Where there's a will, there's a way: a study of persistence in further education and training in Ireland.
This research explores the phenomenon of persistence of adult learners in a Further Education and Training (FET) college in Ireland. FET in Ireland is an education provider for adults who for one reason or another wish to return to education. Based on this research, adult learners experience a myriad of personal, structural and institutional factors whilst studying in FET, however this research will argue that adult learners have a remarkable ability to interpret their situation and take action to continue in education, whether their educational journey is linear or not, for the want of a better life. Further, this reserach will argue that both Tinto, (1975) and Bourdieu (1990) focus greatly on the institution as contributors to persistence but underestimate the power of human agency and the power individuals possess to interpret their situations and not merely be shaped by them. Using a qualitative approach, semistructured interviews were employed to gain an insight into the phenomena of adult learners and persistence. This research offers a contribution to the existing substantial knowledge base on persistence. Given the existing international research on this topic this piece of research adds a significant dimension, as there is a lack of research on persistence in FET in the Irish context. The findings unveiled that adult learners possess the power to exercise their agency within the constraints and challenges of their everyday lives to succeed in their education for the want of a better life. However they do not have a linear educational journey, therefore this research may provide FET providers in Ireland with the knowledge base to accommodate adult learners who are on a ‘irregular of inconsistent’ journey.
National University of Ireland - Maynooth
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