Encouraging teaching-learning environment

Social constructionists argue that the career development of individuals can only be understood within the broader context of their lives. For example, systems theory framework (STF) (McMahon, 2002) takes a systems approach to understanding career development. From an analysis of participants’ experiences of second chance education, the importance of an encouraging teaching-learning environment emerged strongly. This assists our understanding of how these programmes motivated students disillusioned by mainstream education to develop their skills and competences and achieve future career goals. Most participants reported that they felt safe to experiment with learning for the first time because of the supportive and tolerant climate. For instance, Ali (25, male, migrant background, DK) explained why Support School had made him re-engage with learning:

I only got sick like once, because we were dedicated to that school. So, they taught us a lot and they said that I had some potential to learn. Especially at Support School, what I liked most were the teachers, and of course the students, everything was going so well because everyone wanted to help you. So weird people like me go there, and

active focussing on my future. Like I felt I have to do better than I did before, and then all my exams went pretty well.

Other participants from the three countries under consideration also emphasised the role of a learning climate where understanding and knowledge were much more significant than achieving a high grade/pass mark. István (39, male, Hun) said:

I thought I’d never understand a word of Maths … I’d failed so many times in other schools and was nervous in the first two Maths lessons at Support School… but there was background music in class which made me relaxed … and everything was explained by Papposz [the Maths teacher] until I understood the task.

A number of participants from the English and Danish cohorts also praised the advantages of the learning-oriented climate in which there was less competition between classmates. Due to its encouraging nature, this climate helped five research participants with dyslexia face and combat their challenges in a process of learning that was supported by their teachers. Thus, in learning-oriented climates created in second chance provision, the typical focus on competition was replaced by an approach of fostering learning goals by rewarding understanding (Jackson, 2016). Jackson (2106) and Senko and colleagues (2011) defined learning goals as part of a subjective learning process, involving gaining more understanding and new skills. According to the participants, the evaluation of their performance also made them active agents because they had the chance to get engaged in this process. For instance, in England and Denmark students complete portfolios that comprise all of the students’ work from a semester or academic year, in addition to reflecting on their learning with their teachers. In Hungary, exam results are thoroughly discussed with each student at the end of each semester in the exam period, with an analysis of the student’s strengths and weaknesses with a view to setting new targets and learning goals for the next semester. Students’ sense of

on success-oriented pedagogy that strengthens their sense of efficiency (Brynaa & Johansen, 2010).

Emphasising the positive and motivating advantages of the encouraging environment, in the interviews research participants mentioned the differences between their previous school and their second chance programme, referring to the advantages of second chance (for instance, the ways in which social relationships in second chance learning cultures contribute to students’ re-engagement with learning). Kirsty (26, female, Eng) described the advantages of a programme located at Landing College, and how she became more enthusiastic and determined under supportivecircumstances:

That the former school was one where just no one listened to you, you were just another person there ‘coz it’s so big. And when we came to Prince’s Trust everyone was friends, the tutors were our friends. Everyone was so close and it was so much nicer in this environment with friendly people than being ignored. So we had Mick and Julie and three helpers, and obviously there were people behind the scenes as well that we rarely saw. We had to do a portfolio of work. I did it and everything else with the best of my knowledge, so if I had not done that I wouldn’t be here right where I am. Every time I went in obviously, I felt really happy and safe in college. I felt I didn’t want to go home because it was something that I wanted to carry on doing. In line with this, researchers (Jephcote & Salisbury, 2007; Gallacher, 2007) also considered college life to be beneficial for students, as social relationships in learning cultures in community-based settings support students’ re-engagement with learning. According to James and Biesta (2007), the same tendency can be found in some learning cultures, as well as in VET, that motivates students to go beyond their former aspirations. The authors argue that learning cultures are developed from interactions between different agents, such as peers and student-staff members, that build up expectations and experiences.

Participants of this research also outlined the significant role of the interactions with the members of staff of the second chance communities. These interactions gave participants a new drive to reengage with learning in a youth-friendly atmosphere. For instance, Roland (24, male, DK) talked about the importance of his uplifting conversations with some members of staff, whose friendly attitudes to students contributed to a feeling of being comfortable and him being ‘ready to learn’ in a second chance learning environment:

There was also this old man who just worked as a repairman, he was talking with us in such a kindly way, and always made the first coffee and tea ready for us. So, we came in the mornings and then just sat down drinking a cup of tea or coffee, it was always funny speaking with him, and just having a great time together basically, and he would also be there in the lunch breaks. So he really did do something for the atmosphere in the school. And then there’s also a person, I think, she was called Carla who works in the office and also down in the canteen, so she was also there creating a great atmosphere, and basically every day when people came to school we felt awesome.

Similarly to Roland’s positive narrative, when other research participants from the three countries were asked about their experiences of everyday-life in second chance provision, they reported that they felt safe in their communities, enjoying the ‘safety net’ created by students and staff. Some comments about the role of second chance provision include: ‘it was more like my home’, ‘it inspired me to come and learn’, ‘a kind of family’, ‘a place to laugh

and learn’ and ‘a place to discover yourself through creativity’. Several participants

described the second chance provision in unique ways, which represented the openness of the learning environment. According to the interviews with research participants, this theme was consistent across all three countries.