Cara, O; Duckworth, K; (2012) The Relationship between Adult Learning and Wellbeing: Evidence from the 1958 National Child Development Study. (BIS RESEARCH PAPERS 94 , pp. pp. 1-43 ). Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: London, UK.

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Abstract

Consistent with previous literature on the wider benefits of lifelong learning, our findings show that it is those who already have good levels of education who engage in adult education. Much of participation in lifelong learning then is for the sake of learning itself rather than for progression or up-skilling. Our results are in line with Heckman’s view that ‘learning begets learning’. However, our findings do indicate that this may depend on the circumstances which motivate participation in the first place. For example, our descriptive results suggest that individuals who are economically inactive and particularly those who are unemployed are more likely than those in employment to gain qualifications at both time points. Similarly, we show evidence that the effects of learning on individual wellbeing are not necessarily linear or straightforward. While it remains a priority to identify the relationship between learning and individual outcomes, it is also necessary to understand the reasons, motivation and context for participation if we are also to gain an understanding of the mechanisms that connect lifelong learning with its wider benefits.

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