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Supporting adult learners’ positive mental health
Supporting adult learners’ positive mental health

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2 Taxonomy of wellbeing: understanding barriers and enablers to wellbeing

Lister et al.’s (2021) ‘taxonomy of wellbeing’ provides a helpful model for considering various potential barriers and enablers to wellbeing in an educational context. Although the model was formulated in terms of distance learners, its findings can be applied to all learning environments. If you look closely, you can see that the barriers in the bottom half of the wheel are directly linked to enablers in the upper half of the wheel. The data presented around the wheel of enablers and barriers was collated from distance learner participants at The Open University in the UK. 

This is a poster entitled ‘Mental health in distance learning’. There is a banner at the top containing three bits of text: ‘Interviews with students (N=16) and tutors (N=5) let to a model of barriers and enablers’; ‘A student survey (N=584) provided quantitative data on barriers and enablers’; ‘Student and staff focus groups (N=116) co-created solutions’. There is a section titled ‘Enablers’ with the following statistics: ‘58.2% of students said studying helped with their sense of confidence and identity; 62.1% of students said their curriculum content was positive for their mental health; 63.7% of students stated that building study skills had a positive impact on wellbeing; 64.8% of students found the people in their life helped their wellbeing; 58.4% of students said a distance learning environment was good for their mental health. There is another section titled ‘Barriers’ with the following statistics: 60.1% of students struggled with difficult life circumstances during their studies; 33.3% of students found isolation negatively affected mental health; 40.6% of students disclosing a mental health condition struggled with communication skills; 71.9% of students disclosing a mental health condition found assessment was a problem for their mental wellbeing; 62.4% of students said assessment was a barrier to wellbeing. Underneath this is a section titled ‘Solutions’. Four solutions are offered: The first is ‘Assessment design and strategy should be more inclusive, with built-in flexibility and choice. A more dialogic approach to assessment is needed.’ The second is ‘Regular, proactive contact from the OU is needed, checking in on students with mental health issues to check they’re okay and show the university cares.’ The third is ‘Confidence-building activities should be embedded in modules, helping students recognise their strengths and achievements.’ The fourth is ‘Bridging materials and discussion forums between modules should be in place to reduce students’ isolation and build a peer community.’
Figure 2 Taxonomy of barriers and enablers to wellbeing in distance learning (Lister et al., 2021).
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This is a poster entitled ‘Mental health in distance learning’. There is a banner at the top containing three bits of text: ‘Interviews with students (N=16) and tutors (N=5) let to a model of barriers and enablers’; ‘A student survey (N=584) provided quantitative data on barriers and enablers’; ‘Student and staff focus groups (N=116) co-created solutions’. There is a section titled ‘Enablers’ with the following statistics: ‘58.2% of students said studying helped with their sense of confidence and identity; 62.1% of students said their curriculum content was positive for their mental health; 63.7% of students stated that building study skills had a positive impact on wellbeing; 64.8% of students found the people in their life helped their wellbeing; 58.4% of students said a distance learning environment was good for their mental health. There is another section titled ‘Barriers’ with the following statistics: 60.1% of students struggled with difficult life circumstances during their studies; 33.3% of students found isolation negatively affected mental health; 40.6% of students disclosing a mental health condition struggled with communication skills; 71.9% of students disclosing a mental health condition found assessment was a problem for their mental wellbeing; 62.4% of students said assessment was a barrier to wellbeing. Underneath this is a section titled ‘Solutions’. Four solutions are offered: The first is ‘Assessment design and strategy should be more inclusive, with built-in flexibility and choice. A more dialogic approach to assessment is needed.’ The second is ‘Regular, proactive contact from the OU is needed, checking in on students with mental health issues to check they’re okay and show the university cares.’ The third is ‘Confidence-building activities should be embedded in modules, helping students recognise their strengths and achievements.’ The fourth is ‘Bridging materials and discussion forums between modules should be in place to reduce students’ isolation and build a peer community.’

Figure 2 Taxonomy of barriers and enablers to wellbeing in distance learning (Lister et al., 2021).

Activity 2 Identifying barriers and enablers which promote resilience

Timing: Allow about 15 minutes
  1. Look at the study-related and skills-related ‘barriers’ in the bottom half of the taxonomy wheel above and note down how you think your current learning setting could impact negatively on learner wellbeing. These ‘barriers’ are things which can prevent someone from being able to access and succeed in their education. 
  2. Now, look at the study-related and skills-related ‘enablers’ in the upper half of the wheel and note down how these enabling approaches may already be in place in your learning environment, or could be developed. These are pedagogical and social aspects of learning which can enhance learners’ capacity to progress and achieve in their studies. Consider the extent to which these are common practice, or not, in your setting.  
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Discussion

You may have noticed that in many cases the barriers in place in the bottom half of the model have the potential to be converted to enablers in the top half, and vice versa. One of the key factors in this is how you as an educator frame these experiences for your learners, as well as how you ‘plan for wellbeing’. For example, do you focus on what learners have done incorrectly or on what they have done well and can further improve? You may want to consider how your own practice fits into the model of barriers and enablers. Sometimes there are organisational factors which you cannot change, but there may also be aspects of your own practice that you can change which could make a significant difference to learners’ experiences and their ability to develop resilience.

After you have completed this OpenLearn course, you may like to progress your knowledge of this model, and further concepts, through the micro-credential course Teacher Development: Embedding Mental Health in the Curriculum.