My talk is about a research study I did over a period of Five Years on learner persistence. Why some people stick at academic study better than others? As teachers, you will know that there is a tremendous variation in the learner’s response to certain things for example a short period of illness might completely destabilize some students and cause them to give up their degree studies. Other Learners might overcome tremendous difficulties to stay the course I am particularly interested in this second group who are the ones with learner persistence.

What I decided to do was design a research study using a sample of my University’s third-year undergraduate students 295 in all who obviously had already stayed the course pretty well the sample was drawn from a range of Ages but there was deliberately a significant number of mature students and all respondents were living at home in the local region. I wanted to have this element of consistency not having some coming from outside the area and living in University accommodation. It should be noted though that there was significant variation in _Q32 home background to reflect the variation in our student population I designed questionnaires which were devised to elicit what their concerns had been as they started the course, and what had sustained them throughout the three years. Findings from the first section indicated that their worries when they started varied from Financial concerns though this had not been as strong as I expected to Career prospects. But mature students with children tended to emphasize uncertainties about their relationship with them.

The second section of my questionnaire looked at learner persistence under three main headings social and environmental factors, other factors, and intrinsic or personal characteristics. I identified three levels of importance for each of these, at the first level those points identified by participants as most important in learner persistence for social factors many respondents said how crucial it had been to have good support though there was no one specific source it could be family or friends. As regards other factors students are heartened not so much by high grades but by what they regard as success in study and for personal characteristics many respondents reported that they took pleasure in _Q33 challenge and that this was regarded as very significant. At the second level of importance in the first category a sizable percentage talked about the fact that they had enjoyed themselves in _Q34 school as an important social factor. In the second column other factors a number of people said that what was of most importance was decent _Q35 health. This had a fairly strong influence on their persistence in their studies, and then under the heading of personal characteristics there were quite a large percentage of respondents who mentioned they felt it was important to have lots of _Q36 interests in their everyday lives, this gave them a depth and sense of perspective which less persistent learners might lack. And then on to the third level under social factors several respondents talked about good relationships with their _Q37 tutors. For other factors they mentioned lack or absence of any problems in their families and finally under column three they identified an ability to juggle several roles what we might call their capacity for multitasking.

Now these findings obviously helped inform the design of activities as I mentioned but in addition a number of further recommendations emerged firstly I propose that the department distributes questionnaires to first-year students to help get an idea of their _Q38 maturity when starting the course. This is really our overriding concern secondly I recommend we look into ways of offering induction courses for some selected students to allow them to take on the role of _Q39 advisors we think they are the best people to act in that role. This policy will make support much more accessible to our students. Thirdly this help is often most needed in the evening and night when offices are closed and so we should set up _Q40 online services instead of the more traditional telephone services research has shown that these services are actually more accessible to the majority of students. And finally, it is often important to be proactive if students are not meeting deadlines then someone should contact them rather than wait for them to come to us. Now are there any questions about the points?…

TUTOR: Come in Helen. How can I help you?

HELEN: Well, I’m doing research for the anthropology assignment and I was hoping to check a few details.

TUTOR: Sure you chose the topic of Pacific Island tupper cloth didn’t you? What if you found out so far?

HELEN: Well, I was going to introduce my assignment by saying that the Tapper cloth is a fabric made from bark, just the outer layer of the trees. It’s particularly _Q21 common in the Pacific Islands but not exclusive to them. In fact, many other peoples around the world have made high-quality cloth from back, but what sets Pacific tapa apart is the incredible variety of roles it’s played in this region.

TUTOR: Yes nice introduction, though I think you could be more specific regarding dates. Okay, so what about the raw materials used?

HELEN: Well tough is made from raw species of tree in the Pacific the paper mulberry tree is most common, but it doesn’t thrive in all conditions in fact it wasn’t originally found in the islands but was carried in their canoes by the first migrants. Tapa is also made from the breadfruit tree, which is convenient because its fruit is a staple food the paper mulberry tree is only grown for Tapper making though.

TUTOR: Yes that’s good now what about the Maori people here in New Zealand?

HELEN: The Maori don’t make tapa now.

TUTOR: That’s right and you need to account for it we know that when Mari migrated here from the other Pacific Islands they were prepared to make Tupper because they brought the paper mulberry tree with them. The thing was after they’d been in New Zealand a bit _Q23 they found the flax plant which is superior to tapa because it makes a stronger fabric. By the time Europeans arrived in the 18th century, Maori were making all their fabric from flax and had been for some time.

HELEN: Okay so with the production process itself first did the inner bark is beaten with wooden hammers to soften the fibers in the different pieces are glued together using an adhesive paste made from the arrowrooter tuber this is the only way to fabricate large pieces of cloth because bark strains are too fine to be woven together and _Q24 stitching isn’t strong enough.

TUTOR: So now you need details about different countries where would you start Samoa is the obvious place it’s famous for its very fine cloth called siapol which is hand-painted with representations of the ancestors. Still today at the most profound events in life such as births funerals weddings and the investiture of chiefs Samoans where siapol robes to add significance and meaning to the ceremony.

HELEN: Okay then I could talk about Tonga, it seems to me that the great innovation in Tonga has been developing a _Q26 simple coarse cloth, which is quick and easy to make this is suitable for all sorts of everyday functions around the house like bed covers, mosquito Nets, and curtains.

TUTOR: Good point now what about Cook Islands Tupper?

HELEN: Well the soil there is poor quality so the breadfruit tree is often used. One type of thick cloth called tikuru was wrapped around the poles and used to Mark the entrances to _Q27 places of worship so it was highly regarded in local culture.

TUTOR: You might mention Fiji as well which is interesting because tapple was actually _Q28 used as a currency there. Fijians used to sail between the islands and exchange tapa for other Commodities like canoes or pigs.

HELEN: I know that in Tahiti the top of cloth is different because the patterns are in color which is considered more valuable than the usual Brown patterns.

TUTOR: You’re right about the Tahitians _Q29 using colored pigments, but they aren’t more valuable the colors are only a decoration people enjoy wearing bright robes especially for dancing in competitive games and do it just for fun.

HELEN: Oh I’ll make a note of it. Well, the last place I was going to mention was Tikopia. Even today it’s commonplace to see _Q30 people wearing clothes made of tuppercloth and many of the other Islands the tapa only comes out on special occasions, but here you see people working in the gardens wearing Tupper.

TUTOR: Sounds promising Helen I look forward to reading your assignment.

Welcome to the global Museum located at the heart of This truly Multicultural city which is home to more than 60 different nationalities. The museum has a number of exciting displays and exhibitions and this audio guide is designed to help you make the most of your visit. Altogether the museum has 18 different Galleries and this season sees the opening of three new exhibitions. We recommend that you begin your tour by visiting this season’s highlights.

Another highlight this season is the exhibition called Toys from the Past which can be found in gallery 9. This exhibition which will appeal to people of all ages is on tour throughout the country and will be here _Q13 for 10 weeks only. The exhibits include dolls made over a hundred years ago with beautiful porcelain faces and in some cases real hair. The Collection covers the favorite toys such as wooden train sets from many different generations and provides plenty of interest for children and adults. The gigantic _Q14 board games which are laid out on the gallery floor are one of the most popular activities in the exhibition and should not be missed this exhibition concludes with a special display of miniature toys. These small objects are on loan from countries all over the world and in some cases measure no more than a few centimeters. There’s a tiny car made from matchsticks a toy airplane complete with pilot and passengers made out of seashells and some Exquisite little buildings no higher than four centimeters.

The final Gallery highlight of the season is the biscuit Gallery at number 15. Many years ago this city was famous for its biscuits although today the factory no longer exists. Did you know for example that before biscuits were packed in paper or cardboard boxes biscuit tins were fashion items. The factory made _Q16 tins round, Square, triangular, and hexagonal, for a whole range of different occasions to celebrate National events festivals famous faces, and so on. One fascinating display deals with people’s favorite biscuits there are sweet biscuits and savory ones biscuits filled with jam and biscuits filled with currants biscuits with pink, yellow, and white sugar icing or colored sugar flowers. When the factory finally closed it announced that people’s favorite biscuit was not as you might expect a chocolate biscuit or one filled with jam and cream _Q17 but a plain Savory one which was eaten with cheese.

When you get to the end of the exhibition there’s an entertaining Hands-On activity to _Q18 fill your own biscuit tin. All the biscuits ever produced by the company are piled up on a table along with various tins. The biscuits are made out of thin pieces of wood but the weight colors and shapes replicate the original biscuits. Your job is to fill it in with biscuits so that when the lid is taken off they sit there as neatly as they did when the job was done by machine, it’s not as easy as it looks if you would like to buy a Memento of your visit there is a museum gift shop selling postcards, souvenirs, and handmade Pottery next to the _Q19 information desk on the ground floor. And finally, if you don’t want to carry your coats and bags around with you during your visit please make use of the free _Q20 lockers provided by the museum. Enjoy your visit.

MAN: College accommodation Bureau Darren speaking. How may I help you?

STUDENT: Oh good morning I’m starting at the college in September and I need to find some accommodation.

MAN: Right, well there are various options, the first one is to stay in college accommodation. That would be a single room.

STUDENT: How much would that cost?

MAN: Well, it depends for a standard room you’re looking at 3276 pounds for the year, that’s just for a room with wash basin, or _Q1 3834 pounds if you want an ensuite that’s with your own small bathroom.

STUDENT: I see that’s more than I expected.

MAN: It does include heating. That’s quarter saving because energy costs can be high, especially in Winter.

STUDENT: Hmm, does it include meals as well?

MAN: No, all our rooms are self-catering now there’s a shared kitchen on each Corridor where you can cook if you want to or there are plenty of places to eat out on campus.

STUDENT: Okay, and you said that’s the price for the whole year?

MAN: Well, you pay annually, but actually it’s for 36 weeks it doesn’t include _Q2 holidays you have to vacate the room then.

STUDENT: Oh um, I need somewhere to stay in the holidays I can’t afford to go home the flights are too expensive.

MAN: Well, there is another option, several families who either work at the college or have children studying here offer visiting students a room in their homes.

STUDENT: Oh.

MAN: We call this arrangement _Q3 home welcome and we’ve still got a few places left at the moment. You pay 150 pounds per week and that includes breakfast, a packed lunch, and dinner as well as Heating.

STUDENT: Is there a contract? Do you have to stay for the whole year?

MAN: No, it’s _Q4 flexible.

STUDENT: Um, it sounds really good but I’m not sure. I really want to be a little more independent.

STUDENT: What about finding somewhere to live off campus?

MAN: Yes, you can rent a property in town privately. You might want to rent a room in a shared house, you’d have a room of your own and share the kitchen and bathroom with other students.

STUDENT: What about if I don’t want to share?

MAN: You can get what we call a _Q5 studio, they’re often quite small but they’ll have everything you need.

STUDENT: Right how much with those two options cost?

MAN: Well, prices vary depending on which part of town the property is in generally speaking the cheapest is around 275 pounds a month for each student.

STUDENT: Oh uh, that’s not too bad.

MAN: Yes, but it can also be as high as 490 pounds and then you’ll have to pay all your other bills.

STUDENT: What sort of amount would I be looking at for those well last year students were paying on average about 43 pounds per month each for gas and electricity this year it’ll probably be somewhere in the region of _Q6 48 pounds.

MAN: That’s a lot.

STUDENT: Yes, they’ve gone up quite a bit and on top of that you have to pay for _Q7 water and that’ll probably be around nine pounds.

MAN: That didn’t occur to me and I guess I’d have to pay for _Q8 transportation too.

STUDENT: That’s right most of these properties are quite a long way from the college.

MAN: It just gets worse and worse. What’s the minimum contract on this type of accommodation?

STUDENT: 6 pounds and you have to pay _Q9 a deposit but of course, you can stay there over the holidays.

MAN: That’s true and you’d have to provide _Q10 references.

STUDENT: They want two from someone in this country.

MAN: I see that’s not a problem.

STUDENT: If you do choose this option we can’t find the property for you you’d have to go through the estate agent which manages the property for the owner.

MAN: Right thanks, well I think I’d like to see what’s available privately. Could you give me the estate agent details?