The place and influence of community education in people's lives : a study of Open University students in Glasgow's areas of multiple deprivation

Ibis thesis begins by examining various philosophies and models applied to social problems and community education. Policy analysis is carried out on Strathclyde Regional Council's social strategy and the Open University Community Education programme, and on the use of OU courses as a component of the social strategy. The research is concerned with students who took these courses in Glasgow's areas of multiple deprivation during the recent economic recession. It examines who participates and who benefits. and considers the place and influence of the courses in students' lives and in their communities. It recognises that students' personal characteristics and circumsiances have been and are affected by local services and facilities and by wider socioeconomic events and changes, and explores what influence community education has in the context of such opportunities and constraints. A life history approach is adopted which enables the activities and events in students' lives to be analysed into various careers - education, marital. childcare. employment, health, community and social: and to be represented as parallel lifelines. A longitudinal analysis shows that students' reactions to the courses are influenced by the stage they are at in each of these careers. This is followed by a systemic analysis focussing on the changes across all areas of their lives around the time of the courses and afterwards. These appear related to their social and economic instability Ue. marital breakdown or husbands' unemployment) and those with more instability have and make more changes and find the courses more helpful. 7be courses benefit those who are most disadvantaged in line with the objectives of the social strategy. A resource based model is proposed which attempts to explain why those with least resources have more changes in their lives and receive more help from the courses.