Adult Education Student Transition and Persistence in Community College PDF Download

Author: Carrie Lynn Tupa
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 380

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Book Description
Using Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA), this study examined the experience of individuals who earned a high school equivalency following the completion of a federal adult education program, then transitioned to community college. The IQA research protocol was used to address three research questions: 1) What are the elements/factors that make up The College Experience/Being a Student for individuals who have completed their high school equivalency? 2) How do these elements/factors relate in a system of influence? 3) How do the experiences of adult education students who transition to college compare to those of traditional college students. Following several focus groups, eight affinities were identified: 1) Faculty Impact; 2) Playing the Game; 3) Life Management; 4) Academic Life; 5) Relationships; 6) Growth and Transformation; 7) Emotions; 8) Career Advancement/Reward and Purpose. Interviews were conducted with 20 former adult education students to examine the relationships between these affinities in a system of influence. The affinity of Faculty Impact was found to be a primary driver in the College Experience for these students, and further analysis of interviews highlighted additional positive and negative experiences faced by students relative to the various affinities. Implications of this research highlight the importance of postsecondary institutions addressing all barriers students may face during participation, in particular nontraditional students, and considering all characteristics of these students when mapping out a plan for their success and persistence.

Author: Matt Bergman
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 1641138564
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 235

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Book Description
For at least the last 100 years, more than 40% of all students who enrolled in American colleges and universities have not persisted to graduation at four-year institutions. Their stories are varied, but in every case, something got in the way of that pursuit. Life happened. They became one of the nearly 36 million Americans who have some college but no degree. For many, the stigma of not finishing college is a closely held secret that weighs heavily as they discuss, engage, and compete to meet the challenges of the workforce in the 21st century. Some weren’t ready at age 18 for the focus and commitment that academic studies require. Others found opportunities to create income and meet immediate familial needs or requirements. Many have excelled despite their lack of a college credential. Contrary to the deficit mindset that often permeates the retention and persistence discourse, this book highlights the stories of those who successfully returned to what was left unfinished. The stories here may challenge your assumptions. These are high-quality students who demonstrated a compelling and inspiring commitment to their education, begun long ago and now completed—in some cases decades later. As you read, don’t miss the role that engaged advisors, supportive family members, and well-designed programs such as prior learning assessment played in helping students to the finish line. These narratives also demonstrate that it is time for institutions of higher education to imagine and embrace new ways of serving these students well.

Author: Office of Vocational and Adult Education (ED), Washington, DC.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description
A college education is becoming more and more of a necessity in today's competitive economy: ninety percent of the fastest-growing jobs require postsecondary education or training. U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has called on states, institutions and the federal government to work together to carry out the recommendations of "A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education" in order to make postsecondary education more affordable and effective. The Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education called together leading thinkers in the field of adult education to generate a national dialogue on postsecondary transitions with regard to adult basic education (ABE) students. This publication recaps an Office of Vocational and Adult Education-sponsored ABE to Community College Transitions Symposium held in Washington, DC, on September 14, 2006. At the symposium, nationally recognized adult education experts shared their ideas about how to help adult learners transition successfully to postsecondary learning. The symposium was organized into two roundtable discussions. The first roundtable, "Why Are We Here? The Challenge of ABE to Community College Transition," focused on challenges faced by ABE programs in promoting transitions to community colleges and identified student, organizational, and policy challenges. Panelists for the first discussion included John Comings, Davis Jenkins, Israel Mendoza, and Jerry Rubin. The second roundtable, "Where Are We Going? Promising Approaches to Promote ABE to Community-College Transition," focused on organizational and academic approaches to making ABE more successful in promoting college transitions. Participants for the second discussion were: Johannes Bos, Debra Bragg, Ding-Jo Currie, Silja Kallenbach, and David Seith. Judith Alamprese provided a summary and recommendations for potential next steps, including: (1) Creating a system of lifelong learning that promotes the concept that learning is an ongoing part of adults' lives and that many adults will need to develop new skills or knowledge as they grow older; (2) Clearly articulating and systematically coordinating the components of career pathways to include academic training, career awareness and planning, and the provision of support services; (3) Building the awareness of incumbent workers about opportunities for participation in postsecondary education and the payoff in the workplace from their development of new or enhancement of existing skills; (4) Continuing to educate community colleges and state policymakers about the issues of ABE learners' transition to community college; and (5) Conducting rigorous experiments to test promising approaches to facilitating ABE learners' enrollment in and completion of postsecondary programs. Cheryl Keenan provided closing remarks calling for further research and demonstrations projects to assess conclusively the practices that promote and sustain postsecondary transitions among ABE students. Three appendixes include: (1) Panelist and Presenter Biographies; (2) Participant List; and (3) ABE to Community College Transitions Project. [This report was prepared by MPR Associates, Inc. for the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education.].

Author: Bryce Ralph Humpherys
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781267476708
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
At both a national and state level there is a growing need for skilled workers in the labor force. Educating low skilled adults is one way to address this need. Adult education programs teach low skilled adults basic academic skills to prepare them for work and life in U.S. society. Until recently little attention was paid to transitioning students from adult education programs into college. Since 2004 the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) has led colleges across the state in launching multiple initiatives designed to help transition adult education students into college programs. In this exploratory study, the author investigated elements of a transition effort at the Grandview Campus of Yakima Valley Community College (YVCC). He specifically sought to determine the relationship between the number of students transitioning from the YVCC adult education program into college classes and the campus climate, student support services, college orientation activities, enrollment in specific transition classes, student age, student gender and student ethnicity. Using the results of correlation and regression analyses coupled with qualitative data from focus groups, the author found that certain support services, some orientation activities, student age, student gender and enrollment in transition classes were related to students transitioning. Additionally, the author concluded that elements of campus climate, college faculty, individualized attention from college employees, support from fellow students, and family support also had an impact on students transitioning.

Author: Lisa S. Kelsay
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 100098107X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
Co-published with This timely volume addresses the urgent need for new strategies and better ways to serve community colleges’ present and future students at a time of rapid diversification, not just racially and ethnically, but including such groups as the undocumented, international students, older adult learners and veterans, all of whom come with varied levels of academic and technical skillsThe contributing researchers, higher education faculty, college presidents, and community college administrators provide thorough understanding of student groups who have received scant attention in the higher education literature. They address the often unconscious barriers to access our institutions have erected and describe emerging strategies, frameworks, and pilot projects that can ease students’ transition into college and through the maze of the college experience to completion. They offer advice on organizational culture, on defining institutional outcomes, on aligning shifting demographics with the multiple missions of the community college, on strengthening the collaboration of student and academic affairs to leverage their respective roles and resources, and on engaging with the opportunities afforded by technology.Divided into three parts – understanding today’s community college campuses; supporting today’s community college learners; and specialized populations and communities – this book offers a vision and solutions that should inform the work of faculty, administrators, presidents, and board members.

Author: Amy D. Rose
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1003808379
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 231

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Book Description
Creating a Place for Adult Learners in Higher Education offers deep insights into how to attract, teach, support, and retain students over the age of 25 – an important yet often overlooked student group. Comprehensive in scope, this book covers all the main aspects of adult students’ relationships with higher education institutions: recruitment, admissions, and financing; course and program provision and teaching approaches; and student support, retention, and completion. The discussion is bolstered by chapters of analysis on adult student demographics (including both diversities and commonalities), exploration of leadership challenges, and discussion of measurements of success. Drawing from the most up-to-date research as well as practical experience and descriptions of best practices by programs historically serving adults, the authors provide a broad set of strategies and recommendations to place adult students at the center of the educational process. Higher education leaders, practitioners, and administrators will find this book an invaluable resource as they seek to better account for and support this key student group, which now comprises approximately 30% of the US undergraduate population.

Author: Matt J. Bergman
Publisher: Information Age Publishing
ISBN: 9781641138550
Category : Adult college students
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
"For at least the last 100 years, more than 40% of all students who enrolled in American colleges and universities have not persisted to graduation at four-year institutions. Their stories are varied, but in every case, something got in the way of that pursuit. Life happened. They became one of the nearly 36 million Americans who have some college but no degree. For many, the stigma of not finishing college is a closely held secret that weighs heavily as they discuss, engage, and compete to meet the challenges of the workforce in the 21st century. Some weren't ready at age 18 for the focus and commitment that academic studies require. Others found opportunities to create income and meet immediate familial needs or requirements. Many have excelled despite their lack of a college credential. Contrary to the deficit mindset that often permeates the retention and persistence discourse, this book highlights the stories of those who successfully returned to what was left unfinished. The stories here may challenge your assumptions. These are high-quality students who demonstrated a compelling and inspiring commitment to their education, begun long ago and now completed-in some cases decades later. As you read, don't miss the role that engaged advisors, supportive family members, and well-designed programs such as prior learning assessment played in helping students to the finish line. These narratives also demonstrate that it is time for institutions of higher education to imagine and embrace new ways of serving these students well"--

Author: Yolanda Reyes Guevara
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Academic achievement
Languages : en
Pages : 418

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Book Description
Student persistence has been a topic of discussion in higher education for decades. Researchers have examined factors that affect persistence for traditional-aged students with research focusing on quantitative studies that fail to acknowledge the individual experiences of persistence. Likewise, there is minimal research on Latino/a adult students and their experiences with persistence at community colleges. This dissertation study examined the Latino/a adult student at the community college to gain a better understanding of their lived experiences of persistence. This study took place at an urban, two-year institution in south Texas that has a high number of Hispanic or Latino/a students and a low number of adult students. For this study, I examined the following overarching research question: Looking through the lens of Latino/a adult students, what explains the phenomenon of their persistence at the community college? This study utilized a phenomenological, qualitative approach to explore the overarching question. The study followed a phenomenological methodology in order to focus on the lived experiences of the participants and to further explore the phenomenon of persistence. Two semi-structured interviews and a critical incident reflection were used to gather data from the participants. The themes that emerged from the data analysis were the following: the past will not define my future, moving into higher education, finding my place in higher education, aiming for a better life, what matters to me, making connections, and looking into a mirror. Sub-themes were identified for each of these themes as well, and study findings were interpreted in light of existing research literature and the study's conceptual framework encompassing Schlossberg's Transition Theory (1981) and Yosso's theory of Community Cultural Wealth (2005). The study adds to the body of literature on Latino/a adult students and their persistence and also provides implications for practice for practitioners in the field of higher education.

Author: Frankie Santos Laanan
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 118

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Book Description
This volume provides the latest recommendations on how to address the needs of students in transition at the collegiate level. Understanding Students in Transition covers transitions affecting recent high school graduates, community college transfer students, older adults returning to education, and students displaced by natural disasters. Addressing the needs of students in the midst of change, particularly those who are part of the "millennial generation" (those born between 1982 and 2003), requires a full understanding of today's students and what they bring to their new college experience. Understanding Students in Transition is designed for practitioners looking to understand the changing landscape of today's college students. Articles present a mix of research and practical issues that will be relevant and useful to various stakeholders on a college or university campus. This is the 114th edition of New Directions for Student Services, a quarterly journal published by Jossey-Bass. Click here to view the entire list of New Directions for Student Services titles.

Author: C. Amelia Davis
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118944194
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 104

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Book Description
This is the first New Directions volume related to young adult learners since 1984. Then, as now, young adults are an important segment of the adult population but have received scant attention in the adult education literature. Increasingly, youths and young adults are enrolling in adult education programs and in doing so are changing the meaning of adulthood. Given the significant demographic, technological, and cultural shifts during the past 30 years, there is an increasing need for practitioners and program planners to reconsider what constitutes "adult" and "adult education." An understanding of the changing meaning of adulthood is fundamental to developing programs and policies that will address the needs of younger learners, and we believe it is time for an updated discussion among adult educators and scholars in other disciplines. This sourcebook is designed to reignite the discussion related to meeting the educational needs of young adults along with a timely and interdisciplinary discussion that highlights the transitional needs of young adult learners. Table of contents: 1. Conceptualizing Transitions to Adulthood (Johanna Wyn) This opening chapter lays the groundwork for this volume by providing an overview of adult development theories as they relate to the transition to young adulthood along with a discussion of the blurring between youth and adult due to the ambiguity encountered when trying to define adulthood. 2. Culture, Conditions, and the Transition to Adulthood (Brendaly Drayton) An individual's culture shapes both the definition of adult and the experience of the transition to adulthood. Furthermore, the transition to adulthood may serve as a time when an individual's cultural identity is more consciously defined and more personally salient. This chapter explores the intersection of culture and adulthood. 3. Vulnerable Youth and Transitions to Adulthood (Rongbing Xie, Bisakha Sen, E. Michael Foster) This chapter discusses recent research conducted that identified challenges youth in the mental health system, the foster care system, and the juvenile justice system face in their transition to adulthood due to limited support systems. 4. Young Adulthood, Transitions, and Dis/ability (Jessica Nina Lester) A discussion focusing on the social transitions to adulthood and independent living of an often forgotten population in adult education, young adults labeled with (dis)abilities. 5. Becoming an Adult in a Community of Faith (Steven B. Frye) The vitality and ongoing existence of any community of faith-- regardless of the specific religious tradition--depends on incorporating the "next generation" as full participants. This chapter focuses on how the transition to adulthood is transacted within various religious traditions and the extent to which that transition is a place where non-formal learning takes place. 6. Youths Transitioning as Adult Learners (C. Amelia Davis) This chapter conceptualizes transitions with a focus on Adult Basic Education/GED students as they transition from high school to adult education. 7. Transitions From Formal Education to the Workplace (Joann S. Olson) This chapter frames the transition to adulthood in the context of the moving from formal educational settings (e.g., high school, postsecondary education) to the often less-structured learning that occurs in workplace settings. 8. Themes and Issues in Programming for Young Adults (Joann S. Olson, C. Amelia Davis) In this final chapter, recurring themes from the preceding chapters are identified and discussed as they pertain to program planning and instructional practice.