1st Edition

The Benefits of Learning The Impact of Education on Health, Family Life and Social Capital

    224 Pages
    by Routledge

    224 Pages
    by Routledge

    How do education and learning really impact on people's lives?
    The Benefits of Learning is a detailed, systematic and vivid account of the impact of formal and informal education on people's lives. Based on extended interviews with adults of all ages, it shows how learning affects their health, family lives and participation in civic life, revealing the downsides of education as well as the benefits. At a time when education is in danger of being narrowly regarded as an instrument of economic growth, this study covers:
    * the interaction between learning and people's physical and psychological well-being
    * the way learning impacts on family life and communication between generations
    * the effect on people's ability and motivation to take part in civic and community life.
    Packed with detail from adults' own accounts of their lives, the book reveals how learning enables people to sustain themselves and their communities in the face of daily stresses and strains, as well as sometimes transforming their lives.
    The book opens up new avenues for debate. It is a valuable resource for education researchers and of particular interest to education policy makers, adult education practitioners, health educators and postgraduate students in education.

    Part 1: Background and Approach 1. Studying Benefits 2. Three Capitals: A Framework Part 2: Themes and Case Studies 3. The Impacts of Learning on Well-being, Mental Health and Effective Coping 4. Mental Health and Well-being Throughout the Lifecourse 5. Family Life and Learning: Emergent Themes 6. Family life illustrated: transitions,responsibilities and attitudes 7. 'A continuous effort of sociability': Learning and Social Capital in Adult Life 8. Lifelong Learning and Civic Participation: Inclusion, Exclusion and Community Part 2: Drawing Together 9. The Benefits of Adult Learning: Quantitative Insights 10. Reappraising Benefits

    Biography

    The authors are all members of the Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning, University of London.

    'The case studies, in particular, make fascinating reading: a reminder, if one was needed of the inadequacies of much of our statutory school provision.' - Michael Duffy, TES

    'The Benefits of Learning is an important book. Everyone who works with adult learners will find benefits from reading it the authors are to be congratulated in enriching our understanding of what education can and cannot be expected to achieve.' - Alan Tuckett, Director of NIACE in Adults Learning

    'This is a scholarly and carefully argued book.' - Mental Health Today