The qualitative data summarised below concerns the students undertaking the UniSA-PAL course at Para West Adult Campus in 2002, and at the four South Australian adult re-entry schools, including Para West, in 2003. It has been analysed to give insights into these students’ motivation in undertaking the course, their expectations and experience of it, their learning and other support needs, barriers to their study, and how they would define their own success in terms of their year’s study in the UniSA-PAL course. The data has been extracted from two sources; from the 2002 and 2003 questionnaires which most of the students volunteered to complete, and from the interviews with the school Principal, the University’s coordinator of the UniSA-PAL project, with the teaching staff at Para West in 2002, and with the coordinators at each of the adult re-entry schools in 2003.
Responses to selected items from the UniSA-PAL student questionnaire 2002 and 2003
| Question 37: Expectations |
Totals |
Per cent |
| That the program would be difficult |
14 |
18.6 |
| That the program would be difficult but you would pass |
21 |
28 |
| That the workload would be heavy but you would manage |
27 |
36 |
| That it would be like starting secondary school all over again |
3 |
4 |
| Studying would be less difficult this time around |
10 |
13 |
| Question 39: Encouragement and support |
| Teachers |
48 |
65 |
| Other students |
9 |
12 |
| Family |
9 |
12 |
| Friends |
8 |
11 |
| Question 40: Reasons for enrolling |
| Ease of access of the program |
10 |
9 |
| Personal development |
23 |
23 |
| Possibility of undertaking further study at a tertiary institution |
46 |
45.5 |
| Greater opportunities for employment |
22 |
22 |
| Question 41: To feel successful |
| Completion of the program |
26 |
12 |
| Satisfactory completion of the program |
30 |
14 |
| High grades for your subjects |
25 |
12 |
| Gaining entrance into a tertiary institution |
48 |
23 |
| Gaining employment in a chosen field |
21 |
10 |
| That you have enjoyed the program |
22 |
10.5 |
| Challenged, expanded and developed your knowledge |
37 |
18 |
| Question 42: Impediments to study this year |
| Family commitments |
31 |
33 |
| Financial constraints |
12 |
13 |
| Learning and assessment requirements of subjects |
10 |
11 |
| Accessing teaching and learning resources |
3 |
3 |
| Time management |
34 |
36.5 |
| None |
3 |
3 |
| Other: health (x2); access to a PC; mental illness |
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