The learners also talked about their everyday lives and their work, paid and unpaid, providing a rich picture of the lives of adult learners. The researchers started their interviews by asking the learners to describe their lives. The everyday life experiences described by participants were a mix of hard times and ordinary life issues, reports Bingman. Adult literacy students are often described as people incapable of helping themselves. This description is not borne out by our data.
People describe lives that are in most ways quite ordinary.
They have jobs, raise children, go shopping, have hobbies, are concerned about their neighbors and communities. According to Bingman, all reported being involved in their children's educations. The initial group of 10 had 20 children of high school age or older, nine of whom attended at least some college and only one who dropped out of high school. They also have younger children. Passing on illiteracy doesn't seem to bear out.