Student Outcomes: Investigating Competency-Based Curriculum in Adult Basic Education. Research Report No. 5.

The outcomes attained by Australian adults enrolled in competency-based Certificate in Adult Foundation Education (CAFE) courses were examined. Special attention was paid to the outcomes achieved by students in the two lowest of the CAFE program's four levels. The main data sources were as follows: literature review; enrollment data from the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Student Information System; questionnaires circulated to all 74 TAFE colleges with students enrolled in the relevant levels of CAFE; in-depth interviews with four CAFE teachers from four TAFE colleges selected to provide a representative picture of CAFE at the lower levels in New South Wales (NSW); and interviews with three key figures involved in adult basic education (ABE) curriculum development. Although the teachers saw CAFE as resulting in a wide range of benefits for learners, their support for CAFE was by no means unanimous. CAFE was found to vary by geographic region, college size, funding, and local interpretations of the CAFE syllabus. CAFE was said to not be meeting the learning needs of all entry-level ABE students. Concern was expressed about the reduction of diversity of ABE provision in TAFE in NSW. In addition, teachers consistently expressed concern about the difficulty with appropriate placement in levels of the course, the time needed by some students to achieve their learning goals, assessment, and results. (Ten tables/figures are included. Contains 77 references.) (MN)