Over 80 per cent of the students expected to find that the program would be difficult and the workload heavy, but nearly two thirds of them also thought that they would manage and would pass. This latter expectation firmed up for some and applied to a larger number of students once the course was underway compared with their initial thoughts and feelings before they commenced their studies. For example, the 2002 internal university evaluation reported that having successfully completed semester 1, the PAL students were
Gaining in confidence and pursuing the possibility of university study with enthusiasm and new insights.
Comments from the interviews with the staff reflected this growth in their students’ confidence as they got on top of the course in the earlier stages of the year, and recognised their own learning, and development, and growth.
They feel confident because they have had good feedback. They also feel confident because they can see [their progress] themselves, where they’ve come from. They can see that progress…So, they’re happy with what they’re learning.
Very few of them however thought that studying the PAL program would be easier for them as second time learners, nor that it would be like beginning secondary school all over again. In other words, at the commencement of their studies the UniSA-PAL students had realistic expectations about the challenges they would be facing, recognising that they had been away from learning for some time and having had negative experiences of education in the past, but they were not daunted or overwhelmed by this. Nevertheless many of them also acknowledged feelings of insecurity about their own abilities in the face of these challenges – anxiety about not being good enough - which it appears they counteracted or controlled through their determination and motivation. This latter aspect is a crucial and differentiating factor with all of the students in UniSA-PAL, as discussed below. In addition many comments reflected the additional determination which they generated from the satisfaction and enjoyment they were experiencing from their learning.
The workload is more than I realised but because I am enjoying the work it is a lot easier than I anticipated.
I find the course demanding which affects my family and personal life, but the benefits outweigh negative problems.
These expectations, reactions and feelings were consistent in their nature and frequency across the students’ questionnaire responses in all four schools.
The students’ experiences of the course, midway through it, are reflected in their responses to the question about the most enjoyable aspects of the course. Responses consistently include references to their real satisfaction from responding effectively to the many challenges involved in undertaking the course, as well as their pleasure and excitement from what they are learning, about the world but equally about themselves.
The content of the course is interesting, stimulating and challenging
Challenging my mind, engaging in intellectual debate
Expanding my knowledge and broadening my mind
A sense of achievement every time I complete an assignment
The challenge of studying again
Being critical and [being able] to use this skill in everyday life
I don’t feel as isolated or as bored as I did before starting this
Also the way I can now look at things...with a different view
To feel a sense of achievement
Acquiring new knowledge and insight[s]
The staff interviews also pick up on this possibly unexpected aspect of the outcomes for their students of undertaking the PAL course.
It’s just the joy of learning that you see in them…It’s inspiring.
The buzz is there [for me as a teacher] because you see the realization in students that they’ve actually got a mind and the mind works and they can stand tall.
The staff comments throw more light on the nature and level of the course as well, especially in contrast to year 11 and 12 studies which are part of the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE). The staff teaching the PAL course commented that it is more challenging and that the standard is higher than for SACE subjects, but that their students’ higher motivation and their achievements were significant in enabling them to respond successfully to its demands.
It’s just wonderful to see what they are doing [in Critical Literacy]. They are really students…serious ‘critiquers’ of the subject…They are fascinated [with what they are learning] and proud of themselves [for what they are thinking and achieving].
Overwhelmingly the staff interviews confirmed that the PAL course is a better preparation for university study than SACE studies, and comments were made about the irrelevance for adult students heading for university level study of many of the subject areas required by the SACE . Further comments were made about the content of UniSA-PAL being more “adult” and that it is a more integrated and cohesive course of study.