Student Demographics

During the winter/spring semester (February 5 to June 25), the Fundamental ABE class had an accumulated total of twenty-four enrolled and attending students. This total excluded three who never attended, one who immediately advanced to level three and one student who attended on five days in February only but whom I never observed.

Of these twenty-four students, thirteen were First Nations men (seven) and women (six), nine were white, Canadian born men (five) and women (four), and two were South Asian women who immigrated to Canada from the Punjab. Ten students were from the local area; eight had moved to the Dover area within the past ten years; and there were six students for whom this particular information is not available. There were twelve women and twelve men who enrolled in and attended this Fundamental class. Their ages ranged from the early twenties to fifty, with the majority of the students in their twenties and thirties and only four students over forty.

Of the twenty-four enrolled and attending students, three left before the end of March. Maureen's name did not appear on the check-in sheet after February (nor did I observe her after this month); May moved away;, and Doug's name did not appear after the end of March (nor did I observe him after this time). Of the twenty-one remaining students, I interviewed ten and include observation information for an additional seven, for a total of seventeen key student participants in this study. Of the four students who were not included as key students, two attended only once or twice and two joined the class in the second half of the semester. These two situations prevented adequate research observation. Those who were interviewed and observed were the students who were most available and most willing to be part of the study.