Adult Learner Persistence

As Long as it Takes:
The role of an encouraging student orientation program
in fostering learner persistence

I was fortunate enough to have been chosen to attend the first round of the Texas Master Teacher conferences last year. The Master Teacher Initiative (M.T.I.), the first in the state, was not only informative in the sessions planned but also productive in classroom outcome. By classroom outcome I mean that many of us attend conferences and trainings and we may or may not be able to incorporate these training sessions into constructive classroom projects. The M.T.I. ensured through its embedded learning projects that all of us would be able to bring a productive and positive result to our prospective classrooms and/or programs.

One of the prerequisites in achieving the Master Teacher Certification was the completion of a research project. Along with three of my colleagues, a study was conducted at the Bryan Adult Learning Center where we work. The study surveyed initial attendees to the ESL and GED/ABE programs and asked generic questions.

1. How did you find out about the class?
2. What are your reasons for enrolling in the adult education program?
3. How long are you willing to attend classes?

As a result of this project, we were able to better evaluate our eight hour, two day orientation process. This evaluation led to our changing the timing of goal setting with students. Students are now encouraged to set realistic goals at the time of orientation. It is important to speak about expectations during orientation since the student’s situation may change that night. Therefore, students are advised of available resources and options available to them as soon as possible upon entering our program.

The demographics of the adult students who completed the M.T.I. research project showed the percentage majority were between the ages of 20 and 30. The follow-up survey conducted on these students identified that the preponderance of the 20 to 30 year old GED students had unrealistic expectations. Many thought they could get their GED in a month or two. They also did not know who would watch their children while they were in school or what would happen when they got a job. Many times, the students did not realize that their expectations were unreasonably high and that they should not quit learning if their completion timeline didn’t correlate with their abilities or life situations. These students are encouraged to have some type of contingency plan in place so they can attain their goals. Their plans should address such questions as: 1) What will I do if I start working? 2) Is there appropriate childcare? 3) What is my transportation situation? These important issues are now always discussed in the orientation program with periodic follow-ups conducted during the student’s attendance at the center.

During orientation, the students are also told that if it becomes necessary to switch to night classes, it is not a problem. The students understand that as their situations change, their goals should not. Whatever it takes to obtain their goals, all the staff, day or night, will be there to help. It, therefore, helps that there are staff members who work both day and night. The appearance of a familiar face, a pleasant smile, and a welcoming attitude assists the student in feeling comfortable switching to night classes. This comfort factor assists in the transition to another class, thereby increasing the likelihood that the student will actually attend night classes. We all like to feel comfortable; we enjoy the security of knowing about a place. This is quite evident when you look at all the chain restaurants and hotel chains in this country. We are comfortable with what we already know, and our adult education students definitely want and sometimes need to have a comfortable, familiar place to retreat. These students have many obstacles in their lives, so returning to class should be something extremely simple - a controlled, comfortable procedure.

When things are not controllable by the student, external agencies can usually assist. Community resources along with applicable phone numbers are given to orientation participants. The list includes agencies that may potentially be of assistance if life situations do change. Some resources include child care, health, and transportation agencies.

The M.T.I. project validated the importance of encouraging learners to be persistent in attaining their goals. As adult educators, we all know how important this attitude is to the success of our students. Through verbal encouragements, we can try to promote in our students an attitude that supports continued learning. It is said that learning is a lifelong pursuit; this should be our motto in adult education. We, as adult education teachers and staff members, need to foster the goals of students and assist them in strengthening their resolve to meet their goals, no matter what life may throw at them.

While it has been validated through numerous studies that GED students expect to complete the program in 3 – 6 months, encouraging all students, particularly the 20 to 30 year age group, to set realistic expectations and contingency plans may prepare them in the event of delays to their learning. Adult educators are impelled to hearten their students so we should encourage them to mirror an ESL student mentality: go to school for “as long as it takes”. This has become a goal of our center, and hopefully the goal of all our students.

Since retiring from the US Air Force and obtaining her teacher certification, Angeline Kaldro has been a GED teacher at the Bryan Adult Learning Center. She teaches two adult classes and the 16/17 court ordered teen class. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University and enjoys spending time with immediate family and her daughter, a third year A&M nutrition major.