Persistence among adult basic education students in pre-GED classes

Abstract

The first phase of a persistence study used research as a tool to develop advice for practitioners on how to help adults persist in their studies. The study team defined persistence as adults who stay in programs for as long as they can, engage in self-directed study when they must drop out of their programs, and return to programs as soon as the demands of their lives allow. The team read previous studies and related literature, talked with practitioners about how they have tried to help adult students persist longer in their studies, and interviewed 150 pre-General Educational Development program students in New England to gain their insights into the supports and barriers to persistence. The only significant findings were that immigrants, those over the age of 30, and parents of teenage or grown children were more likely to persist. The following aspects of educational experience were associated with persistence: (1) adults who had been involved in previous efforts at basic skills education, self-study, or vocational skill training; and (2) adults who mentioned a specific goal. Analysis identified the following four supports to persistence: management of positive and negative forces that help and hinder persistence; self efficacy; establishment of a goal by the student; and progress towards reaching a goal. Interventions within constraints of existing programs fell into four categories: intake, orientation, instruction, and program activities. (Contain 65 references and survey forms.) (YLB)

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