual and organisational
barriers that impact on volunteers. Individual factors include time (the availability of
time and issues of flexibility), financial costs (such as travel), the effective use of
volunteers’ skills and experience, and fulfilling volunteers’ personal needs
(Warburton, 2010). Reducing organisational barriers requires good management
support that rewards volunteers’ contributions and provides sufficient aid and
resources. Development opportunities are important as they can enhance volunteering
experience by making the work itself more interesting (Usadolo et al. 2022).
Greiner’s research (2009) suggests that development opportunities for adult learning
volunteers and those who support them should involve problem solving, decision-
making, and continuous learning in ways that maximize opportunities for success and
the attainment of expertise. He also found that volunteers’ overall feelings of
satisfaction about their activities and their emotional attachment to their organisations
were enhanced when their experience was utilised, and they were able to learn from
other volunteers.
Conclusion
This review of research has shown that CBAL has a positive impact, especially on
those adults that are furthest from learning and are multiply disadvantaged. Its
contribution is wide-ranging and goes across policy areas of education, employability,
social justice and health and well-being. As Boeren and colleagues argue (2000,
p.203) adult learning and education can provide ‘everyone with a fair chance to
develop their abilities and to put them to valuable use’. However, international

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research (UNESCO, 2022) shows that, despite increasing recognition of the value of
adult learning, investment remains insufficient especially in meeting the needs of the
most marginalized and disadvantaged, and Tett’s (2023) Scottish study shows a
similar lack of investment. It is therefore particularly important that CBAL is properly
funded to meet demand and support the progression of learners and volunteers.
(An earlier version of this literature review was commissioned by the
Aberdeenshire Learning Communities Partnership. I am grateful for their
support)
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