What do we learn when adult learners become researchers of issues that intensely affect their own lives? The Changes Project, a two-and-a-half-year intensive effort, engaged learners from five programs in Western Massachusetts as researchers using a participatory action research approach. A core group of 21 learners, with assistance from research facilitators and other support staff, developed the data gathering tools, conducted the interviews and focus groups, worked with other researchers to develop surveys, and analyzed the data. Their research focused on three issues: the impacts of welfare reform, immigration reform, and the changing workplace on adult learners. Over the course of the investigation, more than 400 students participated in the project and described the ways in which these three issues had an impact on their lives. In participatory action research, investigators are affected by what is being investigated. This approach differs from other methods where researchers are outside of the research subjects. This article will highlight several findings and recommendations from the investigation. It will also reveal how learners were affected by acting as reseachers.

Welfare Reform
Adult learners who are welfare recipients are having problems reaching their education goals. We heard over and over again that they needed more time in school to achieve a level of education sufficient to get a job that pays a living wage. Without more schooling, many of the learners on welfare will struggle desperately to support themselves and their families once their benefits end. One woman told her daughter that the welfare benefits would be ending soon. Her young daughter responded: "But Ma, how you going to get a job if you don't know how to read and write?"

Complying with welfare regulations is a complex and confusing process that often interferes or competes with family and educational needs. To comply with welfare regulations, learners reported missing classes and dropping out of school. To make matters worse, learners reported that important information is often unavailable, is not known to the caseworker, or is not made available to recipients who need English language translation or who lack the ability to read and write.

Immigration Reform
Immigrants and other newcomers are confused about or unaware of the changing immigration laws and regulations and how they affect them. As with welfare, accurate and accessible information is difficult to get about changing visa status, applying for a green card or becoming a US citizen. In addition, immigrants are confused about the benefits they are legally eligible to receive and they are concerned about how receiving benefits will impact their immigration status. Some students had incorrect information, others wrongly believed that they were completely ineligible. They also told us about some of the barriers they faced in pursuing education, many of which were related to their immigration status.

Changing Workplace
Technology was identified as one of the big changes facing workers. Newcomers told us that they do not have adequate access to computer training that is appropriate to them as nonnative English speakers. The barriers they cited include waiting lists for instruction, instruction that was inappropriate for their English language level, and the high cost of computer classes. Other workers indicated a need for computer training to either stay current with their jobs or to be competitive in seeking new job opportunities.

Uncertainty about skills and education needed for work in the future was another theme in the data. Some newcomers were frustrated that their degrees, professional experience, and training from their home country are often not recognized in the US. This often means that these newcomers are making less money and working at lower levels than they did in their home countries.

Networks of Support
Despite the negative effects of these three issues, the adult learners we talked with were resourceful, strong and resilient individuals. These learners crafted intricate, responsive networks of support that have enabled them to persevere in the face of the negative effects of welfare reform, immigration reform, and the changing workplace. To portray only the effects of these three issues without describing the networks of support would inaccurately portray the data we collected. We found that the presence or absence of appropriate support in learners' lives has a very strong effect on their ability to reach their education goals, especially in the face of the challenges described above.

Examples of Support
These networks include individual, personal and institutional support. Many learners told us that hopes, dreams, and faith are essential and support them to continue even when life is difficult. We consistently heard about the powerful and important support individuals got from family, friends, peers, and teachers. School (the adult learning program) was seen as a vital institutional support. Learners saw school as a way to gain specific skills and information necessary to manage life and to build self-esteem and self-confidence. For newcomers, school provides the key support of English language classes. One learner told us: "You need support at home, you need support in the classrooms, from the teacher and the students-that helps you to learn more."

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The Value of Participatory Research
Participatory research efforts like the Changes Project are powerful methods for deepening understanding of particular issues and their contexts. In addition to yielding important data, participatory research can also support participants in reaching their education and life goals by strengthening their skills and supporting them to create change in their lives and communities.

Changes Project research team members were very clear about the ways in which being involved changed them. They learned a great deal about the three issues, gaining an understanding of the complexities their fellow learners face as welfare recipients, immigrants, and workers. This knowledge, and working with one another, enhanced their awareness of differences and their ability to work within diverse and often unfamiliar settings. One researcher said the project "made me aware of cultural difference... on a different level... I had to go really deep to realize... how people deal in different ways."

Research team members also talked about how the project increased their ability to communicate, improved their literacy and English language skills, and helpedthem develop job- related skills. Being involved in the project also affected the future plans of several team members, influencing their goals and aspirations. The teachers who were involved noted how participation in the Changes Project taught them to be better teachers. One said:"It's changed the way I think about how knowledge gets made."

Recommendations
Based on the findings of the Changes Project, we offer the following recommendations to teachers and programs who wish to better support learners facing these three issues. (The full report of The Changes Project also makes recommendations for policy makers and learners.)

• Involve students in investigation and action around these and other issues they identify as important. Such investigation will not only answer questions, but support students to develop the confidence and skills necessary to manage these issues.
• Assist learners in accessing accurate information about the constantly changing regulations that accompany welfare reform and immigration reform. Support immigrants and refugees in learning English and in understanding how US systems (like health care, education, employment and immigration) operate.
• Integrate information about these issues into the curriculum.
• Provide flexible programming so learners' complex schedules can be best accommodated. This includes a diversity of class times, as well as flexible attendance policies that recognize students' needs to respond to the requirements of the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and their employers.
• Look beyond academics when doing assessment and intake with learners: ask questions that will help understand the complexities of learners' lives. Provide specialized counseling that addresses the specific needs of welfare recipients, newcomers, and workers. Learning about the ways students' are managing and the gaps in their networks provides opportunities for teachers and programs to offer responsive programming.

Integrating Research into the Classroom
Adding an investigative component to adult basic education curriculum does not have to be on the scale of the Changes Project. There are many resources that can aid teachers and learners to develop projects and curriculum that feature classroom-based investigation. The work of the Changes Project might offer a starting point for those interested in welfare reform, immigration reform, and the changing nature of work.

A full report about the Changes Project will be published that details findings, recommendations, and process. The report will be available online at www.sabeswest.org

Resources on Participatory Research:
Roshen, R. [2000]. Introduction to Participatory Approaches and Methodologies. Institute of Development Studies in Sussex, UK. Web: www.ids.ac.uk/ids/particip/intro/introind.html

Alex Risley Schroeder is an Associate Coordinator at SABES West, Holyoke Community College (MA), and coordinated the Changes Project. She can be reached at 413-552-2066, or by e-mail: arisley-schroeder@hcc.mass.edu