Hi, I need help with essay on Barriers to Learning. Paper must be at least 2750 words. Please, no plagiarized work!Download file to see previous pages... "Through socialization within the family, in t

Hi, I need help with essay on Barriers to Learning. Paper must be at least 2750 words. Please, no plagiarized work!

"Through socialization within the family, in the school and, later on, in working life, a positive disposition toward adult education becomes a part of some groups' habitus but not of others" [Rubenson and Xu (1997)]. There can in fact numerous barriers to adult learning which primarily depend on the individual's own circumstances, background and personality. Obstacles can be broadly classified into three categories (National Adult Learning Survey 2002 )

Physical barriers include lack of time due to work, family, and childcare responsibilities, difficulties in paying course fees and fear of losing benefits, disability, particularly lack of mobility, ill health and difficulties with reading and writing, English and numeracy.

Attitudinal barriers are the hardest to overcome and include nervousness about going back to the classroom and concern about not being able to keep up, negative perceptions of schooling and scepticism about the value of learning, low self-esteem and lack of confidence both generally and in relation to learning, low aspirations and lack of role models, lack of trust in 'officialdom' and formal institutions or organizations and age- One in five non-learners think they are too old to learn.

Structural barriers: These may relate to both supply (provider) and demand (learner), and include lack of transport, limited learning opportunities locally, lack of facilities and equipment, lack of necessary qualifications and lack of knowledge about local learning opportunities and learning advice sources....

ts and relevant to their experience, flexible to suit adults' circumstances and schedules and should be supported by outreach programmes to attract adults who otherwise might not consider learning. It should also be backed by pertinent, up-to-date information and sound advice.

Proactive approaches need to be implemented in order to engage people who are least well-equipped to participate in learning. The surroundings, staff and activities all need to reflect the specific needs of the target group to generate their interest. It advises providers to project an ethos of 'positive diversity' to counteract people's negative experiences or wariness of returning to learning.

Negative experiences at school or college and concern about academic competence can deter people to take up training. Some people are skeptical about the value of qualifications and confused about the most appropriate ones to help them progress. Most feel comfortable using small local learning centers, particularly women with children. They gained confidence, but were disinclined to access more 'formal' provision. Practical obstacles included work and family commitments and fear of losing benefits. Many people are nervous about going back to the classroom and being able to keep up. Assistance with childcare and transport, more advice, and access to learning at the right time would encourage more people to learn. High travel times and costs, limited facilities and breadth of provision and lack of employers to support learning opportunities such as work placements can be helped by working in partnership and sharing resources can make training provision more economically viable. Community development centers may be a helpful option.