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This study explored the experiences of non-traditional adult learners encountering barriers to post-secondary learning, who were engaged in three Canadian versions of the Clemente Program, a program which offers entry-level humanities courses (e.g. Philosophy, English Literature, and History) to low-income adult learners.
In 1995, journalist and social critic Earl Shorris launched the first humanities course directed toward the poor and disenfranchised in New York City and, since the inaugural course, the Clemente Program has been held in numerous centers across the United States, Canada, Australia and Mexico. The course is named after the Roberto Clemente family guidance centre in lower Manhattan, a facility that provides counselling to poor people in their own language and in their own community.
The learning experiences of many of the adults enrolled in Radical Humanities Programs have been transformational, as evidenced in their shift from disengagement to hopeful engagement in the learning process and their pursuit of lifelong learning, both in post-secondary settings and self-directed learning activities. Our research question was: What elements of the Clemente program facilitate access to transformational learning for non-traditional adult learners in Canada.
By conducting an in-depth case study on three Canadian versions of this humanities program, we were able to access adults who had previously experienced barriers to education and learning, including a “lack of academic preparation, lack of finances, social issues, cultural issues, and overwhelming family responsibilities.
In their 2006 report on barriers to participation in adult learning MacKeracher, Suart, & Potter indicated we do not have adequate knowledge about how non-traditional adult learners experience barriers to learning and understand themselves as learners. Nor are there adequate examples of how programs create supportive learning communities for these learners. Studying three Canadian versions of the Clemente program provided us with a significant opportunity to address these gaps and to develop a profile of non-traditional adult learners in Canada who had previously been unable to gain access to further education. Developing a profile of these learners and conducting a comparative analysis of three programs provided insight into the factors that inhibit and facilitate learning for non-traditional learners in Canada.
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