ERIC Number: ED348532
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1991-Oct
Pages: 23
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
How Some Low Income Women View Learning as They Prepare for the Work Force: A Comparative Case Study.
Baird, Irene C.
Four African-American women, participants in PROBE (Potential Reentry Opportunities in Business and Education), a program to prepare low-income women in Pennsylvania for jobs through computer and communications skills training, were interviewed about their attitudes toward learning. The four were single-parent welfare recipients in their late 20s or early 30s. The women expressed frustration about their early learning experiences. They said they had experienced racial prejudice and lack of motivation from teachers. They also wished they had listened sooner to others about the importance of education. Several of the women were now motivated to continue their education in order to set an example for their children. They hoped to learn how to use computers as a method of obtaining a good-paying job. They were surprised, however, at the necessity of studying communications skills, although they appreciated them. They disliked the reading component of the program. Evaluation of the program resulted in recommendations for increasing the self-paced method of studying and in continuing individual contact with participants to improve their sense of self-esteem and motivate them to complete the program. (KC)
Descriptors: Adult Basic Education, Adult Students, Blacks, Communication Skills, Computer Science Education, Displaced Homemakers, Educational Attitudes, English (Second Language), Females, Literacy Education, Low Income, One Parent Family, Postsecondary Education, Reentry Workers, Student Attitudes, Welfare Recipients, Womens Education
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A