Study of Intergenerational Aspiration Raising: Interim Findings

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Study of Intergenerational Aspiration Raising
Interim Findings
Lifelong Learning Centre

• Olivia Garvey and Libby Clark
• Communities and Partnerships Team
• Lifelong Learning Centre
• University of Leeds

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• Context
• Children of parents with low levels of literacy
  and numeracy fare worse than other children in
  the same classroom (Bynner Parsons, 2006).
• Correlation between parents highest
  qualification and childrens school attainment
• The intergenerational transmission of
  educational success is a key element in equality
  of opportunity. There are substantial benefits
  of education that accrue to individuals and
  society in terms of what education enables
  parents to pass on to their children.
• (Feinstein et al 2004)

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• Rationale
• Generally regarded as a truth - widely
  accepted in the field of adult learning and
  beyond, however
• Significant omission of empirical evidence on
  intergenerational effects of adult learning in
  current UK literature. What little exists
  relates to parents of primary age children, not
  secondary.
• Current climate of continued cuts to adult
  education funding and increasing focus on 14-19
  age group means it is imperative to evidence this
  hypothesis.

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• Research questions
• What is the impact of parents learning on their
  childrens attainment and aspirations?
• 2. Are there any changes in parents aspirations
  for their children which stem from taking part in
  widening participation activity?
• 3. Does this have any impact on young peoples
  aspirations for themselves?

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• Methodology
• Qualitative, exploratory study aiming to
• Address this gap by gathering evidence from
  parent learners, young people and key
  influencers.
• Act as a trial study to test out whether a
  larger-scale quantitative research project is
  needed.
• Identify key questions to ask and explore
  learners experiences.

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• Progress to date
• Approx 300 research questionnaires completed by
  FE and HE learners
• 32 eligible parents identified and 14
  interviewed 11 women and 3 men aged between 36
  and 55
• 7 young people interviewed - 3 female and 4 male
  aged between 14-19
• 1 key influencer interviewed Head of Year in
  Inner City School

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• Positive Benefits young people
• Sometimes I find myself helping my mum with her
  maths homework. Shes done some of the stuff
  that Im not quite sure of and Ive done some of
  the stuff that shes not quite sure of so we help
  each other with the homework
  (Mark, 15)

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• Positive Benefits parents
• they wouldnt have the confidence to think that
  they can do whatever they want if they hadnt
  seen me learning
• (Jeanette)
• its helped her widen her mind and its seeing
  my books about and me picking it up and saying
  what do you think about this Rachel? Its
  encouraged her in that she feels an equal
• (Jeanette)

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• Parents aspirations for children
• I hope they can do it if they see me doing it,
  but its up to them. Ive never been a pushy
  parent
• (Lorraine)

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• Parents aspirations for children
• I think he is more intelligent than to just do
  joinery
• and I want him to get more of an education and
  then
• hes got better choices
• (Barbara)

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• Parents aspirations for children
• I always talked to him about university because
  I always wanted to go and never had the chance,
  so I wanted him to go but he didnt take no
  notice. but now theres not an ounce of doubt in
  his mind that hell go to uni. He always says,
  when I go to uni. its an automatic
  progression. How can you tell someone, oh
  youre going to uni when youve not gone
  yourself? (Amanda)
  

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• Recurring Themes
• Adults who have good educational experiences at
  any age want more, for themselves and their
  children.
• All the parents wanted the best for their
  children. Some knew how to support them to
  achieve this others less so.
• The extent to which a parents learning impacts
  on their child seems to be affected by the
  childs age when they re-enter education and
  whether the parent progresses to HE.
• Other factors include number of siblings, 1 or 2
  parent households, class, gender roles and
  family/communitys culture of expectations.

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• What does this mean for Aimhigher work?
• Overall parents learning and involvement in
  aspiration-raising activity has a positive impact
  on young peoples attainment and aspirations.
• The more WP interventions parents receive and the
  higher the level of education they reach, the
  greater the benefits for children.
• Parents must be recognised as potential learners
  in their own right, as well as their role in
  their childs education.
• Aimhigher co-ordinators and extended schools have
  an important role to play - signposting parents
  to information about further study to maximise
  these mutual benefits.

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• Group Questions
• What issues are raised by these responses?
• Can you find any problems or contradictions?
• What do you think are the reasons for the
  different approaches?

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Lifelong Learning Centre

• Contact Details
• Communities and Partnerships Team
• Lifelong Learning Centre
• Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Building
• University of Leeds
• Olivia Garvey Libby Clark
• 0113 343 4635 0113 343 3229
• o.garvey_at_leeds.ac.uk
  e.a.clark_at_leeds.ac.uk
• http//www.leeds.ac.uk/lifelonglearningcentre/comm
  unity/practitioners.html