Education for social care workers—the views of course participants

It is widely acknowledged that the experiences of the adult le::1.rner returning co education 1nd the experiences of the younger student are very di.fferem. For the 1dult learner, fin:rncial situation. motivation. seu:confidence, familiarity with the world of employment and unfamiliarity with the world of books. papers and assessments place chem in a very different arena co the regular full-time student. Subsequenclv, the needs of md [be approach taken to learning by adults, are likely to be quite different from those ot' students who have not left mainstream education. A.n adult education approach encourages learners co dr.iw on their past and current experience in the home, family and in work environments, and to use these experiences to consider critically the inlormation presented to them. Adult learners are often more likely to focus on the relevance of information rn their work or home situation. In the '.lrea of educ:ition and training in social care, an opportun.irv to compare the ideas of cominuing full-time students with adult learners arose in the comexc of a study on the need to train formal social care workers who work wich older people. In Ireland. the pro\•ision ot' social care education and uaining cakes pl:ice boch through ac.Juit educ:.1tion and through .full-time, mainstream forms of delivery. A..n 1n::ilysis of responses made by both groups of learners forms the basis of this::ircicle.