New methods for life course analysis of lifelong education

Studies of the impact of education on adults’ lives must go beyond the background details of students, the course and the immediate learning outcomes, and be grounded in the changing lives of learners in a changing world. Life histories provide a rich source of data to assess the significance of education but are difficult to analyse. New approaches based on life course analysis show at what stage in students’ various ‘careers’ they participate, what else is going on at the time, and how education affects areas of their lives. The paper begins with a brief review of the literature on collecting life histories and a justification for the method adopted which provides the starting point for life course analysis. A case study of a student living in an area of multiple deprivation who took an Open University community education course is presented to show how life course analysis can be carried out and the place and influence of education evaluated.