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Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs Discourses of widening participation and social inclusion Thesis How to cite: Carr, Jenni (2006) University Discourses of widening participation and social inclusion PhD thesis, The Open For guidance on citations see FAQs c 2006 Jenni Carr Version: Version of Record Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page oro.open.ac.uk Discourses of Widening Participation and Social Inclusion Author: Jennifer Carr BSc (Hons) MSc (ERM) Discipline: Faculty of Education and Language Studies Submission For: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Submission Date: 30th September 2006 Acknowledgments I would like to thank my supervisors, Julia Clarke and Martyn Hammersley, for all their help and support I am sure that I have exhausted your patience many times over during my somewhat tortuous path towards completing this thesis! My heartfelt thanks for bearing with me I would also like to thank all those people involved with Adult Learners’ Week, both learners and practitioners, who were so generous with their time and support Abstract This thesis explores the relationship between policies and initiatives designed to widen participation in post-compulsory learning and notions of social inclusion Whilst both widening participation and social inclusion can be viewed as distinct policy areas, the focus for this research are the links between the two, the impact that these links have on the development of specific education policy initiatives and what that means for those implicated in these initiatives This thesis begins with an examination of the way in which notions of social exclusion, lifelong learning and widening participation are constructed in policy texts and practices I argue that dominant discourses of social inclusion, which emphasise equality of opportunity brought about through participation in paid employment, lead to an under-valuing in policy terms of learning programmes that seek to promote the wider benefits of learning I also argue, however, that the potential exists for practitioners and learners to resist and subvert these dominant discourses Drawing on the work of Bacchi (2002) I highlight how, through theorising the ‘spaces for challenge’, analysts can examine processes of micromanipulation – the unique ways in which marginalised people or groups raise problems or attempt to influence any agenda Adopting a Foucauldian genealogical approach I explore the ways in which a specific widening participation initiative, that of Adult Learners’ Week (ALW), has been used by practitioners to both engage potential learners and influence Government policy The range of data drawn on includes archive material relating to the ALW initiative; policy texts and documents; interviews with practitioners and learners involved with ALW and other widening participation initiatives; and, participant and nonparticipant observations of interactions between practitioners involved in planning for and delivering ALW In this thesis I use the ALW themes of ‘Community, Culture and Citizenship’, ‘Equality and Diversity’ and ‘Skills for Life’ to explore examples of micromanipulation identified in the analysis of these data This thesis concludes with reflections on the usefulness of adopting a genealogical approach and a discussion of the lessons that can be learned from the examples of micromanipulations discussed, including the challenges to widening participation that persist Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS INDEX OF TABLES AND FIGURES LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 11 1.1 OVERVIEW 11 PART ONE - ‘JOINING UP’ THE ISSUES 16 1.3 PART TWO - DOING A GENEALOGICAL ANALYSIS: HOW DIFFICULT CAN IT BE? 19 1.4 PART THREE - ADULT LEARNERS' WEEK: 'A VERY GOOD WAY OF PUNCHING THEM ON THE NOSE!' 27 PART ONE - ‘JOINING UP’ THE ISSUES CHAPTER TWO: SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND WIDENING PARTICIPATION 31 2.1 INTRODUCTION 31 2.2 SOCIAL EXCLUSION: A ‘SHORTHAND TERM’ 33 2.2.1 THE SOCIAL EXCLUSION UNIT: PROVIDING ‘JOINED-UP SOLUTIONS TO JOINED-UP PROBLEMS’ 36 What is social exclusion? 37 What are the causes of social exclusion? 40 What is to be done? The Government's 'new' approach 44 2.2.2.THE ROLE OF LIFELONG LEARNING IN DELIVERING SOCIAL INCLUSION 45 2.2.2 DOES IT HAVE TO BE THE ‘THIRD W AY’? 48 2.3 WIDENING PARTICIPATION: ANOTHER ‘SHORTHAND TERM’ 56 2.3.1 W HY IS LEARNING STILL ‘FOR OTHER PEOPLE’? 57 2.3.2 POLICY-AS-DISCOURSE 60 2.4 CONCLUSION: ‘BETTER POLICY-MAKING’ 62 2.4.1 NIACE AND ALW 64 PART TWO - DOING A GENEALOGICAL ANALYSIS: HOW DIFFICULT CAN IT BE? CHAPTER THREE: FOUCAULDIAN GENEALOGICAL ANALYSIS 66 3.1 INTRODUCTION 66 3.2 FOUCAULT'S GENEALOGY: 'THE UNFOLDING OF A SPACE IN WHICH IT IS ONCE MORE POSSIBLE TO THINK' (FOUCAULT, 1970, P.342) 68 3.3 GENEALOGY AS AN ANALYTICAL STRATEGY 74 3.3.1 CONSTRUCTING THE ARCHIVE 77 Objects 78 Subjects 78 Conceptual network 79 Strategy 80 3.3.2 MOVING FROM ARCHAEOLOGY TO GENEALOGY 83 3.4 DISCOURSES OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND SOCIAL INCLUSION: A GENEALOGICAL PROJECT 87 3.4.1 THE THEMES 88 3.4.2 THE AWARDS 93 3.4.3 THE PARTNERSHIPS 94 3.5 CONCLUSION 97 CHAPTER FOUR: THE DISCOURSES OF ‘EDUCATION FOR ADULTS’ AND ‘ADULT EDUCATION’ 99 4.1 INTRODUCTION 99 4.2 EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY 101 4.3 REFORMING 'EDUCATION FOR ADULTS' 107 4.3.1 'REFORM' AS A CONCEPTUAL NETWORK 109 4.3.2 REFORM AS AN OBJECT 120 Reform as successful 121 Reform as necessary 122 Reform as providing opportunity 124 4.3.3 REFORMING SUBJECTS 132 Learner as worker 133 Learner as responsible and aspirational citizen 135 The Government's role in relation to reform 141 Education as business 142 Employers as educators 143 4.3.4 THE FORMATION OF STRATEGIES 147 4.4 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 157 4.4.1 EDUCATION FOR ADULTS 159 Inclusion 159 Participation 160 4.4.2 ADULT EDUCATION 162 Inclusion 162 Participation 163 4.4.3 SPACES FOR CHALLENGE 164 'Exceptions to the rule' 165 Influencing employers and organisations representing their interests 166 Meeting the needs of 'customers' 167 'a valuable social function' 168 PART THREE - ADULT LEARNERS' WEEK: 'A VERY GOOD WAY OF PUNCHING THEM ON THE NOSE!' CHAPTER FIVE: ‘CELEBRATING ADULT LEARNING’: ADULT LEARNERS’ WEEK 1992 170 5.1 INTRODUCTION 170 5.2 EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES FOR ADULT LEARNERS' WEEK 1992 175 5.2.1 AWARDS AND AWARD CEREMONIES 175 5.2.2 PARLIAMENTARY RECEPTION 179 5.2.3 NATIONAL CONFERENCES 180 5.2.4 NATIONAL AND LOCAL MEDIA COVERAGE 181 BBC - 'Second Chance' initiative 181 ITV 184 Channel 184 5.2.5 LOCAL AND REGIONAL EVENTS 185 5.3 THE 'SPACES FOR CHALLENGE' - LOOKING BACK AND MOVING FORWARDS 187 5.3.1 EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE 187 5.3.2 MEETING THE NEEDS OF ‘CUSTOMERS’ 190 5.3.3 INFLUENCING EMPLOYERS AND ORGANISATIONS REPRESENTING THEIR INTERESTS 192 5.3.4 A VALUABLE SOCIAL FUNCTION 193 5.4 EXPLORING THE CONNECTIONS 195 5.5 EVOLVING THEMES 200 5.6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 205 CHAPTER SIX: COMMUNITY, CULTURE AND CITIZENSHIP 207 SECTION 6.1 INTRODUCTION 207 6.2 SMALL GRANT FUNDING 213 6.2.1 CULTURAL DIVERSITY DAY 214 6.2.2 PROMOTING FAMILY LEARNING 216 6.3 THE WORKPLACE AS A SITE OF INFORMAL LEARNING 219 6.3.1 LEARNING AT W ORK DAY 219 6.3.2 THE SKILLS STRATEGY 221 6.4 LEARNING ‘FOR FUN’ AND ‘FOR PLEASURE’ 224 6.4.1 CELEBRATING ‘CULTURE’ 224 6.4.2 LIFE, LEEKS AND LILIES 227 6.5 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 233 Building partnerships 234 Influencing policy 235 Acting as a critical friend 236 The mutual benefits of the national/local relationship 237 CHAPTER SEVEN: EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY 240 7.1 INTRODUCTION 240 7.2 OLDER LEARNERS 246 7.2.1 THE ‘AGEING SOCIETY’ 249 7.2.2 SILVER SURFERS’ DAY 251 7.3 ALW AND LEARNDIRECT 254 7.4 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 262 Building Partnerships 262 Influencing policy 264 Acting as a critical friend 265 The mutual benefits of the national/local relationship 265 CHAPTER EIGHT: SKILLS FOR LIFE 268 8.1 INTRODUCTION 268 8.2 EMBEDDING ‘BASIC SKILLS’ 273 8.2.1 ADULT AND COMMUNITY LEARNING FUND 275 8.2.2 RAISING AWARENESS AND BUILDING CAPACITY 280 8.3 EMERGING ‘SKILLS FOR LIFE’ 285 8.3.1 FINANCIAL LITERACY 285 8.3 MEDIA LITERACY 290 8.4 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 295 Building partnerships 295 Influencing policy 296 Acting as a critical friend 297 The mutual benefits of the national/local relationship 298 CHAPTER NINE: CONCLUSION 300 DOING A GENEALOGICAL ANALYSIS: WAS IT WORTH THE EFFORT? 301 The notion of the ‘general archive’ 301 The ‘tools’ for analysis 302 THE ADULT LEARNERS’ WEEK INITIATIVE: PUNCHING ABOVE ITS WEIGHT? 304 BIBLIOGRAPHY 309 NIACE ARCHIVE MATERIAL 326 APPENDICES 327 APPENDIX A: DISCOURSES OF SOCIAL EXCLUSION (BASED ON LEVITAS, 1998, P 27) 327 APPENDIX B - MAIN PROPOSALS AND KEY DATES: EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY AND FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION BILL (ENGLAND AND WALES), 1992 328 MAIN PROPOSALS IN RELATION TO FUNDING OF EDUCATION FOR ADULTS (POST 19) 328 KEY DATES 329 APPENDIX C: LOCAL AND REGIONAL ACTIVITIES ADULT LEARNERS' WEEK 1992330 APPENDIX D: SECOND CHANCE COMEDY SKETCHES (BBC PRESS SERVICE, 1992) 333 APPENDIX F HANDS UP IF YOU DON’T LIKE MATHS! 338 APPENDIX G: STATEMENT OF ETHICAL PRACTICE 339 APPENDIX H: INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS FOR OBSERVATIONS 341 Index of Tables and Figures Table 1: (Source: Table 0.1 Method versus analytical strategy, p.xiii) 75 Table 2: Identifying discursive formations; Adapted from Andersen (2003) p 14 – 16 81 Table 3: Comparison of KWNS and SWPR; (Adapted from Jessop, 2000, Tables 11.1 and 11.2 and p 172 - 175) 111 Table 4: 'Education for adults' and 'Courses for the leisure interests of adults 125 Figure I: Simplified family tree 72 Figure II: More complex family tree 73 Figure III: The genealogy of psychoanalysis 83 List of Abbreviations ACC Association of County Councils ACLF Adult and Community Learning Fund AdFLAG Adult Financial Literacy Advisory Group ALBSU Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit ALW Adult Learners’ Week AMA Association of Metropolitan Authorities AOC Association of Colleges BBC British Broadcasting Corporation BSA Basic Skills Agency CBI Confederation of British Industries CMPS Centre for Management and Policy Studies CPAG Child Poverty Action Group CSR Corporate Social Responsibility CSV Community Service Volunteers DES Department of Education and Science DFEE Department for Education and Employment DFES Department for Education and Skills DTI Department for Trade and Industry DWP Department for Work and Pensions EC European Commission EDAP Employee Development and Achievement Programme eGU e-Government Unit ERoSH Emerging Role of Sheltered Housing ESF European Social Fund ESOL English for Speakers of Other Languages EU European Union FE Further Education FEFC Further Education Funding Council FSA Financial Services Authority GEC General Electric Company IAG Information and Guidance ICT Information and Communication Technologies IEA Institute for Economic Affairs ILA Individual Learning Account ITV Independent Television .. .Discourses of Widening Participation and Social Inclusion Author: Jennifer Carr BSc (Hons) MSc (ERM) Discipline: Faculty of Education and Language Studies Submission For: Doctor of Philosophy... learning and widening participation are constructed in policy texts and practices I argue that dominant discourses of social inclusion, which emphasise equality of opportunity brought about through participation. .. designed to widen participation in post-compulsory learning and notions of social inclusion Whilst both widening participation and social inclusion can be viewed as distinct policy areas, the focus