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'Learning Culture'

The notion of the 'learning culture' of an area is one idea that has been put forward to explain levels of involvement in learning and the resulting pattern of achievement in that area.  However, the notion of 'culture' and how it affects people is complex, and notoriously difficult to unpick.

The idea of a 'culture' can be applied at different levels. You can talk about the culture of a city, and the culture of a family, for example.  The idea refers to a set of embodied ideas about the world, and to the way those ideas affect the behaviour of people.  These ideas can be a result of many influences- family and friends, conditions someone grows up in, the society around them and the place where they live.  In terms of the culture of a city, the geographic location, history of the city and the nature of the influences that have acted upon it can be said to shape its culture.

Its a complex idea! But to give an example, if you go to the centre of an English city on a Friday evening you'll most likely see something different to what you would see in a French city at the same time.  In the English city you would be most likely to see adults going in and out of bars and clubs.  In a French city there are more likely to be families out and about enjoying a meal and a stroll round. Why is this? It's about the different cultures, and in this instance, what people see as the normal thing to do on a Friday evening.

The idea of culture does not mean that people are bound by these ideas, and that their actions are somehow controlled by them.  Culture is more about a set of dispositions which affect the behaviour of individuals, rather than dictating it.  Cultures also change over time as people have new experiences, or areas see major change, for example.

So how does this apply to learning?

Individual decisions about learning will be affected by culture.  The 'learning culture' of an area would refer to all those issues that affected whether or not people get involved in learning activities.  For example, do they think learning is worthwhile, do they see others learning and then benefiting, is there a tradition of a certain type of learning in an area, and many more. 

The issues that affect a 'learning culture' will not all be about learning- some may be about attitudes to authority, what is seen as a normal way to spend time and money, or religious beliefs. 

So these issues are very complex and difficult to unpick and understand.  But if learning providers understand the broad aspects of a learning culture in their area, then they can potentially use that awareness to make their courses more targeted and relevant for the people they're working with.

The idea of a learning culture has been used as an explanation for the relatively low educational achievement levels in Hull.  The Learners' Forum research has looked at the idea, and has drawn some tentative conclusions about the learning culture in Hull.