Discussion of information and communications technology in the United Kingdom focuses on contrasting government rhetoric concerning post-compulsory electronic learning with an analysis of data from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education survey. Results suggest that access to ICT does not in itself make people more likely to…

Based on research in South Wales, a sociological theory of participation in education and training is developed, identifying types of orientations: functional avoidance, instrumental credentialism, and vocational transformation. The inclusion of sociological insights in human-capital development policy is recommended. (SK)

Data from a South Wales study (n=1,104) and British adult learner survey (n=5,885) found little clear evidence supporting the economic imperative for lifelong learning. Policies have not resulted in increased training opportunities. Many employers are not supporting work-based learning; participation is largely predictable from individuals' social…

Education and training histories of 1,104 British respondents ages 15-65 identified them as nonparticipants, delayed, transitional, or lifetime. Social determinants of adult participation were identified. Immediate postcompulsory education and training is predicted by more privileged family background. Later lifelong learning is more dependent on…

Interviews with 36 adult learners in information-communications technology (ICT) settings, using the concept of learning trajectories, revealed barriers to widening participation through ICT. In addition to technical shortcomings, social, economic, cultural, and political issues hinder the process, including lack of innovative instruction and…

Analysis of patterns of participation of 1,104 adults in South Wales shows that socioeconomic background, more than educational attainment, plays a crucial role in educational participation. Over time, immediate and later patterns of participation are determined by separate influences. (SK)

Case studies from longitudinal research on adult educational participation identified important determinants of lifelong learning patterns: age, place, gender, family background, and religion. The data suggest that adults' learning choices are made within the framework of subjective opportunity structures, including notions of what is appropriate…

Evidence from a large-scale survey of adult learning experiences in Wales suggests there are serious flaws in policies for postsecondary education, including target setting, economic rationale for learning, and technology to overcome barriers. Data show the causes of nonparticipation may not be addressed by the policies being implemented.…

Initial education has been the focus of policy, resulting in higher participation rates and attainment. However, adult rates of participation and qualification have received less attention and are decreasing. One solution might be to break the link between education and human capital investment and foster a vision of lifelong learning as valuable…

Analysis of education and training histories of 1,104 adults in Wales identified patterns of participation as lifelong trajectories. Key predictors of participation emerged: period when born, place of birth, gender, family background, and initial schooling. Results called into question the rhetoric about progress toward a Learning Society and the…

Analysis of British survey data on 5,885 adults showed that 42% reported learning participation in the last 3 years; 36% reported none since leaving school. Access to information/communications technology was associated with age, class, and educational attainment. Technology did not itself increase participation among those already inclined not to…

This paper reconsiders long-term, national or socially contextualized trends in a number of important education areas commonly addressed by policy interventions. These include widening participation, teacher training, school performance, the use of targets, and student assessment. In each case, it is very difficult to sustain an argument that…

These two working papers are products of a regional study in industrial South Wales of the determinants of participation and non-participation in post-compulsory education and training, with special reference to processes of change in the patterns of these determinants over time and to variations between geographical areas. The study combines…

This working paper is a product of a regional study in industrial South Wales of the determinants of participation and non-participation in post-compulsory education and training, with special reference to processes of change in the patterns of these determinants over time and to variations between geographical areas. This paper describes the…

This paper considers the social and structural determinants of adult participation in education and training. Section 1 deals with 11 lifetime learning trajectories identified from a systematic stratified sample of 1,104 education and training histories collected from respondents aged 15-65 in industrial South Wales. For the purposes of the paper,…