A study carried out in an inner-city FE college on how to enable low attaining learners to learn better.
This project was focused on responding to a problematic situation in learning, in which there was a misfit between learners’ ability and the "sizes of the boots” (ie the level of demands imposed by the course) they had to wear in order to achieve success. The author explored a variety of approaches designed to empower students, including working with them individually and organising whole-group support to address gaps in key skills.
The results showed that learners: were highly participative and motivated to learn, enjoyed the learning experience, felt more confident; felt it boosted understanding and cooperation. Most learners self-reported that their learning experience was positive: “fantastic”, “exciting” (85%); and all (100%) were keen to do it again. Data was gathered from document analysis and interviews/surveys.
LSIS Research Development Fellowship (RDF)