Investigating the Relationship between Academic Persistence and Age, Dissertation - 1

Investigating the Relationship between Academic Persistence and Age, Gender, Ethnicity and Transfer Credits - Dissertation Example Adult Learner Academic Persistence According to previous reports, the retaining of adult learners in programs and institutions on adult education has become a great challenge. The rates of attrition and pressures of accountability within these institutions are also very high according to Jeffreys (2012). The previously carried out pieces of research show that most adults who withdraw from these learning programs do so after accomplishing their goals. They reportedly leave to join other programs that suit them more. According to Sanders, most of the adults dropping out of school return after their situations have been altered creating cycles between their dropping out and return which happens severally (2008). Previous literatures additionally indicate that the process of utilizing the class and lecture a major measurement of persistence undervalues other activities that would be effective in learning and which should be encouraged. This includes activities like distance learning and personal studies. In the year 2009, Comings, Parrella & Soricone, defined persistence as that period that adults remain in adult learning programs as they engage in personal studies as a result of being forced by circumstances leading to their withdraw from attending lectures or classes. The author additionally suggests that the adult students may return to their lectures when their situations in life allow them to. According to previously carried out surveys among adult students who were studying in America, those who had previously been involved in vocational training, self study and other forms of learning, had a greater likelihood of persisting academically than their counterparts who had not been involved in similar activities (Jones, 2008). These surveys additionally show that the adult students who had specific wants had greater probabilities of persisting than those adults who were in the learning institutions but had no specific wants. According to Sanders, if the academic persistence of adult students has to be improved, the learning institutions should avail additional learning alternatives like distance learning to the adult learners who are no able to attend their scheduled lectures (2008). Learner centered perspectives can greatly help in supporting the academic persistence and understanding among the adult learners by managing the forces that hinder or advance their learning activities (Millar, & So, 2008). According to previous literature, several factors are responsible for affecting the academic persistence among adult learners and range from the different institutions, situations, dispositions, and demographic factors and emotional and relational forces (Quigley, 2008). Problems that arise from the adult learner’s employment, finances, families and abuse from their classmates, transport and health can be classified as being situational. On the other hand, institutional barriers prevent adult learners from persisting academically and c ould include issues like the level or content of the course, their location or failure to meet the set admission guidelines (Ziegler & Durant, 2009). The attitudes, self-efficacies and resilience among the adult learners towards their learning may prevent them from excelling in their chosen academic