Distance travelled: outcomes and evidence in flexible learning options

Abstract

Flexible learning options (FLOs) provide individualised learning pathways for disengaged young people with strong emphasis on inclusivity and wellbeing support. Amidst a rapid expansion of Australia's flexible learning sector, service providers are under increasing pressure to substantiate participant outcomes. This paper stems from a national study of the value of FLOs to young people and the broader Australian community. The study enumerates the outcomes valued by flexible learning practitioners, as well as the various evidence forms they cite to substantiate participant outcomes. Framing success as 'distance travelled' (i.e., an individual's progress relative to his or her own starting point), practitioners demonstrate critical awareness of the social and structural mechanisms by which young people are marginalised from mainstream schooling. Holistic assessment practices also reveal practitioners' efforts to expand the terms of reference by which educational outcomes may be validated in alternative education settings.

‘You don’t have to feel trapped’: architectural discourses of youth engagement in a community-based learning environment

“…Previous studies in the field of alternative education found significance in determining qualitatively personal progress of distance travelled (Thomas et al, 2017); and the centrality of interpersonal relationships for envisaging aspirational futures (McGregor et al, 2017;Mills & McGregor, 2014;Vadeboncoeur & Vallos, 2016;Vadeboncoeur & Padilla-Petry, 2017). This paper contributes to the knowledge of community-based alternative learning environments as places free from the trappings of rigid, formal learning environments.…”

“…Second, at the level of the local and particular, judgements have been made about the spatial and social architectures of alternative learning environments, some of which were deemed to be innovative in their potential to engage marginalised young people (Edwards, 2018;Mills & McGregor, 2014;McGregor, Mills, te Riele et al, 2017;Thomas et al, 2017;Vadeboncoeur & Velos, 2016). Edwards's (2018) ethnographic study in the United Kingdom investigated a youth centre's alternative curriculum cocreated with disengaged secondary school students, youth leaders, family and teachers.…”

“…In fact, Lamb et al (2020) identified that 18.4%, or 58,486 of 19-year-olds in Australia, were early school leavers as they did not meet the key milestone of Year 12 completion. These young people are therefore considered to be less likely to engage in further education, training, or employment (Thomas et al, 2017). Early school leaving can be attributed to the focus of learning in schools being too narrowly driven by the need for learning certification, where attaining educational capital (the symbolic capital associated with gaining formal academic certification) overshadows a curriculum that serves a broader purpose of holistic growth and citizenship (Hofer et al, 2021;te Riele et al, 2017).…”

Functional skills for learners with special educational needs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The results of Naidu's (2019) study show that learners with learning disabilities perceived flexible learning as challenging to conceptualise. It needs a personalised learning strategy for the learners, which will be difficult to administer by parents who are not experts on the learning strategy (Thomas et al, 2017). The undying issue of accessibilities and the need for resources in implementation would always be a great challenge for the teachers, learners and parents (Kadoic et al, 2017;Wong, 2019).…”

What are the affordances of the digital music space in alternative education? A reflection on an exploratory music outreach project in rural Australia

“…Music also contributes to generative learning environments when it is meaningful for children. The emotional climate of learning spaces has been shown to be vital to children's disposition to learn (Mills & McGregor, 2016;Tyng et al, 2017) and emotional wellbeing has been linked to literacy and matriculation (Thomas et al, 2017). Education providers often require children to fit into set structures and learning styles, which may be experienced as oppressive and/or combative by the school student (Mills & McGregor, 2014).…”