Why are some learners more successful than others in the completion of an ABET course? - a case study at a publishing company

Abstract

The provision of Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) in South Africa has evolved over time to meet the needs of political agendas of the day. Presently, ABET policy aims to redress the inequalities of education created by the apartheid and Bantu Education systems. To this end, government has established policies and frameworks to encourage learning in both formal and informal environments. ABET learners usually have a very specific sociological and historical autobiography. Their needs and responsibilities are different to those of younger learners. So, with this andragogical consideration in mind, I posed the question: “Why are some learners more successful than others in the completion of an ABET course? I conducted a case study at Belmont Publishers1. My primary research participants were company management, the ABET facilitator and the ABET learners. To gather data from these participants, I used qualitative research tools that included: questionnaires; interviews; focus group interviews; group work activities; and observations. My study focussed on the investigation of intrinsic and extrinsic factors that impact ABET success at the Belmont site. The views of the various research participants (the manager; the ABET facilitator and the ABET learners) are presented as either factors that contribute to learner failure at both intrinsic and extrinsic levels or factors that contribute to learner success at either an intrinsic or extrinsic level. 1 Name changed for reasons of confidentiality. From the findings that emerged from the case study of Belmont Publishers, recommendations are made to relevant stakeholders about factors that could potentially enhance ABET learning in South Africa. The study concludes with suggestions of other ABET related issues which could be researched.