An investigation into male participation in adult education classes at Endleleni Public Adult Learning Centre.

Abstract

This study focuses on gender, with a particular interest in male participation in adult education centres. The attention is on men because from my experience there are few men in these centres. The purpose was to explore the factors impacting on male participation in adult education centres, with particular reference to Endleleni AET centre in Madadeni, Newcastle in the northern KwaZulu-Natal province. A qualitative case study approach was adopted within the interpretive paradigm to explore the men’s views about education, their experiences of learning and the factors that affect their participation in an adult centre. Qualitative research was appropriate because it seeks to explain and understand social phenomena within their natural setting. The data were collected by means of a life history interview, discussion with men and individual interviews with teachers, as well as class observation. This was done for triangulation purposes. Collected data were analysed by means of both inductive and deductive approaches, and themes were identified. Guided by Rogers’ concept of motivation and Owens’ barriers to learning, the study explored the motivation of men to register at the centre. It has been argued that motivation varies between individual men and can determine the reasons for a man to participate in adult classes. Gender inequality in the provision of adult education may steer men away from engaging in educational activities. This creates pressure among men and they may find themselves responding differently to situations. This research has revealed that men are aware of the benefit of education but their participation gets affected by a combination of factors, which may stem from a man’s disposition, his situation or from the institution itself. Men’s participation may also be influenced by community expectations, their cultural norms and the manner in which they respond to these in different ways. However, the men in this study who do attend, feel they have gained many benefits from adult classes.