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Tremlett, Park and Dundon-Smith 1995
Citation Text:
Tremlett, N., Park, A. and Dundon-Smith, D. (1995) Individual commitment to learning: further findings from the individual surveys. Research Series 54. Social and Community Planning Research. Sheffield: Employment Department.Editorial Comment:
Focus of study
This study analyses data collected in 1993 on individuals' attitudes to, and experiences of commitment learning. 1,403 individuals aged 16-54 years were interviewed. Information, advice and guidance was amongst the key issues studied.
Key findings
Provision of information or specialist guidance before a learning episode did not in itself have any apparent effect on respondents' views of the outcome (eg getting a job or promotion). Information and specialist guidance which respondents categorised as fairly or very useful was associated with such outcomes. There is also an association between perceived usefulness of information and satisfaction with learning and perceived usefulness of specialist guidance and satisfaction with learning. These findings need to be interpreted with caution as the numbers of respondents who categorised information and specialist advice as ‘not very useful’/not at all useful’ were small. The most commonly reported beneficial outcomes of learning were employment-related.
Additional comments
It is difficult to draw any clear conclusions from this study. The report highlights the problem of evaluating the effects of guidance using subjective and retrospective perceptions as the learning experience may influence subsequent views of the guidance leading to it. The study also shows the importance of distinguishing in evaluations between different information and specialist guidance, and taking account of perceptions of the quality.