What Are The Challenges Of Adults Returning To School

Adult learning is having a clear picture of how adults learn and how this in turn affects the program planning process. Many adults are not sure about what they want to do with their lives after high school. There are many programs that will help you to decided, what you want to do with your life. This is where adult education programs can help you decided on the importance of education. There are three content areas that connects with adult learning and planning education within the adult. Knowles state that the adult learner, learns from their experiences. Experiences is how adults live their everyday lives and make concise

The vast majority of employees seeking upward mobility within the workplace often pursue education as the most effective means of achieving these goals. (Kim and Baker, 2015). The adult student does not receive the same benefits as a traditional student on campus. The adult students apply for financial aid and qualify for student loans. The traditional students qualify for scholarships and grants. The adult student gave that the majority of adult learners are likely employed, their opportunity costs compared to those of a traditional student have substantially different aspects. (Kim and Baker, 2015). Adult learners’ educational pursuits are largely job-related, while conversely, traditional students’ jobs are not related to their field of study. (Kim and Baker,

In my interview I had the pleasure of conversing with an individual that was not only an adult learner but now also operates as an adjunct professor for adult learners at a university. Some might not realize the parallels of adult learners and yet still there are vast differences that impact both. It was refreshing to find an individual that was able to succeed as a professional, a student and most recently a professor at the same time. My goal is to introduce you my amazing interviewee and paint a vivid picture of his journey, his growth and through his challenges along the way. Surprisingly this interaction was able to take a lot of excuses and reasons of why a person would be to busy to go back to school.

This paper is about adult learning theories. The learning theory andragogy was discussed in detail. Also, the author talked about how people structure their own learning theories. What typical views and reports for adult learning were conversed there were also views and discussions from the view of adult learner. Article stated the pressure and concerns of students who go back to school as an adult years later in comparison to going straight out of high school.

Traditionally adult learners are students who are pursuing education in either, college (undergraduate or graduate degrees), vocational or occupational programs, continuing education or noncredit courses, correspondence courses and tutoring, as well as courses and other educational activities provided by employers, community groups, and other providers ("Adult Learner," 2012). The average age of an adult learner is 25 years or older, it usually is a diverse group of people ("Adult Learner," 2012). These adult learners can be an independent student, employed full time, a person with dependents,

Knowles posits that adult learners are self directed and autonomous. They are goal oriented, practical and must see and understand the relevance of any training. Adults bring an abundance of experience and knowledge, experiential learning, with them. Most importantly, “…adults need to be shown respect.” (Lieb)

In recent years, many adults have found themselves underemployed, jobless or without the necessary tools to compete in today's job market. Therefore, deciding to return to school (or start) has become almost a necessity. Enrolling in school as an adult can be stressful. Other factors such as having a family to take care of and a house to manage, further complicate the decision. As some of today's adult students are finding out, it is doable if that person has the right mindset, strategy and support.

The leading reasons are, they feel overwhelmed by the workload, issues with faculty or curriculum, and family, home or life related problems. For non-traditional adult students these issues can leave them feeling powerless, and they struggle personally, academically, financially and emotionally. This article examined the difference of institutional persistence between adult-students and traditional students. Principal among the persistence for adult-students is social incorporation at the college, institutional assurance, encouragement, support, finance, and academic acclamation.

The time involved in acquiring a degree plays heavily on how long an adult stays engaged. Multiple demands on an adult learner make it difficult to juggle everything and stay motivated. Jovita Ross-Gordon states that “courses, certificates & degrees should be designed to be completed in a time frame [which are] more responsive to adult learners lives “(Ross-Gordon). Utilizing courses designed to be completed in less time would be a motivating factor for adults to seek out degrees and finish

The traditional adult attending a college or university is attempting to get their foot in the door of life. While the non-traditional adult, someone who is already in the workforce, is attending college for a different reason: either to change a career, improve a job skills, or for the joy of learning. The wise employers are sending employees back to school in order to make the business successful. Universities and colleges are adapting their programs to the needs of these non-traditional adults. As the non-traditional adults flood the colleges and universities, corporations and educational institutes are collaborating to establish the most optimum way to support the needs of the students while providing the best trained and educated workers in the industry.

Specifically, adult student persistence is effectively influenced by four pillars of support: (a) the extent to which students are able to manage positive and negative forces, (b) support from a school 's staff for students ' sense of self-efficacy, (c) established realistic and attainable educational goals, and (d) the opportunity to assess progress toward those established goals (Comings, Parrella, & Soricone, 1999). Also important to adult education completion is the nature of interactions among students and staff. In a study of 600 literacy and numeracy students in Scotland, Tett, and Maclachlan (2007) found that learners who networked with other students and who interacted with their teachers had a more robust learning experience and generally demonstrated more positive life changes. Kegan et al. (2001) connected learning content and skills with complex meaning systems that are conceptually grounded in the idea that adults develop their reality and beliefs over time through a socializing process that occurs in and outside the classroom. After studying the developmental changes in 41 learners at three adult learning centers over period of 9-14 months, they concluded that adult learners change in a variety of ways that allow them to consolidate and elaborate their skills, knowledge, perspectives, and beliefs. The positive effect of adult education on learners is established in the literature. Kegan et al.

Today's workers need to prepare with continuous job training, growth and development. Given the increased age, experiences and diverse lifestyles of the working population, it is understandable that adult education practices must move beyond the traditional model of teachers and learners, while new skills, working with local companies to match their needs and sending staff into factories and other workplaces to spread the word about state and federal retraining assistance. While trying to decide how to rebuild your life after loss of employment and lack of job opportunities following the current recession, or devastated from a divorce? Adult students faced with other struggles; studies have shown that older adult students face different hurdles, family problems, and poor self-image. These along with poor time management, weaker academic preparation and a need for remediation an increased focus on adult learners and their needs can help. (armour)

Basically, this article by Malcolm Knowles is a conglomerate of all aspects of adult learning. It outlines aspects of adult learning, theories of adult learning, and expands on them. The main idea of this article is to create awareness on the existence of adult learning, and to help instructors of adult learning to know how to go about it successfully. Additionally, the article is of help to adult learners to enable them to learn the most they can (Knowles, 2007).

My impression of adult education has changed immensely. First and foremost, the first lesson learned that teaching adults are a separate, intensive, and long debated process. Portions of certain theories learned illustrated below. I have extended knowledge about Meizrow (Transformational Learning) and Knowles (Andragogy). The six key features of Adult Learners are:

Time management is more often than not a challenge for many students. This is more so the case for adult students. It is important to note that unlike their younger counterparts, adult learners face a host of unique challenges when it comes to the management of time. In addition to the demands of their fulltime or part-time jobs, adult learners often have to attend to other responsibilities including but not limited to child care and other familial obligations. This text clearly demonstrates how adult learners can better manage their time for academic success.