Buchanan, Denise;
(2011)
Barriers to learning among learners with mental health difficulties.
Masters thesis (M.A), Institute of Education, University of London.
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Abstract
Despite Mind (2011) suggesting that as many as one in four people will have a diagnosis of mental illness at some stage in their lives, learners with mental health difficulties are underrepresented in Further Education (FE) college. The Kennedy report (1997) recommended that participation is widened to FE colleges to include those who are disadvantaged through social factors or disability, yet this has proved to be difficult to achieve. Also, this underrepresentation is reflected in the lack of educational research which has been carried out among learners with mental health difficulties, yet among the studies that do exist, there is much concordance that education can have a far-reaching beneficial effect on their lives. The overall aim of this research was to investigate barriers to learning that existed among adult learners who had mental health difficulties and how they perceived they could be overcome. Five learners from a cookery course were studied using a case study approach and the results revealed that there were many fears connected with the learning process itself and of the teacher. The recommendations they made for future learners included making more non accredited courses available and enabling potential learners to visit the college and meet the teacher beforehand in order to lower their fears. The results revealed that once the barriers were overcome, their learning had a huge impact not just on their cookery skills, but on their lives as a whole. The study recommends that colleges employ mental health advisers who can help by educating and supporting both the teachers and the learners. It also recommends that more research is carried out concerning the importance of the teacher-student relationship and in the area of mental illness and education as a whole.
| Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | M.A |
| Title: | Barriers to learning among learners with mental health difficulties |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10144873 |
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