Reasons for non-participation

In answer to the question, “What do you think are some of the reasons for non-participation of adults with low literacy skills in literacy programs?” Administrators collectively generated many responses which have been grouped under several headings in Table 6. Instructors also collectively generated a list which is presented in Table 7. There are some interesting similarities and differences in the two tables. The headings and groupings are the writer's, but responses seemed to fit into nine headings in each set of answers. Eight of them are essentially the same.

It is interesting that none of the instructors mentioned "special needs", but one administrator did. The instructors included perceived difficulties at the classroom level, which might have been expected. Instructors were much stronger on the lack of support systems" than the administrators. There is also a touch of cynicism in the responses under "institutional constraints". The high number of people (7 out of 18) mentioning "institutional intimidation" is rather revealing. This could imply the need for alternative delivery modes, or more sensitive orientation and counselling before students enrol at institutions. The four responses indicating lack of programs could be interpreted as substantiating the first alternative.

The report submitted from the Adult Literacy Contact Centre (Appendix E) also dovetails with many of the responses from the ABE professionals.

Barriers

The “Barriers to participation in adult education” list in the instructors' questionnaire (Appendix A p. 108) was drawn from the report From The Adult's Point of View (CAAE, ICEA, 1982). As stated, it is not literacy-specific. Instructors were asked to prioritize the barriers which they perceived to be the greatest for potential learners in their college region. The prioritized list is given in Table 8.