Access to adult education: Institutional and situational barriers that impact adult students seeking upper secondary education

Abstract

Since 2010 one of the main aims of Icelandic educational policy has been to lower the proportion of people who have not completed formal qualifications beyond compulsory education from 31% in 2008 to 10% in 2020 (Mennta- og menningarmálaráðuneytið, 2010). Legislation on continuing education (lög um framhaldsfræðslu nr. 27/2010), has been enacted and legal changes made in the formal education system, directing adults toward enrolling in the continuing education system (lög um framhaldsskóla, 92/2008). Research has shown that adult learners seeking education at life long learning centres and preparatory programmes at higher education institutions are content with and successful in their studies (Björk Erlendsdóttir, 2013; Eydís Katla Guðmundsdóttir, 2012; Gestur Guðmundsson & Hulda Karen Ólafsdóttir; Halla Valgeirsdóttir, 2011), but progress is slow towards the policy aim for 2020. In 2015, 27% of the adult population had only completed compulsory education.
Most notably, young adults do not seem to use opportunities created within the adult education system to finish upper secondary education (OECD, 2015). It is important for policy makers and educational institutions to gain a better understanding of why adults do not seek programmes leading to educational qualifications as expected. In this study we, therefore, explored the institutional and situational barriers (Cross, 1981) that young adults, in particular, face when seeking an upper secondary qualification in the various educational landscapes created by recent policies, laws and institutional practices in Iceland (Mennta- og menningarmálaráðuneytið, 2015). We also applied the concept of bounded agency (e.g., Evans, 2007) to examine the interplay of structures and individuals in the choices of young people and their efforts to overcome barriers. A comparative cross-national study shows that adults in Europe face similar barriers on their road to education, but that a greater proportion of the people are able to overcome them in the Nordic welfare societies (Rubenson & Desjardins, 2009). The study is also conducted within the broader framework of extended transition to adulthood (Gestur Guðmundsson, 2015; Heinz 2009) and thus the possibility of taking advantage of more diverse educational trajectories.
We conducted in-depth interviews with eight people aged 25-30, seven women and one man, participating in adult education programmes in continuing education centres or at higher education institutions. The interviews focused on the interviewees’ perceived access to upper secondary education. Three main themes emerged; difficult access, financial burdens and role conflicts. In general, they found information about educational opportunities hard to find. Some participants experienced feelings of rejection after being turned away from a formal upper secondary school without information about alternative options. The locations and organization of adult education programmes in continuing education centres and higher education preparatory programmes were not always suitable for people needing both support and flexibility in their studies. They faced direct costs in terms of tuition fees, they often found it hard to acquire information about financial support offered by their unions and the unemployment benefit system, and they were reluctant to apply for student loans. The burden of providing for their families weighed on them heavily and was prioritized in their lives. These factors resulted in a complex and difficult integration of multiple life roles as students, parents and providers, making their life stressful and setting up barriers to opting for further educational opportunities.
In spite of these difficulties, the young adults were resilient and resourceful in finding means to overcome them. It is clear that adult students face many institutional and situational barriers on their road to upper secondary education under the newly formed lifelong educational policies in Iceland. Although the adult education systems provide multiple educational programmes specially designed for people who have a history of less than optimal experience in the formal education system, a large part of this target group do not avail themselves of these options. This study illuminates how difficult it is for young adults to move through landscapes created by the current laws and practices. To attract students, the formal education system and adult education institutions need to better inform the public of educational opportunities and to work together in improving the reception and guidance of adult students entering the system. The burden of cost and limited resources for financial support is the largest barrier created both by institutional practice (laws) and these economic circumstances need careful consideration by policymakers. The educational institutions may need to re-evaluate the locations and organization of programmes offered by continuing education centres and higher education institutions in particular. The generalizability of the results of our study is limited in that we only interviewed eight young adults, the majority women, and all living in the capital area. However, this study provides good insight into barriers and their complex interplay in the lives of young adult students.