What (actually) matters in literacy education: Contributions from community psychology

This paper describes the critical role community psychology theories played in reframing literacy research involving mainly Māori and Pacific peoples’ extended families and communities. Within a critical social constructionist paradigm, ecological systems theory and holistic, integrative theories of wellbeing brought much-needed new thinking to how family-focused adult literacy education might be theorised and practiced. This reframing marks a challenge to and movement away from still-dominant Western individualistic, behavioural orientated, skills-based and formal economy-focused ways of thinking about people’s literacy abilities. It highlights the important role of community psychology in developing theory, informing policy and enhancing practices in culturally diverse education settings to achieve both educational and quality of life aims. Improving quality of life is not possible through literacy education in and of itself, but rather through the inculcation in programme design and delivery of those things which are fundamental and critical to the participants’ overall wellbeing and welfare

Hogwash: Coming to Terms with Critical Race Theory in Adult Education

Today’s adult and community education classrooms and sites of practice are increasingly diverse. As adult educators, we have a responsibility to appropriately meet each student at their level of need. Critical race theory provides a non-hegemonic lens for understanding and meeting the needs of our diverse student population

Beyond Sorted: Developing Critical Adult Financial Education

This research sought to reimagine financial education from a critical theory perspective. This study proposes how a community of learners operating a critical pedagogy could be used to deliver adult financial education, and to provide a curriculum for use by such a community of learners. To achieve that aim, the objectives of this research were to complete an investigation into financial education discourses within New Zealand, to identify elements that compose financial education within each of these discourses and to combine those elements to create a comprehensive curriculum that when combined with the pedagogical approach form a critical adult financial education programme. These objectives were achieved by conducting an investigation into the financial literacy and capability discourses in New Zealand to determine how these may be synthesised into an inclusive discourse. Four major discourses were identified following the collection and sorting of a wide selection of stakeholders within the financial education domain. The groupings were labelled governmental, community, commercial and academic to determine where there were overlaps and voids in the themes contained within these discourses. The key themes were then incorporated into the learning areas of a new curriculum matrix that became the research platform for this study. The curriculum matrix included key competencies drawn both from the financial education discourses and from critical pedagogy influenced strongly by the theories and practises of Paulo Freire and Eduard Lindeman. The financial competencies identified were: financial decision making, financial goal setting, personal financial management and financial communication. The competencies evolving from the pedagogy were: critical thinking, self-reflection and agency. Also included were broad learning areas that would help identify topics for inquiry. These were: financial language, financial calculations, financial administration, financial products, financial services, consumerism and citizenship, seeking advice or remedy, and financial identity. The learning areas also included ‘institutions’ and ‘structures’ that support the neoliberal ideology dominant in New Zealand and much of the rest of the western world at this time in history. The inclusion of these indicated that a critical adult financial education must intend to identify and challenge injustices in local and global political and economic spheres to aim for emancipation from such injustices. The final element in the matrix was a selection of general and educational values used to support the effective operation of the community of learners. These values were suggestions only and the research platform recognised that each community of learners would create their own set of values to reflect the community’s ethos. Rather than include specific learning intentions or achievement criteria in the matrix, it was intended that the communities of learners would determine their own intentions and criteria. The curriculum matrix and pedagogical approach were presented as a programme for critical adult financial education. In order to evaluate the programme, a qualitative Delphi inquiry was conducted over two rounds. The first round asked for two sets of feedback from experts within education and financial education domains. The first was to comment on the matrix and identify what they perceived as its strengths and weaknesses. The second question asked for feedback on the feasibility of the community of learners approach, operating a critical pedagogy, and applied to financial education. The results from the first round were synthesised, summarised and presented back to the participants via the web-based research platform, and further questions about specific issues common to many of the responses were posed in order to seek clarification of areas of high interest. The data from the Delphi provided varying responses and levels of support or critique for the programme. Respondents asked many questions, often seeking context for the programme or querying the choices of language use in the matrix or the overall operation of the community of learners. No concrete conclusions about the potential effectiveness of a critical adult financial education delivered via the proposed programme were obtained from the Delphi inquiry. Instead, the results showed that further clarification and contextualisation of the programme was sought by the majority of respondents. Respondents sought the inclusion of achievement criteria within the matrix even though this was antithetical to the intentions of the design. Regarding the community of learners approach, the respondents were sceptical about whether an effective learning dynamic could be created considering the usually personal nature of financial learning. The purpose of adult education and adult financial education was examined as a part of the inquiry, which revealed that expectations of financial education are often so deeply entrenched in mainstream discourses that the notion of a critical approach is rejected even in theory. Overall the data showed that this programme, or possibly any critically located financial education programme, would be unlikely to find widespread support from those operating in mainstream financial education

Wellbeing effects from family literacy education: An ecelogical study

This paper describes a study that used community psychology theories to investigate family-focused literacy education programmes, evaluations of which usually focus solely on skills gains and their economic advantage. Specifically, the study drew on an ecological systems-based, culturally adaptive framework for personal, relational and collective wellbeing bringing much-needed new thinking to how family-focused adult literacy education might be theorised and practiced. The study traced the experiences of 19 adult participants in four family-focused literacy programmes in different communities in New Zealand over 18 months. Participant accounts from 79 key informant interviews, 12 classroom observations and programme documentation were scrutinized using latent theoretical thematic analysis which drew on broad perspectives of literacy, ecological systems theory, network theory and integrative theories of wellbeing. The study found that the programmes shared common principles and practices that prioritised holistic wellbeing whilst valuing literacy enhancement. It showed that participants experienced positive literacy, social and wellbeing-related outcomes. Programme effects were found to be interconnected and to flow on to other parts of participants’ lives and to their families and communities. We demonstrate community psychology’s critical contribution to a fuller understanding of family-focused literacy education

What’s the (digital) story? Engaging with practitioners through alternative and participatory forms of adult education

This research is a study into educational potential of digital storytelling (DST), a participatory narrative approach, to promote learning practices that are consistent with critical and liberatory ethos of community adult education. Qualitative participatory research in the format of digital storytelling workshops was conducted with six practitioners who work or volunteer in adult and community education context. My research argues that digital storytelling, as multimodal visual method, has an enormous potential to instil and promote participatory co-learning and the ethos of critical pedagogy, in this inclusive and diverse context. My findings support the argument of appropriateness and potential of narrative pedagogy for adult learning. They contend that narrative and visual methods feature prominently in the teaching arsenal of the community education practitioners. This research also demonstrates the untapped potential of digital resources and urgency to approach the use of learning technologies in this context in a critical and creative manner. This study outlines the findings that indicate that the multimodal and dialogical character of digital storytelling has the potential to enhance learning processes and instil deep personal growth that facilitates reflective practice and an increase in self-esteem. Digital storytelling also facilitates participatory research methodology, grounded in critical theory and humanistic learning, that fosters mutual learning and partnership. Finally, this research reinstates the contested nature of adult community education, admirable resourcefulness and creativity of community education practitioners confronted with continuous lack of recognition and support for the sector

Haptic criticality: can risk be deflected through development of critical thinking with adult learners?

The objective is to develop adult student critical thinking (CT) skills to equip participants to be flexible in a world risk society. The first aim of this paper is to create channels of communication and connection. The second aim examines the meta-narrative of pedagogic policy in relation to adult learners in the petite-narrative (Lyotard 2004) of my classroom, creating a piece of action research (McNiff 2014). The significance to the field of policy studies in adult education is that, haptic criticality, thinking through doing is essential to equip vocational students for problem solving in industry or self-employment. Relevant policies are:- the Foresight Review into the Future of Skills and Lifelong Learning (2016) and the Department of Education (DfE) adult learners policy (2018). The paper is relevant to the conference in that, the Education World Forum (EEF 2019) asks, ‘how might education policy encourage using what we know to improve what we do?’ A good question when considering risk, haptic criticality in andragogy or adult pedagogy. There is a role for the critically engaged artist in a world risk society. Responding to the conference theme ‘Education policy and new social risks: How can adult education and learning policy contribute to community integration today?’ An outcome is community building interventions such as poetry group and book club creating social cohesion and group bonding. Participants become agents of change in their own education. Wider implications are integration in work, higher education, community and family. The research problem or question asks, if risk may be deflected through the development of critical thinking (CT) skills with adult learners. Brown (1998: 1) believes there is a thinking skills deficit. To increase possibilities of social mobility and social capital CT skills could be instrumental in escaping poverty and gaining qualifications. The Canadian Ministry of Education states that all students will need to develop a flexibility and a versatility undreamed of by previous generations and to employ critical skills (Shaheen, 2007). The significance of the paper highlights the importance for students to understand ‘wicked problems’ as part of a world risk society. Then to translate their story into the universal. Gregory (2009), suggests that myth and narrative are a vital part of our identity, although Adichie (2009) warns against the idea of a single narrative becoming dangerously inflexible, if taken to risk extremes. The central theme and question of the paper is, what is CT and practice based research? Can it aid deflecting concepts of fear and risk? Could connection be discovered through community of inquiry and narrative? What are current andragogic policies, are they community makers or cohesion barriers? Ethical guidelines use British Education and Research Association (BERA 2018). All participants and institutions are anonymised. Theoretical and conceptual frame works are a double ontology of the art school and the world of andragogy. Auto/biography and anthropology are methodological approachs used to add reflexivity to the paper. Pedagogy is a socially constructed reality, with power dynamics. When postmodernist theories unsettles assumptions and decolonise educational theories then space can be made around historical concepts. Qualitative mixed methodologies are inclusive and illuminative in this newly created space (Kara 2015: 26). A sample of 133 self-selecting participants volunteered for CT methods. Data is inductively, iteratively linked and analysed in a cycle of reading, labelling and coding, to discover patterns and themes. Tentative conclusions are, a community of inquiry accesses the legacy of the critical traditions. Classroom democracy is a high-risk strategy, Beck (2013) implies, risk can be both positive and negative. Democracy is unpredictable and it does not have a predetermined outcome, it can be, ‘the transformational power of critical thinking.’ Participants in the research have become more confident and articulate, argumentative and discursive. I have observed an increase in the way participants use haptic criticality to talk out practice and theory in lectures and workshops, confronting risk. The output of the paper is to disseminate findings at conferences and in a relevant journal

Community Educators and the Struggle for Recognition Theorising meaning, educator and institution in Ireland’s community education field using a generative grounded theory approach.

This thesis explores community education in Ireland in a threefold enquiry examining; (a) the core meaning which community education holds for practitioners in the field, (b) how the role of community educators shares a connectedness with liberatory struggle for social justice, and (c) what space community education and its educators occupy within its institutional provider, the Vocational Education Committees (VECs). Community education in Ireland is a vibrant field of practice operating on the fringes of mainstream education. Its origins can be traced to the early instructors of the Vocational Education Committees in the early part of the last century. Women’s community education has shaped the practice in Ireland since the 1970s. The year 2000 marked a significant step forward in terms of recognition for community education with the publication of the White Paper on Adult Education. In this thesis the author draws on his experience working in the community education sector to engage with other community educators to reflect on the generative themes of meaning, educator role and institution in this field of practice. The first aspect of the research explores the meaning of community education from the practitioner perspective, and finds a clear preference for an empowerment meaning. However, the findings suggest there is no clear settlement on the meaning of empowerment, and concludes there is a need to articulate an understanding of empowerment in the context of a critical analysis of power. The second aspect of the research concerns the role of the community educator and the connectedness of this role to a broader liberatory struggle for social justice. Using Honneth’s concept of a struggle for recognition, the findings point to a critical role which is poorly recognized within the education field in Ireland. A key purpose of the research is to rediscover the roots of this role in Gramsci’s organic intellectuals and Freire’s radicals and reclaim the critical role of the community educator within the Irish education site. The third aspect of this research examines the space which community education occupies within its institutional provider, the Vocational Education Committees in Ireland. The research presents an assessment of the institutional culture of the VECs. The findings recall the VEC’s radical origins, and its later immersion within the mainstream educational apparatus. Findings point to the tensions between a dominant school ethos and subordinate community education ethos in the VEC and proposes a critical coalition for the future. The findings suggest that community education facilitators have a role to play in occupying a critical space within the VECs. The unique contribution of this research is that it presents a theorized community education from the perspective of its workers, the community educators. The research methodology combines Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory with Freirean liberatory pedagogy. The result is a unique contribution to a generative grounded theorization of community education in Ireland today

Community Educators and the Struggle for Recognition Theorising meaning, educator and institution in Ireland’s community education field using a generative grounded theory approach.

This thesis explores community education in Ireland in a threefold enquiry examining; (a) the core meaning which community education holds for practitioners in the field, (b) how the role of community educators shares a connectedness with liberatory struggle for social justice, and (c) what space community education and its educators occupy within its institutional provider, the Vocational Education Committees (VECs). Community education in Ireland is a vibrant field of practice operating on the fringes of mainstream education. Its origins can be traced to the early instructors of the Vocational Education Committees in the early part of the last century. Women’s community education has shaped the practice in Ireland since the 1970s. The year 2000 marked a significant step forward in terms of recognition for community education with the publication of the White Paper on Adult Education. In this thesis the author draws on his experience working in the community education sector to engage with other community educators to reflect on the generative themes of meaning, educator role and institution in this field of practice. The first aspect of the research explores the meaning of community education from the practitioner perspective, and finds a clear preference for an empowerment meaning. However, the findings suggest there is no clear settlement on the meaning of empowerment, and concludes there is a need to articulate an understanding of empowerment in the context of a critical analysis of power. The second aspect of the research concerns the role of the community educator and the connectedness of this role to a broader liberatory struggle for social justice. Using Honneth’s concept of a struggle for recognition, the findings point to a critical role which is poorly recognized within the education field in Ireland. A key purpose of the research is to rediscover the roots of this role in Gramsci’s organic intellectuals and Freire’s radicals and reclaim the critical role of the community educator within the Irish education site. The third aspect of this research examines the space which community education occupies within its institutional provider, the Vocational Education Committees in Ireland. The research presents an assessment of the institutional culture of the VECs. The findings recall the VEC’s radical origins, and its later immersion within the mainstream educational apparatus. Findings point to the tensions between a dominant school ethos and subordinate community education ethos in the VEC and proposes a critical coalition for the future. The findings suggest that community education facilitators have a role to play in occupying a critical space within the VECs. The unique contribution of this research is that it presents a theorized community education from the perspective of its workers, the community educators. The research methodology combines Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory with Freirean liberatory pedagogy. The result is a unique contribution to a generative grounded theorization of community education in Ireland today

The Power of Resilience: A Theoretical Model to Empower, Encourage and Retain Teachers

Due to the many challenges that teachers face in today’s classrooms to facilitate the academic success of all children and to meet federal and state accountability standards, having both the competence and the ability to adjust to meet these challenges are required. Teacher retention is an ongoing issue in the United States; teachers who lack these traits may have a negative impact on teacher retention. Resiliency is a critical element that teachers need to meet these challenges and remain in the education profession. In this study, the stories of four female African American teachers who taught in the same school district in a rural community in the South before, during, and after desegregation, were examined. Using qualitative methodology and a narrative inquiry technique, the data analyzed from the stories of the four women confirmed eight themes of resilience as identified in Polidore’s Theory of Adult Resilience in Education (2004). An additional resilience theme, efficacy, also emerged. The additional theme provided an enhanced conceptualization and construct of Polidore’s Theory of Adult Resilience in Education model. With the massive challenges facing educators today, the stories of the four teachers can be used to empower, encourage and retain teachers in the education profession

Health Literacy: Knowledge and experiences of Traveller women.

AIM OF RESEARCH The aim of this research is to gain more understanding and insight into the knowledge and experiences of Traveller women in the area of health literacy using a use narrative inquiry approach with an education focus and to explore implications and make recommendations based on the outcomes of the research. METHODS USED A method of narrative research was used to gather data through in-depth conversational interviews with Traveller women exploring their experiences of health literacy, education and from a perspective of insider research based on prior relationship of working with Traveller women on health literacy. CONTRIBUTION OF THIS RESEARCH The research has exposed a number of factors within the area of health literacy in the Traveller community, including; That the critical theory approach to health literacy education can be effective in addressing the empowerment of individuals to improve their health literacy That the method of peer educators is a positive approach to raising awareness of health in the Traveller community A cross sector health and adult education approach is needed to help address Travellers health literac