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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Supporting adults to become numerate citizens: a study of adult numeracy provision in Ireland
ZDM, Vol.55, pp.995-1008
2023
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
This paper revisits and reanalyses data from a study carried out in the further education and training sector in the Republic of Ireland to investigate (1) how adults access and participate in numeracy courses and (2) how adult numeracy provision might support active citizenship. We analysed 45 interviews with adult education providers, adult numeracy tutors, and adult learners to identify themes that connect adult numeracy with a human rights conception of citizenship as access to and participation in economic, social, and community life. This analysis found that the most common barriers to accessing adult numeracy courses arose from dispositional factors relating to fear, anxiety and lack of confidence with mathematics, largely due to negative experiences in formal schooling. To overcome these barriers, adults’ participation in numeracy courses was encouraged by integrating numeracy learning activities into real world contexts in a non-threatening learning environment. The interview analysis also illustrated ways in which adult numeracy education supported active citizenship in the economic, social, and community spheres, by (i) enhancing financial literacy and preparing adults for employment; (ii) fostering individual empowerment, family learning and social inclusion; and (iii) enabling civic engagement. Policies for promoting adult education typically aim to develop active citizenship, but without specifying how this is to be achieved. Our study is valuable because it illuminates potential connections between citizenship and numeracy as a dimension of adult education that is separate from literacy. The findings lead to recommendations for translating national and international policy frameworks into research-informed adult education programs.
Details
- Title
- Supporting adults to become numerate citizens: a study of adult numeracy provision in Ireland
- Authors
- Merrilyn Goos (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education and Tertiary AccessMark Prendergast (Author) - University College CorkNiamh O'Meara (Author) - University of LimerickKathy O'Sullivan (Author) - Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway
- Publication details
- ZDM, Vol.55, pp.995-1008
- Publisher
- Springer
- Date published
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11858-023-01480-9
- ISSN
- 1863-9704; 1863-9690
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Education and Tertiary Access
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99717595902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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