Canadian Congress For Learning Opportunities For Women

WOMEN'S LEARNING NEEDS SURVEY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A survey of 183 women from rural Nova Scotia was conducted in order to assess their learning needs. This group embraced all ages, incomes and educational levels. The design of the questionnaire was intended to determine attitudes to the learning experience in its broadest sense and also evaluate present and projected learning activities.

The majority (79%) of women surveyed expressed a desire to take a course. Almost two-thirds of the group had actually participated in some kind of formalized learning experience in the previous two years, indicating strong interest. Nonetheless, a significant number of obstacles were cited as barriers to women seeking specific educational experiences. Prominent amongst these were the lack of availability of courses; inconvenient time scheduling for women; and a lack of information on the courses that were available.

These women expressed a strong need to further their learning experiences. Bringing the women and the courses together in a productive manner would be a significant achievement.