Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This project explores what makes numeracy further education in different geographical areas in England.

Its specific aims are:

• to investigate ways in which teachers' knowledge of learners' numerate practices outside the classroom inform numeracy teaching inside the classroom
• to investigate learners' reasons and motivations for attending adult numeracy classes
• to explore and describe some of the ways in which learning numeracy transforms learners' identities within and outside the classroom
• to investigate what learners consider being a numerate adult means in today's society
• to find out from learners how they use numeracy outside the classroom
• to describe and analyse how learners approach particular mathematical tasks/problems based in contexts outside the classroom.

The project investigated four adult numeracy classes which were working between Entry Level 1 and Level 2. The dataset comprises the interviews carried out with students, with the addition of some notes from teacher-researchers and some extracts from student diaries. The two principal methods of data collection were semi-participant observation within the classroom and loosely structured interviews. The study explored a particular and limited cohort of adult learners: these were students who attended discrete numeracy classes on a voluntary basis, who worked with very good teachers and were generally very well motivated. As this is a relatively small scale, interpretative project the researchers are unable to claim that their findings are representative of a larger population. Nevertheless, they consider their findings have wider implications for the teaching and learning of adult numeracy.