Literacy and older people in Ireland - NEW!
This research was undertaken against a background of the emergence of ‘ageing societies’ across most countries worldwide. According to CSO in 2006 the percentage of Irish people aged 65 years and over stood at 11.2% of the overall population. By 2950 this figure will have increased to 26.3% of the population. Older people constitute the largest group with literacy and numeracy difficulties in Ireland mainly because of the relatively late introduction of free second level education in 1967. This is evidenced by the Irish results of the International Adult Literacy Survey 1997.
In a society often dominated by the values of the economy, the 'It's never to late to learn' report highlights the wider and significant benefits of literacy learning to older people including personal development and confidence building. These gains are amply illustrated in the various poignant accounts of learners in the report and should not be undervalued for their important contribution to peoples’ quality of life and well being.
A total of twenty four older people between the ages of fifty one and eighty years were recruited into the study. A summary of the main findings from the study are presented below.
• The respondents described strong negative views about their formal schooling experiences. The experience had instilled in the older learners a sense of failure, disappointment and shame. This negative experience of formal schooling has had an impact on their attitude towards formal learning throughout their lives to date.
• The respondents reported that their employment histories had consisted of engaging in what they describe as manual, menial labour that involved working unsocial hours. They gave accounts of how they had gravitated towards this type of employment because of their lack of educational attainment and literacy difficulties.
• The findings suggest that for a significant number of the older learners some family occasions, for example, birthdays and anniversaries could be stressful events. Because of literacy difficulties some of the older learners had never bought a birthday card for family members, instead they gave gifts that did not require them to read or write i.e. gifts of money.
• Overall, our findings show that engagement with adult literacy services was a positive adjustment in the lives of the older learners. In the majority of cases it resulted in improved reading and writing skills, increased self-confidence and a welcome extension of oftentimes limited social networks.
‘Learning through life’ is a qualitative study that examined the attitudes and experiences of older people with literacy difficulties who do not engage with adult literacy services. The study explored with the older people any education and service needs they may have and identify any significant barriers that impede their return to education, should they choose to do so.
To date there is a dearth of research into older people’s experience of learning and education over the course of their lives. There is little known about the factors that could affect whether they choose to learn in later life, about what and how they choose to learn, and about the role learning plays in their life as they get older. This cohort of older people reminds us that older people are not a homogenous group, but have specific needs and changing wants. These should be taken into consideration when trying to recruit, design and deliver learning opportunities.
The research investigated the attitudes, experiences and views of older people with literacy difficulties who do not engage with adult literacy services. The study explored the impact of these difficulties on their lives and identified barriers to returning to education. A total of fifty older people aged sixty to eighty plus years participated in the research.
The main findings from the research show that:
• The older people reported negative experiences, on a personal and social level, as a direct result of their literacy difficulties. Confidence and self-esteem were negatively impacted by literacy problems for some, but not all, of the older people interviewed;
• Practical coping strategies included excuses and pretence regarding the level of literacy difficulty. In particular a reliance on spouses, family members, work colleagues or service providers to assist with literacy related tasks;
• A wide range of physical, psychological, and social barriers are encountered by older people, all of which can prevent them from accessing learning – both on basic skills and other lifelong learning programmes. These include physical barriers such as poor health, lack of transportation, and inconvenience of the location are reported as well as psychological barriers including fear and embarrassment, poor past experiences of formal education and lack of self-esteem;
• Social barriers also exist and cover ageist attitudes, and the feeling that the voice of the older person is often unheard or given little weight or consideration. Furthermore, there can be reluctance to participate in mixed-generational classes.
