Tel: (01524) 594067 Fax: (01524) 592914 E-mail: a.houghton@lancaster.ac.uk
Research
Please note on 1st October 2006 the Community Access Programme became the REAP: Researching Equity, Access and Participation Group. This is an archive site. Please click link to go to the REAP Website.
Adult
Learning and Community Development
Family Learning
Teaching and Learning
Educational Guidance
Working in Partnership
The Community Access Programme(CAP) is located in Lancaster University's
Department of Educational Research that was awarded grade 5 in the last
national Research Assessment Exercise. The CAP pursues a range of research
activities, which have relevance to the theme of educational equality.
As a research and development programme our work is predominately, though
not exclusively based on action research cycles. The focus for our research
is usually designed to extend our understanding of situations in which
we work and to give voice to the learners, community tutors, and voluntary
sector representatives with whom we seek to develop inclusive provision.
A list of papers and reports is listed below for further information please
contact Ann-Marie Houghton For papers marked *
Adult Learning and Community Development
Research in this area has arisen from policy and community based issues associated with our widening participation projects and focused on the needs and interests of unemployed adults, women with caring responsibilities, adults with a disability and members of minority ethnic communities.
Houghton, A (2003) 'The Many Voices
of the InvisibleCitizen: Disabled People Speaking Out' in P Coare
and R Johnston (Eds) Adult Learning, citizenship and community voices,
Leicester: NIACE
Preece, J and Houghton, A-M (2000)
Nurturing Social Capital in Excluded Communities: A kind of Higher
Education, Aldershot: Ashgate
Houghton, A-M (1999a) 'Confidence,
communication and citizenship: enterprising community learning',
Social Change and Active Citizenship in the Learning Society. European
Society for Research in the Education of Adults (ESREA), (10-13 September):
Adam Mickiesvick University - Posnan.
Houghton, A-M (1999b) 'Voyages
of discovery: deciding a convenient time, place and pace to suit adult
learners in the community', in B Merrill (ed) The Final Frontier:
Exploring Spaces in the Education of Adults., ( 5-7 July): p 142-147,
SCUTREA - Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the
Education of Adults: University of Warwick.
Houghton, A-M and Ali, H (1999) 'Voices from the Community',
Widening participation and Lifelong learning 1(3): 45-46.
Houghton, A-M and Ali, H (2000) 'Voices
from the community: the challenge of creating a culturally relevant curriculum
and inclusive learning environment', in A Jackson and D Jones
(eds) Researching Inclusion. 30th Annual Conference, (3-5 July): p 146-153,
Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education
of Adults (SCUTREA): Nottingham University
Family Learning
Family learning is a central focus of our new Lancashire Intergenerational Multicultural Education (LIME) project and an ongoing theme of our African Caribbean and Asian Curriculum. Our Families And Higher Education Decision-making (FAHED) project illustrates how the widening participation agenda is influenced by the family context. A unifying theme of our family learning research is the relationship between various players - parents, children, local community, school, further and higher education.
Ali, H and Houghton, A-M (2000)
'Voices from the community: parents, education and faith', Religion,
family values and education?, (3rd - 5th March): Cambridge University.
Houghton, A-M (2002) Reaching
out reaching In etc Capital in Excluded Communities: A kind of Higher
Education, Aldershot: Ashgate
Houghton, A Sharples, H (2001) 'Families
and Higher Education Decision-making: a day trip to raise awareness, break
barriers and widen participation' at SCUTREA Conference TRAVELLERS'
TALES: From adult education to lifelong learning … and beyond 3-5th
July 2001, University of East London
Houghton, A-M (2000) 'Families
Into Higher Education Project (FIHEP) and Families And Higher Education
Decision-making (FAHED) Report to Esmee Fairburn Trust and HEFCE Widening
Participation.' Lancaster: Lancaster University
Teaching and Learning
Houghton, A-M (1998) 'Worth the paper it is written on? An exploration of tutor feedback on undergraduate essay writing': Unpublished: Lancaster University.
Houghton, A-M (1998c) 'Guidance as research, teaching and learning', in R Benn (ed) Research, teaching, learning: making connections in the education of adults, (6-8 July): 113-119, University of Exeter for Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults: Exeter University.
Educational Guidance
Houghton A-M (2003) The initial
guidance learning project: a framework for exploring the journey leading
to part time PhD study. Lancaster University
Houghton, A-M (2001) 'An Igglipp or Initial Guidance Learning project:
revisiting, revising and reviewing Tough’s notion of a learning
project.', in I Davidson, D Murphy, B Piette (eds) Speaking in tongues:
languages of lifelong learning. Proceedings of the 33rd annual conference
of SCUTREA, (1-3 July): 104-109,Standing Conference on University Teaching
and Research in the Education of Adults: University of Bangor.
Houghton, A-M (2001) 'Do experienced educational travellers planning
the PhD journey of a lifetime need educational guidance?', in
L West, N Miller, D O'Reilly and R Allen (eds) Travellers' Tales: from
adult education to lifelong learning ... and beyond. Proceedings of the
31st annual conference of SCUTREA, (4-6th July): 190-194, Standing Conference
on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults: University
of East London.
Houghton, A-M (1998a) 'Extending
the Guidance Boundaries: an exploration of educative and empowering guidance
strategies for learners who have been long term unemployed',
in J Preece, with, C Weatherald and M Woodrow (eds) Beyond the Boundaries:
exploring the potential of widening provision in higher education, p 20-30,
Leicester: NIACE.
Houghton, A-M and Bokhari, R (1998) 'Guiding Differently', Adults
Learning 9(7): 15 - 17.
Houghton, A-M and Bokhari, R (1997)
'Creating an Environment for Enabling and Empowering Students in the
Community: Guiding Differently', in K Hurley (ed) University
Continuing Education, Partnership for Development, (23rd - 25th June):
p 31-34, UACE: University College Dublin.
Houghton, A-M and Oglesby, K L (1996) 'Guidance and Learner Support:
Developing Threshold Standards', Adults Learning 7(6): 146-147.
Oglesby, L and Houghton, A-M (1997) 'Exploring threshold standards
for guidance and learner support', in HEQC (ed) Managing Guidance
in Higher Education. Using quality assurance guidelines: selected case
studies., p 58-65, London: HEQC.
Working in Partnership
Partnership is an integral aspect of all CAP work. With respect to our research, it is a theme that permeates our work in adult and community development and family learning. The following two papers consider the partnership we have with our community tutors and contacts within the voluntary sector. *
Houghton, A-M (1997b) 'Learning From Each Other: Staff Development
with Community Partners and Tutors', FACE Annual Conference - Communities,
Opportunities and Higher Education, (7th - 9th July): p1-7, University
of Sunderland.
Houghton, A-M (1997c) 'Learning how to work as partners. The 3 MP's
- Meeting as Partners and Making Plans for Mutual Progress', Empowering
Education: Student diversity, tutor training and part time HE students,
UACE Discipline Network on Empowering Education and Training, (12 -13th
May): p1-7, Sussex University.
Further information:
Houghton, A (2003) 'The Many Voices of the InvisibleCitizen: Disabled People Speaking Out' in P Coare and R Johnston (Eds) Adult Learning, citizenship and community voices, Leicester: NIACE
This chapter discusses how community learning can be used to support the goal of promoting inclusive, pluralistic and reflexive active citizenship of disabled people.
--------
Preece, J and Houghton, A-M (2000) Nurturing Social Capital in Excluded Communities: A kind of Higher Education, Aldershot: Ashgate
This text brings together two action research cycles. The first cycle considers the impact of universities working with three groups of adult learners - older adults, Asian heritage women and adults with a disability. The second cycle explores the educational guidance needs and community based delivery for the same three groups of learners. It includes policy recommendations pertinent to the current widening participation agenda.
----------
Houghton, A-M (1999a) 'Confidence, communication and citizenship: enterprising community learning', Social Change and Active Citizenship in the Learning Society. European Society for Research in the Education of Adults (ESREA), (10-13 September): Adam Mickiesvick University - Posnan.
Explores the possibilities and practicalities associated with encouraging and facilitating active citizenship for adults with disability. *
----------
Houghton, A-M (1999b) 'Voyages of discovery: deciding a convenient time, place and pace to suit adult learners in the community', in B Merrill (ed) The Final Frontier: Exploring Spaces in the Education of Adults., ( 5-7 July): p 142-147, SCUTREA - Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults: University of Warwick.
This paper considers the challenges facing university based development staff. It highlights factors that they need to consider for effective course development that is responsive to the needs of adult learners. It explores the challenge of bridging two different cultural communities of practice - university and community.
-----------
Houghton, A-M and Ali, H (1999) 'Voices from the Community', Widening participation and Lifelong learning 1(3): 45-46.
Houghton, A-M and Ali, H (2000) 'Voices from the community: the challenge of creating a culturally relevant curriculum and inclusive learning environment', in A Jackson and D Jones (eds) Researching Inclusion. 30th Annual Conference, (3-5 July): p 146-153, Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults (SCUTREA): Nottingham University
These papers provide insights into an innovative project with Muslim women who attended a foundation credit enterprise course that involved them representing the CAP and their local community and explaining factors that can aid or inhibit participation in education.
---------
Ali, H and Houghton, A-M (2000) 'Voices from the community: parents, education
and faith', Religion, family values and education?, (3rd - 5th March):
Cambridge University.
The papers reports on how a higher education approach of critical thinking can be included within a curriculum designed to enable Muslim women to gain confidence and deepen their understanding of religious and cultural issues that impact on their family's education in school and in the mosque.*
----------
Houghton, A-M (2002) Reaching out reaching In etc Capital in Excluded Communities: A kind of Higher Education, Aldershot: Ashgate
This paper reviews how feedback from parents participating in the FAHED Cycle was used to bring about institutional change. It argues the importance of HE listening and responding to feedback from parents in order to address cultural and social concerns which operate as barriers to widening participation.
--------
Houghton, A Sharples, H (2001) 'Families and Higher Education Decision-making: a day trip to raise awareness, break barriers and widen participation' at SCUTREA Conference TRAVELLERS' TALES: From adult education to lifelong learning … and beyond 3-5th July 2001, University of East London
This paper proudes an overview of the experiences of Asian heritage families living in East Lancashire. Pupils attend an 11-16 school and a key concern is the successful transition to Further Education.
-----------
Houghton, A-M (2000) 'Families Into Higher Education Project (FIHEP) and Families And Higher Education Decision-making (FAHED) Report to Esmee Fairburn Trust and HEFCE Widening Participation.' Lancaster: Lancaster University
This report is one of a series that looks at the views of families from different backgrounds and considers how higher education working in partnership with parents, pupils and schools can identify and seek to tackle barriers to widening participation. See also Families And Higher Education Decision-making project for further details. *
---------
Houghton, A-M (1998) 'Worth the paper it is written on? An exploration of tutor feedback on undergraduate essay writing': Unpublished: Lancaster University.
This unpublished paper explores the strategies used by tutors to offer
feedback and develop academic writing of first year undergraduate students.
----------
Houghton, A-M (1998c) 'Guidance as research, teaching and learning', in
R Benn (ed) Research, teaching, learning: making connections in the education
of adults, (6-8 July): 113-119, University of Exeter for Standing Conference
on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults: Exeter
University.
This paper explores the benefits of building in an action research cycle
into the staff development activities of tutors teaching adult learners
within a community context. It shows how the research process can assist
in reflective practice and aid in understanding the learning and support
needs of adult
learners without recent experience of education.
----------
Houghton A-M (2003) The initial guidance learning project: a framework
for exploring the journey leading to part time PhD study. Lancaster University
This doctoral research links adult learning theories, educational guidance and develops the notion of an 'initial guidance learning project' to describe the pre entry experiences of two groups of part time PhD students. *
--------
Houghton, A-M (2001) 'An Igglipp or Initial Guidance Learning project: revisiting, revising and reviewing Tough’s notion of a learning project.', in I Davidson, D Murphy, B Piette (eds) Speaking in tongues: languages of lifelong learning. Proceedings of the 33rd annual conference of SCUTREA, (1-3 July): 104-109,Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults: University of Bangor.
Houghton, A-M (2001) 'Do experienced educational travellers planning the PhD journey of a lifetime need educational guidance?', in L West, N Miller, D O'Reilly and R Allen (eds) Travellers' Tales: from adult education to lifelong learning ... and beyond. Proceedings of the 31st annual conference of SCUTREA, (4-6th July): 190-194, Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults: University of East London.
These papers explore the pre entry educational guidance needs of part-time PhD students registering for a professional PhD. The 2003 paper outlines further developments to Tough's notion of a learning project which was used as a tool for understanding the guidance journey of part time PhD students discussed in the 2001 paper. *
---------
Houghton, A-M (1998a) 'Extending the Guidance Boundaries: an exploration of educative and empowering guidance strategies for learners who have been long term unemployed', in J Preece, with, C Weatherald and M Woodrow (eds) Beyond the Boundaries: exploring the potential of widening provision in higher education, p 20-30, Leicester: NIACE.
Based on an analysis of educational guidance for a group of unemployed
adults, this paper develops a notion of four 'guidance continuum' that
can be used to categorise and discuss the nature of educational guidance
provision. 'Guidance continuum' include:
individual - group
formal - informal
spontaneous - planned
compulsory-optional
------------
Houghton, A-M and Bokhari, R (1998) 'Guiding Differently', Adults Learning 9(7): 15 - 17.
Houghton, A-M and Bokhari, R (1997) 'Creating an Environment for Enabling and Empowering Students in the Community: Guiding Differently', in K Hurley (ed) University Continuing Education, Partnership for Development, (23rd - 25th June): p 31-34, UACE: University College Dublin.
These papers report on how guidance for adults with limited, or without recent educational experience, needs to recognise their 'pre, pre entry guidance needs'. The notion of pre, pre entry phase covers learners who are not yet operating at the pre entry phase that guidance models often assume learners have reached.*
-----------
Houghton, A-M and Oglesby, K L (1996) 'Guidance and Learner Support: Developing Threshold Standards', Adults Learning 7(6): 146-147.
Oglesby, L and Houghton, A-M (1997) 'Exploring threshold standards for guidance and learner support', in HEQC (ed) Managing Guidance in Higher Education. Using quality assurance guidelines: selected case studies., p 58-65, London: HEQC.
These papers provide a practical account and a policy based discussion offering recommendations for the development of guidance within a community and continuing education context. They are based on a pilot study using the HEQC guidelines for guidance and learner support in higher education.
----------
Houghton, A-M (1997b) 'Learning From Each Other: Staff Development with
Community Partners and Tutors', FACE Annual Conference - Communities,
Opportunities and Higher Education, (7th - 9th July): p1-7, University
of Sunderland.
Houghton, A-M (1997c) 'Learning how to work as partners. The 3 MP's - Meeting as Partners and Making Plans for Mutual Progress', Empowering Education: Student diversity, tutor training and part time HE students, UACE Discipline Network on Empowering Education and Training, (12 -13th May): p1-7, Sussex University