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Schooling, Networks and the Labour Market: explaining participation in lifelong learning in Northern Ireland [1]
Author(s) -
Field John
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
british educational research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.171
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1469-3518
pISSN - 0141-1926
DOI - 10.1080/0141192990250406
Subject(s) - educational attainment , legitimation , lifelong learning , northern ireland , social capital , value (mathematics) , sociology , demographic economics , economic growth , political science , pedagogy , economics , social science , ethnology , machine learning , politics , computer science , law
School attainment is generally believed to be correlated positively with participation in adult learning. The paper explores evidence from Northern Ireland that suggests an inverse relationship is also possible under certain circumstances. In Northern Ireland high school attainment co‐exists with low participation in adult learning. The paper considers evidence suggesting that the existence of strong social networks, shared norms and value, and a high level of trust may be a contributory factor to this divergent pattern. While there is a strong social concensus around the academic schooling of young people in Northern Ireland, this ‘social capital’ both provides an alternative to formal participation in adult learning and a legitimation for low aspirations among adults.