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This thesis aims to understand the catalysts and triggers that influence engagement in lifelong learning amongst adult learners undertaking access courses in the South Wales Valleys. As they are conceptualised within this thesis, catalysts and triggers pertain to how returners to formal learning explain their encounters with environmental influences, personal circumstances and shaping events throughout their lives. Together they constitute two interrelated influences in the lives of returners to learning that, when analysed, offer insight into learner participation and reengagement. The initial part of this thesis draws on a broad range of adult education literature to clarify the context of lifelong learning from the historical development of adult education to present initiatives, while exploring the development of the geographic region this study is situated in to contextualise some of the wider influences that may impact upon individual learner's reengagement. The latter component of the literature review draws together the previous research on more individual aspects of adult learner participation including motivation, lifespan development theory, learning careers work and research into learner trajectories. While much existing research is more functionalist in nature, failing to capture the perspective of the learners themselves, this research study eschews the deterministic conceptions of learner engagement by being situated within an interpretivist paradigm and focusing on deriving meaning from learners' lived experiences. The work adopts an interpretive interactionist perspective with a focus on creating meaning in social contexts and how individuals approach formal learning on the basis of prior personal experiences. The empirical data is collected via interviews with local South Wales adult education tutors and group interviews with access to higher education students at local further education colleges, which are supplemented by critical life path documents completed by the students. Key findings, derived through a grounded theory approach, and contributions to the literature in this field centre around the rich individual experiences of learners and the development of a conceptual framework outlining the diverse personal influences articulated by the learners and the convergence of multiple catalysts and triggers resulting in a powerful range of emotions and learning community engagement. The originality of the work lies in the interdisciplinary approach, the methods employed and the insights it provides into the unique influences on these participants' reengagement decisions in this context. The development of this framework constitutes an original contribution to knowledge as it has been constructed interpretively from the lived experience of learners, it offers greater contextual insight than existing models of participation and it focuses specifically on access learners and the context of the South Wales Valleys.

This research is driven from an increase in undergraduate withdrawal and failure rates in certain subject areas, especially the areas of science and technology. The aim of the study is to explore the various manifestations of 'failure', including: voluntary withdrawal, academic referral and underachievement. A specific scheme run by the School of the Built Environment (now School of Technology - Division of the Built Environment) at the University of Glamorgan is adopted as a case study. There is increasing concern with regard to the level of student academic ability and the quality and type of tuition received by students prior to their entry into Higher Education. This has become more apparent with increasing numbers of mature and non-traditional students coming into Higher Education without standard school-leaver entry qualifications. With increasing numbers of such candidates participating in Higher Education in the 1990's, it is feared that this will only be accompanied by an equal increase in the numbers of students who withdraw or are referred in their degree programmes. This study begins with a comprehensive literature review of both past and recent work on student withdrawal and failure in Higher Education both from within the UK and from overseas. A preliminary study has been completed during the first year of the project. This study identified one specific degree course for study - BSc Honours degree in Building Technology and Management as it constitutes a single integrated academic/vocational programme of study. Taking all three year groups, an individual student profile has been constructed of past (pre-university examinations) and present (each semester examination results) academic performance, and information obtained from diagnostic testing and other questionnaires. In the search for a theoretical framework, existing theories on student motivation and catastrophe theory were adopted in order to explain student academic performance at university. The thesis aims to identify and pinpoint the crisis points which are reflected throughout the student's academic performance. Examples include personal problems, points where work.load stress is at its peak, course structure and teaching methods. Further work closely analyses the individual student approach to studying and intellectual development through in-depth interviews and the use of appropriate tests and inventories. The information obtained from these sources are used to develop, update and redefine existing theories on student withdrawal and failure (Tinto, 1974; 1982), other work by Thomas et al. ( 1996) and the more recent works published by the University of Wales, Cardiff Institute (1997) and HEFCE (1997). This is further developed by incorporating this workwith the existing research on student intellectual development by Perry (1960) and Heath (1964) and the work by Elton (1996) which uses catastrophe theory to explain relationships between commitment, motivation, underachievement and withdrawal. The main aim of this thesis is to create a new eclectic theoretical framework which will assist in the identification of students 'at risk' before underachievement, withdrawal or failure occurs. This universal model takes the form of a composite set of models which identifies the determinants and associated critical points of withdrawal or failure and processes behind student underachievement, withdrawal and failure. This work has evolved from a simple project to identify students at risk of not achieving their full academic/intellectual potential to more sophisticated work, which focuses upon the factors which determine the level of academic performance and intellectual development in adults. The aim of this study is to collect and interpret information on the various academic determinants that may influence success or otherwise in Higher Education, leading to the identification of performance indicators. The ultimate objective has been to identify 'at risk' and vulnerable students by: • identifying potentially 'very successful', 'successful' and 'unsuccessful' candidates; • diagnostic testing - by the collection of all available data on each student and by employing various tests and questionnaires to diagnose an 'at risk' student. • determining what 'type' of students are at a greater risk of underachievement, of withdrawing or failing their course. The research followed three main lines or stages of inquiry: Stage One: the identification and collection of objective and quantifiable data held by the institution. Individual student profiles were constructed from university databases, diagnostic tests and questionnaires. The first part of this data included personal and entry information on all current students which obtained via the university records. Further to this, all examination and assessment results were logged after each sessional period and from University records. This information was later compiled to create individual student profiles which provided a comprehensive picture of how each student progressed through the course. This data collection includes all students studying on the degree at the time of the survey and three full cohorts of students studying at the University in the years: 1993/94, 1994/95 and 1995/96. An assessment of the non-completion rate was made for the years 1994-95 and 1995- 96, to illustrate the level of non-completion experienced for the degree programme under consideration. Stage Two: the collection of data on Intellectual Development, the student approach to studying, and a diagnostic test on mathematics. The main objective of the Intellectual Development and Approaches to Studying Questionnaire was to identify intellectual development and to provide a comparative study between the three levels of a degree programme. This follows on from the works of Piaget, Heath (1964; 1978) and Perry (1970) and the Post-Piaget researcher Sutherland (1980). The mathematics diagnostic test was designed to identify students who could experience difficulties with an essential fundamental component of the course - building mathematics, and its applications through such subjects as structures, materials and building science. This research proceeds to produce a composite theoretical model of student academic performance in the form of a predictive tool by: • investigating student intellectual development ; • investigating the impact of the student approach to studying and learning; • identifying those students with serious weaknesses in knowledge and skills at entry (eg.. in mathematics and general study skills); • investigating individual student motivation and the revel of commitment to the course possessed by each student. Stage Three: interviews will obtain qualitative data from the students currently studying on the degree programme, exploring perception and attitudes towards the institution and personal factors that might have an impact on completion. These included: • financial status • level of contact and integration with academic staff and students • career aspirations - commitment to the degree programme and the building industry • ability and motivation to complete the course (confidence, motivation & background) • reasons for studying at university • perceived threats to the completion - possible critical points (critical incidence interviewing) Stage Four: The research initially sought to identify the real reason(s) for non­completion, but as it progressed a complex picture emerged. It became evident that there is: • a positive, but weak relationship between the standard of entry qualification and exit qualification (the degree classification); • the degree programme studied received students with very diverse types of entry qualifications (A' Level GCE (from many different subjects), BTEC Construction and Building Studies, Access courses and City and Guilds qualifications). In conclusion, it was felt that the process of student progression was a particularly complex phenomenon. However, the reason(s) for non-completion and academic success were attributed to the non-measureable qualities of motivation, commitment, choice of degree programme and institution, future career aspiration and the level of student/department/institution interaction., After taking all of this into consideration, the research moved on to develop and suggest ways in which the institution could 'manage' student progression and reduce non-completion.