A Study of the Impact on Well-Being of Non-Formal Adult Education in Rural China

Abstract

This study sought to examine the means through which and the extent to which participation in the non-formal adult education provided through Community Learning Centres (CLC) in rural China impacted on the learners’ individual well-being and on the well-being of their communities. A constructivist paradigm informed the research methodology and the qualitative case study method that was used. Three rural townshiplevel CLCs, one in a less developed area and two in the more developed areas, were selected as the three cases. Within each CLC, a mixed group of adult learners, teachers/trainers, CLC staff members, and other key stakeholders were purposefully identified and selected for participation in the study to provide insights into the topic from different perspectives. Data collection involved a combination of one-on-one, semi-structured interviews, ad hoc conversations, direct observations, and document analysis. Written transcripts of the audio-recordings of the interviews with a total of fifty-seven participants and field notes generated from ad hoc conversations and direct observations were analysed using an interpretative approach. The findings focused on the contextual factors that constrained the nature, work, and worth of CLCs, the institutional quagmires that hindered effective educational service delivery, and the tensions in the impact of participation in the CLC programs on well-being.