Combating social exclusion in university adult education - Julia Preece

This book presents a critical analysis of social exclusion across the education system and how it affects adult learners who take part in university adult education. It draws on the life histories and learning experiences of thirty marginalized adults and traces their changing identities during targeted community provision. These stories are contrasted with the perspectives of university continuing education providers to show how higher education can either exclude or include depending on whether the marginalised voice is privileged or silenced through the provision on offer. Theoretical concepts of discourse and difference are used to explain and offer new solutions to the old problem of educational disadvantage. Contents include an overview of the wider UK political context, notions of 'appropriate' university learning, insights into the creation of social exclusion through the education system, strategies for inclusion of difference, the development of learner identities and recommendations for alternative strategies for social inclusion.