The proposed research aims to explore key characteristics of
the Workers’ Education Association (WEA) learning experiences, specifically
women’s experience through the perspectives of the tutors, the learner and my
own self-reflection as tutor/researcher. In particular it will focus on the
experience of women from South Asia and Hindu women as well as those of women
in general, focusing on the role of adult, community based education in raising
the critical consciousness of women. WEA promotes and adheres to a clear code
of conduct that seeks and promotes adherence to equality and diversity within
their classrooms and across all teaching (WEA, 2014).
The research aims will be addressed through a series of
research questions, each exploring the experiences of learners and tutors:
1) How much of the tutor’s
teaching is influenced by the WEA policies on adherence to diversity and
equality?
2) What are the
characteristics of the WEA’s learning experience that may contribute to high
levels of recorded student satisfaction among female learners?
3) Are WEA’s values promoted
and embedded in its teaching and learning.
4) To what extent is teaching
and learning underpinned by key learning theories?
Participants will be selected from six courses across the
Northwest of England with six current tutors and five adult learners for each
course (30 participants in total). I
will adopt a case study approach which
sits within the broader
interpretative paradigm and utilise a combination of
methods to gather data including less structured interviews with tutors, focus
groups with learners and non -participant observation conducted myself as a
practitioner researcher going into the classroom.
One of the anticipated out-come of
the research is that it will produce knowledge that will be of interest to a
range of practitioner in the adult and community education sector, specifically
those working within a more radical pedagogical tradition.
References:
1. Atkins ,L & Wallace,
S. (2012) Qualitative Research in
Education - BERA
2.
Costley, C., Elliott, G., Gibbs, P. (2010) Doing Work Based Research: Approaches to
enquiry for insider-researchers. London: Sage
3. Freire, P (1993): Pedagogy Of The Oppressed New York: Continuum
Books
4.
Maslow A.H. (1943): A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological
Review, 50(4), 370–96.
5. WEA: Annual Report 2012
