Chapter 5

DISCUSSION

This study has explored the concept of resistance as it applies to seventeen particular Adult Basic Education students, and has focussed primarily on its relation to their program attendance throughout one semester. The data derives from ethnographic observations and interviews and is suggestive of educational perspectives and instructional practices that require further exploration.

The data suggests that the majority of ABE students in this class engaged in resistance behaviours in the ABE classroom. In his 1990 study of literacy student resistance, Quigley suggested that ABE participants (enrolled students) might be different than non-participants in terms of resistance; he questioned the resistance of ABE participants. However, in this exploration, there is no doubt that the majority of these adult students expressed resistance. This would indicate that one cannot assume that the adult literacy student is an accommodating student based solely on their participation in ABE. They, like many other students, manage to both engage in and resist different aspects of the schooling project. Nor can their regular attendance be taken to mean that they do not resist; the regular attenders in this classroom displayed more resistance behaviours, in terms of both quantity and variety, than the other students.

Further, although each resistant individual is likely to engage in a range of resistance behaviours, the data suggests a relationship between attendance and type of resistance behaviour.