Supports and Barriers to Persistence

Step 1: Read the related research

First review:
Table 1: Negative Forces and Table 2: Positive Forces [PDF] to learn more about the negative forces that hinder persistence and the positive forces that support persistence identified in the Adult Student Persistence Study. As you consider each negative or positive force, name the strategies that you have used successfully in your own practice to improve student persistence. Record you ideas and thoughts in a journal.

Next read:
"The First Three Weeks: A Critical Time for Motivation."B. Allan Quigley, Focus on Basics, Volume 2, Issue A, March 1998.

Summary:
The article identifies situational, institutional, and dispositional factors as three types of barriers to learner enrollment and persistence. Quigley considers how learners' expectations and perceptions of the value of the program interact with dispositional barriers and argues that it is important to identify those students most at risk for dropping out in the first weeks of participation. The author argues that research supports groupings within classes or small classes, mentoring, and the use of volunteer tutors as promising strategies for promoting the retention of at-risk students.

Read the entire article. (Opens new browser window. Close it to return.)

• After reading this article, brainstorm possible situational barriers that could negatively affect student persistence and record these on the left side of a page in your journal. Next, think of ways to address these barriers and record your ideas on the right side of the page.
• Repeat this process for institutional and dispositional barriers.

::: As you read the next two articles, take notes about the findings that you find surprising and jot down questions that you have about the research.

"The K-12 School Experiences of High School Dropouts."Stephen Reder and Clare Strawn, Focus on Basics, Volume 4, Issue D, April 2001.

Summary:
The authors write that data gathered as part of NCSALL's Longitudinal Study of Adult Learners indicate that "school resisters" may be a minority of participants in ABE programs. They explain that most adult students have positive prior school experiences. A majority of the research participants who are currently enrolled in ABE programs reported boredom and a sense of not belonging as primary reasons for leaving high school. The authors suggest that these findings may have implications for program design and instruction in ABE.

Read the entire article. (Opens new browser window. Close it to return.)

"Program Participation and Self-Directed Learning to Improve Basic Skills."Stephen Reder and Clare Strawn, Focus on Basics, Volume 4, Issue D, April 2001.

Summary:
Data from NCSALL's Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning indicate that self-study is prevalent among high school dropouts. The authors assert that informal, self-directed learning may be an important aspect of adult literacy development and that this is a component largely overlooked by researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. They argue that turnover in programs may be part of a broader process of skill development over time and that it is important to examine learner participation from a student rather than administrative perspective in order to gain a more accurate understanding of students' experiences.

Read the entire article. (Opens new browser window. Close it to return.)

::: What do you think are the implications of these findings for the design of your program and your instruction?

Go to Step 2