Disadvantaged youth in alternative schooling : investigating Indonesian young people's re-engagement with education

Abstract

This qualitative, interpretive study was informed by the current educational practice experienced by disadvantaged youth who participate in non-mainstream schools in Indonesia, categorised generally as the Equivalency Program (EP). While these disadvantaged youth can be seen to be successfully returning to school through non-mainstream pathways, little is known about how they re-engage in learning after their initial unsuccessful attempt. The present study attempts to fill that gap by using theories of transformative learning (Mezirow, 1991) and critical pedagogy (Freire, 1973), and in particular, Mezirow's concept of 'perspective transformation'. The study explores these students' transformative learning experiences, that is, through self-knowledge and subsequent insight into the relationship between their learning experience and participation in society. The stories of learning presented through this research are gathered in individual interviews and focus group discussions with 48 students in three EPs in disparate locations in Java. Three forms of transformative experience seem to have emerged as a consequence of individual students' reflection upon their learning: (i) learning through resistance; (ii) learning through individuation; and (iii) learning through consciousness-raising, suggesting that transformative learning affect people differently within their own context. In this respect, the thesis suggests that transformation is not a linear process that refers to a learner 'moving forward' from one position to another, but a multi-dimensional means of creating resilience for future orientation derived from an appreciation of life and wisdom within society. Therefore, this study not only affirms the theoretical work that underpins the study, but enriches it by applying it and showing evidence of transformative learning in a non-Western context.

Date of Award	2016
Original language	English