This category involved factors that confined the SDL activity to a specific period of time. Of the 165 examples of SDL activities, 78 were influenced by time. There were three related factors; two concerning the physical environment (seasonal and biological time frames), and the third was bureaucratic deadlines.
Environmental factors influenced SDL by confining activities to seasonal and biological time frames.
Seasonal variations in weather patterns influenced SDL activity by physically governing when, where, what and how SDL occurs. Many activities concerning the farm, garden or the exterior of the house needed to be completed before or during a particular season.
For example, the man from Couple I implied that the time of year constrained his SDL activity
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which involved the purchase of a silage wagon: "It was done in the Autumn when we were feeding it out, really." The man from Couple G stated when they preferred to buy bobby calves. Buying calves was one in the spring and the autumn which confined a time for studying markets more closely. In another example, Couple A had two attempts to paint the roof of their house. In an exchange with his partner the man explained they had to wait until the spring to have it completed:
"We left it too late to paint and so it·had to be done [again]." His partner added: ''That was before winter. [Partner] had to scrape the whole [roof] again." The activity could only be completed when the weather was appropriate for drying the paint.
Seasons influence SDL in another way. Statements indicated a sense of urgency to some SDL activities. Urgency occurred when SDL activities coincided with other lifestyle tasks. The seasonal nature of many farming tasks reduces the time available for engaging activities to a partner's liking.
The man from Couple B provided an example when circumstances necessitated the buying of a hay baler in the spring: "The reason 11)sed the telephone was because I didn't have time to jump in the car and flit allover the countryside." In discussing their garden shed activity the woman from Couple J explained the non-urgent nature of the activity meant it had to be fitted in with farming activities: "We· are beginning to do it now, because we feel that now is a good time to fit it in with our farm management." Both statements acknowledge the difficulties in a farming environment of managing time in an orderly sense for SDL ..
Learning was also governed by other environmental
time
frames independent Of the time of year.Biological c~ange (not necessarily seasonal) influenced SDL. For example, SDL associated with a partner's pregnancy was synchronised with the gestation period. Being pregnant initiated a sequence of events that involved monitoring the health of the mother and baby, and prepared both partners for the birth and lifestyle once the baby was home. The woman from Couple D explained how the sequence of her pregnancy triggered SDL activity:
"When you find you're pregnant you have to go to the doctor and she gives you the next stage which is where do you want your baby, and how do you want to have it ... and sorted that out, and then [during another appointment] she sai" about time to give up work, and what you are going to need for the baby .... "
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Business-oriented deadlines influenced the start and finish of some SOL activities and restricted
SOL activities within defined time frames. The man from Couple H, a school board treasurer,:,:',;
:~::t~~~~;~;~~:if:;;~ij e~plained how deadlines influenced this community service activity: "Everything has to be done
within a time frame, basically. At least twice monthly I've got to do the accounts and as something arises I find out what should be done about it." Similar examples 'Of deadlines included the end of the financial year (Couple E), GST (Goods and Services Tax) returns (Couple E), meetings (Couples A, B, F, K), and deadlines for newspaper articles (Couple K).
Section 4.2.4 has shown that resources and time influenced SOL in several ways. The availability and quantity of resources, especially materials and assistants, often influenced SOL by constraining the progress of the activity or altering the satisfaction gained from the experience. Nearly two-thirds of activities were constrained by money. Time factors also influenced SOL. Nearly half of the activities SOL were synchronised seasonally, biologically, or by business-oriented deadlines for learning to occur. This finding suggests that many activities are governed by circumstances beyond the control of the paft:Iler.
4.2.5 Evaluation of SDL Activities
The question of evaluation was designed to find out how partners evaluated their SOL. Partners were asked how did they know they were making progress in their learning to reach their goals.
Unlike preceding questions used in the main interview where partners gave responses for all SOL activities, partners were allowed to choose which activities to remark about. This was done in order to assist in reduci~g the duration of the interview. Of the 103 activities chosen, 74 described external change as a result of the activity whereas 29 described a personal change. Partners' responses were sea,nned for phrases that indicated how they evaluated their SOL activities. Ouring the analysis it became apparent that partners preferred to talk about what they had achieved rather than what changes they noticed about themselves or how they monitored their SOL. The loaded nature of the question, which linked evaluation to the goal of the activity, may account for this observation.
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