Motivating and Retaining Adult Learners

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Motivating and Retaining Adult Learners
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Why dont they stay?

• Do you ever ask yourself these questions?
• Why do students drop out rather than complete an
  adult education program?
• How can student retention be increased in our
  adult education classes?
• How can we help our students succeed?
• Important questions because student persistence
  is important!

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Why is persistence so important?
Learner Persistence Study, NCSALL (2004)
GLE Increase
EFL Gains
Duration and Intensity
75 percent chance of making a 1 GLE increase at
150 hours
100 hours required for a 1 GLE increase
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Intensity and Duration

• We need intensity (hours/month) and duration
  (months/year) for many students to succeed.
• So how do we get it?
• Thats what well be discussing today but first

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What are you doing?

• Tell us about one strategy your program has
  implemented to increase learners persistence.
• What impact did implementing this strategy have
  on learner motivation and persistence? Why do
  you think it had this impact?

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Todays Training Objectives

• You will
• Examine the latest research on student
  persistence and motivation to determine
  implications for program management.
• Determine the most appropriate definition of
  persistence" for use in your own program.
• Conduct a retention rate study.
• Examine factors that promote student persistence
  and a variety of instructional and management
  strategies to address those factors.
• Explore professional development and management
  options that you can provide to help your
  instructors support student persistence.

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What does the research tell us?

• Latest Research - Learner Persistence Study
• John Comings et al., NCSALL, 2004
• John_comings_at_harvard.edu
• http//ncsall.gse.harvard.edu
• Surveyed 150 adult learners
• Observed 9 programs that were trying to improve
  persistence

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Student Pathways

• Long-Term highly motivated, few barriers,
  older, slow progress
• Mandatory poor motivation
• Short-term project learners
• Try-out fairly large, too many barriers, drop
  out
• Intermittent largest group, motivated,
  participate, barrier emerges, stop-out, return
  later
• Comings, 2004

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Theoretical Models
Persistence is a balance between
Perceived Benefit Cost
Supports Barriers
Motivation Barriers
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Supports and Barriers
What do you think supports learners in their persistence? What do you think hinders learners in their persistence? -

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Adult Student CharacteristicsThat Support
Persistence

• Immigrant status, age over 30, and parent of teen
  or adult children
• Involvement in previous efforts at basic skills
  education, self study, or vocational skill
  training
• Specific goal

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Adult Student CharacteristicsThat Did Not
Influence Persistence

• Gender and ethnicity
• Single parent status
• Employment status/working hours
• Negative school experience
• Parents education

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Three Barriers to Persistence
B. Allan Quigley (1993) The Critical First Three
Weeks
Situational
Institutional
Dispositional

• Examples
• Transportation
• Family Responsibilities
• Financial Obligations

• Examples
• Red Tape
• Scheduling Problems
• Intake Procedures

• Examples
• Learners Attitudes
• Values
• Perceptions

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Turbulence and Focus

• Thomas Sticht et al. (1998)
• Open-entry/continuous enrollment makes it harder
  for students to stay in the program.
• Multi-focused/multi-level classes make student
  persistence more difficult.
• Persistence rates increase in classes where the
  focus of students and classrooms are more closely
  aligned (e.g., job readiness, GED).

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Persistence Supports
John Comings et al. (2004)
Managing Positive and Negative Forces
Building Self- Efficacy
Clear Goals
Progress
Self Management Sponsors Family Friends Teachers
Students
Feeling that student will be successful in adult
education and obtain his/her goal
With instructional objectives that must be met to
reach that goal
Measures that are meaningful to the student
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Stop Outs, Not Drop Outs

• Alicia Belzer (1998)
• Leavers dont consider themselves drop-outs
• Stop attending but plan on returning later
• Departure from a program not viewed as a
  negative or failure by students, but rather
  as a temporary hiatus

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Persistence Should Be
Adults staying in programs for as long as they
can, engaging in supported self study or
distance education when they must stop attending
program services, and returning to program
services as soon as the demands of their lives
allow. John Comings, 2004
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Research Implications

• In what ways are these concepts relevant to your
  program?
• What are the implications for program design?

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Research Implications

• From an accountability perspective
• Participation ends when an adult drops out of a
  program
• From a students perspective
• Participation may continue after leaving the
  program through self study or distance learning

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Research Implications

• New definition values self-study, transfer,
  re-entry into a program
• Increased need for programs to stay connected and
  offer alternative services
• Well look at ways to do this but first

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Does my program have persistence red flags?

• Understanding attendance patterns and retention
  rates can help you make data-driven decisions.
• The right kind of data can help you make
  decisions about what you can do to improve the
  retention rate.

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Conducting a Retention Rate Study

• Look at Sample Attendance Roster 1.
• How many students enrolled on August 18?
• During the first two weeks of attendance, how
  many students withdrew?
• Calculate the retention rate by dividing the
  number who withdrew by the total number enrolled.

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Conducting a Retention Rate Study

• Are there any common denominators among the
  students who withdrew?
• Is there an assumption you can make about these
  students or the program at this point?
• What questions should you ask at this point?

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Activity 1 Calculating the Retention Rate

• Look at Sample Attendance Roster 2
• What is the retention rate for this class?
• Are some students absent on certain days of the
  week?
• Do some students miss class for a long period of
  time and then re-enter?
• Do some students attend class one time and never
  return?
• What implications might these patterns reveal?

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Who are the reluctant learners?

• Adults who were motivated enough to enroll in
  class but something gets in the way.
• REMEMBER Students may not view themselves as
  reluctant learners but your job is to keep them
  engaged until they meet their goals.

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Motivation Blockers
Success may seem out of reach because
View of Themselves May Not Include Success
Barriers That Block Their View Of Success
Past Experiences
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Four Supports and Sample Strategies for Learner
Persistence
Management Of Positive Negative Forces
Building Self- Efficacy
Clear Goals
Progress

• Intake Process
• Bridge to Next Steps
• Goals in Envelopes

• Assessment Strategies
• Conferencing
• Dialogue Journals

• Student Needs Assessment
• Sponsorship
• Sense of Community
• Accessibility

• Student Leadership
• Assessment
• Recognition
• Learner-Generated Materials
• Learning Styles and Special Learning Needs

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Management of Positive and Negative Forces

• Institutional Barriers
• Never let formal education get in the way of
  your learning. Mark Twain
• Registration, scheduling, class locations,
  student-centered process
• Situational Barriers
• Transportation, child care, health issues, family
  and job responsibilities, lack of support

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Management of Positive and Negative Forces

• Strategy 1 Student Needs Assessment
• Involving students in examining their supporting
  and hindering forces to achieving their goals
• Sample needs assessment processes
• Brainstorming and prioritizing
• Acting it out
• Classroom discussion
• Snowball Consensus
• Affinity Diagramming
• Learner-to-Learner Interviews

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Activity 2 Listening to the Students

• With your table partners, select one of the needs
  assessment processes to read together and
  discuss.
• In what ways do you think this activity would be
  an effective way to hear learners forces and
  work with learners to increase their persistence?
• What are some other ways you might hear from
  learners about the forces that affect them?
• What concerns or fears do you have about asking
  learners what helps or hinders them from pursuing
  their educational goals?

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Management of Positive and Negative Forces

• Strategy 2 Sponsorships
• Personal
• Relatives, godmothers, children, spouses and
  partners neighbors, friends, co-workers
• Official
• Paid professionals Social workers, parole
  officers, DHS case workers, librarians, teachers
• Intermediate
• Pastors, fellow recovery program members and
  sponsors, volunteer tutors, other students

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Management of Positive and Negative Forces

• Sponsorship Strategies
• Identify sponsors during intake process.
• Discuss with student the role the sponsor can
  play in supporting him/her.
• Help students identify sponsors if they dont
  have any.
• Ask students permission to contact sponsor if
  persistence challenges occur.
• Employ a Student Persistence Coordinator (paid or
  volunteer) to support students.
• Form a Student Retention Team to contact and
  support at-risk students.

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Management of Positive and Negative Forces

• How important do you feel the role of sponsors
  would be with your students?
• How might you support this sponsorship role in
  your program?

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Management of Positive and Negative Forces

• Strategy 3 Building a Sense of Community
• Managed intake and managed enrollment classes
  (students begin and progress together)
• Field trips, potluck dinners, etc. that bring
  learners together in different ways
• Student-run activities (e.g., Second Chance Prom)
• Class ground rules set by students
• Diversity training
• Buddy system for new and returning students
• Group Activities
• Group Projects

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Management of Positive and Negative Forces

• Strategy 4 Accessibility
• Intake Process Barrier resolution to find out
  what potential hindering forces may be and
  providing assistance (directly or through
  referrals)
• Persistence Plan developing a plan during
  intake for continued work during potential
  stopping out period
• Support Services networking with community
  agencies, prioritizing services to include a
  counseling position
• Enrollment and Attendance Policies changing
  policies to reduce classroom chaos from constant
  entering and exiting of students
• Flexible Scheduling

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Activity 3 Management of Positive and
Negative Forces

• Review the handout on Sample Activities for
  Management of Positive and Negative Forces.
• Have you implemented any of these activities? If
  so, how did you do it and what were the results?
• What are some other activities that you feel
  would address institutional or situational
  barriers?

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Four Supports and Sample Strategies for Learner
Persistence
Management Of Positive Negative Forces
Building Self- Efficacy
Clear Goals
Progress

• Student Leadership
• Assessment
• Recognition
• Learner-generated Materials
• Learning Styles and Special Learning Needs

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Building Self-Efficacy

• A belief by learners that they can be successful
  when attempting new activities as learners.
• Sample strategies
• Student Leadership
• Assessment
• Recognition
• Learner-generated Materials
• Learning Styles and Special Learning Needs

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Building Self-Efficacy

• Strategy 1 Student Leadership
• Peer orientations
• Peer teaching
• Advisory board members
• Student Advisory Board
• Student Retention Team
• Student-led projects

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Building Self-Efficacy

• Strategy 2 Assessment
• Intakes procedures to identify at-risk drop outs
• Prior Schooling and Self-Perception Inventory
  (Quigley, 1998)
• Reflect on previous school experiences and
  contrast them to their anticipated participation
  in adult education
• Witkin Embedded Figures Tests
• Determines whether the learner is a global,
  interactive learner (field-dependence) or a
  logical, analytical one (field-independence)
• At-risk learners field-dependent focus on
  seeing the big picture learn best in small
  group, interactive situations

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Building Self-Efficacy

• Assessment
• Begin with informal non-academic measures before
  using formal (TABE, CASAS) measures
• Begin standardized testing with the students
  greatest comfort area
• Involve learners more in assessment process
• Portfolio assessment
• Conferencing
• Student Teacher Evaluation Process (STEPS)

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Building Self-Efficacy

• Strategy 3 Recognition and Incentives
• National Adult Student Honor Society
• http//www.naehs.org/Default.htm
• Student of the Month
• Family of the Month
• Graduation Ceremonies
• Perfect Attendance Recognition
• Incentive Store
• Other

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Building Self-Efficacy

• Strategy 4 Learner-Generated Materials
• Student newsletter
• Student writings publication
• Class anthology
• Strategy 5 Addressing Learning Styles and
  Special Learning Needs
• Learning style inventories
• Special learning needs screening instruments
• Special equipment
• Quiet work space
• Work load
• Repetition and variety

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Activity 4 Building Self-Efficacy

• With your table partners, select one of the
  strategies from the handout on Sample Activities
  for Building Self-Efficacy.
• How might you implement this strategy in your
  program?
• How would you know if the strategy was
  successful?

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Four Supports and Sample Strategies for Learner
Persistence
Management Of Positive Negative Forces
Building Self- Efficacy
Clear Goals
Progress

• Intake Process
• Bridge to Next Steps
• Goals in Envelopes

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Clear Goals

• Motivation Blockers
• Learner expectations versus reality
• Changes in long or short term goals
• Cost of participation compared to benefits of
  education program

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Clear Goals

• Adults are motivated to enroll by the desire to
  reach a specific goal.
• Therefore, you must
• Identify their specific goals
• Show the student how the class will help them
  reach their goals
• Understand the difference between student and NRS
  goals
• Important to
• Help them determine realistic goals (short-term
  and long-term)
• Set interim success benchmarks
• Regularly review progress to those goals

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Clear Goals
Sample Strategies
Goals in Envelope
Intake Process
Bridge to Next Steps
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Clear Goals

• Strategy 1 Intake Process
• Do not focus on academic goal setting only.
• What do you want to do that you cannot do now?
• If he/she wants a GED, What will the GED do for
  you that you cannot do now?
• Begin with a preliminary goal setting activity
  during the intake process to identify interests
  and strengths (samples in notebook).
• Complete academic assessments before finalizing
  goals, as well as learning style inventories and
  special learning needs screening, if appropriate.

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Clear Goals

• Strategy 1 Intake Process
• Schedule a goal conference with individual
  student to discuss short-term and long-term goal
  attainment, realistic timelines, and interim
  success benchmarks that will need to occur in
  pursuit of the goal/s.
• Discuss the reality of episodic participation
  and that there is support available when you find
  it necessary to stop coming to class for a while.
• For NRS goals, refer to the handout
  Considerations for Setting Realistic NRS Goals.

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Clear Goals

• Strategy 2 Bridge to Next Steps
• Students may not know all of their options for
  further training and employment. They dont
  know what they dont know.
• Realistic goal setting may be hindered or
  short-sighted.
• Provide opportunities for students to become
  familiar with options for further education or
  work.
• Field trips to community college
• Job shadowing opportunities with local employers
• Guest speakers from Michigan Works

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Clear Goals

• Strategy 3 Goals in Envelope
• Goals can change over time.
• Once the initial goals are determined, have the
  student write them down.
• Place the goal sheet in an envelope.
• Explain to the student that the two of you will
  open the envelope every four-six weeks to
  determine if the goals need to be changed.

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Activity 5 Clear Goals

• What are you currently doing to help students set
  realistic goals?
• What are some of the greatest challenges to
  setting clear goals?
• How might you address these challenges?

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Four Supports and Sample Strategies for Learner
Persistence
Management Of Positive Negative Forces
Building Self- Efficacy
Clear Goals
Progress

• Assessment Strategies
• Conferencing
• Dialogue Journals

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Progress

• Assessment Strategies
• Use a variety of methods to allow students to see
  their progress (e.g., portfolios, checklists,
  technology-based tracking mechanisms)
• Train students in self-evaluation procedures

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Progress

• Conferencing
• STEPS regularly scheduled sessions to review
  student progress and evaluate materials, methods,
  etc.
• Dialogue Journals
• Using a process for learners to share their
  concerns in a private way and for teachers to
  respond to those concerns

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Activity 6 Progress

• Table Reflection
• Does your program have any guidelines or
  procedures for keeping students informed of their
  progress?
• If yes, what are they and are they effective?
• If no, what might be some effective guidelines to
  institute related to tracking and discussing
  progress with students?

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Program Improvement

• When programs improved services,
• Months of engagement did not increase but
• Hours of participation did.
• A major cause was increase in computer use in the
  first six months of participation.
• Learner Persistence Study
• Comings et al., 2004

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Program Improvement

• Quality of Instruction
• Non-Classroom Support
• Reengagement Expectation and Plan

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Quality of Instruction

• Relevance to learners goals and needs
• Opportunities to build class cohesion
• Builds on learners experiences
• Instructional objectives and curriculum clearly
  connected to learners goals
• Respect and understanding of cultural diversity
• Students actively engaged in planning and
  evaluating own learning
• Student mentors
• Establishing a process for more experienced
  students to talk with new or at-risk students
  about their educational path

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Non-Classroom Support

• Student Orientation
• Let students know up front that support is
  available if they are forced to stop out.
• Make a written plan with the student.
• Follow-Up
• Develop a system for contacting students after
  they have stopped out to see if the program can
  help them resolve issues that might have lead to
  them leaving.
• Stopping Out Activities for Students
• Develop a system for sending fun and challenging
  activities to learners after stopping out.
• Explore distance learning and the variety of
  resources available on the internet for at-home
  learning.

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Reengagement

• Set the Expectation
• At intake,
• Acknowledge the need for regular attendance BUT
  acknowledge the possible reality of episodes of
  participation
• Review available non-classroom support
• Review re-entry procedures
• Review transitions to other programs and Post
  Secondary
• During Class
• Acknowledge re-entering students
• In group discussions, include re-entry and
  transitions

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Program Director as Instructional Leader

• The role of the program director as instructional
  leader for student persistence
• Two factors that positively affect teacher change
  (Smith, 2002) are
• Involving teachers in the decision making process
• Teachers working together to solve
  problemscollegiality
• Involve teachers in the process of analyzing
  student persistence data and recommending program
  improvement strategies
• Professional Development
• Persistence Policies and Procedures

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Professional Development Options

• Organize a study circle on student persistence
• Resource NCSALLs Study Circle Guide on Learner
  Persistence in Adult Basic Education
• http//www.gse.harvard.edu/ncsall/teach/lp.pdf
• Follow-up the study circle with pilot tests of
  various persistence strategies
• Select a few research studies for teachers to
  review and discuss at a staff meeting
• Variety of research included in your notebook

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Professional Development Options

• Encourage practitioner research projects related
  to student persistence
• Encourage teachers to enroll in a free student
  retention online course at http//adulted.successf
  ast.net/

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Persistence Policies and Procedures

• With input from teachers, set clear guidelines
  and procedures for student persistence.
• Examine your policies and procedures for
• Student intake
• Assessment
• Student involvement
• Tracking and illustrating progress to the student
• Follow-up procedures as students exit the program
• Non-classroom support
• Re-engagement/re-entry
• With input from teachers, develop a Persistence
  Action Plan
• Resource Institutional Effectiveness Goals
  Report Student Services (in notebook)

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Always willing to help

• Lennox McLendon
• lmclendon_at_naepdc.org
• Kathi Polis
• polis123_at_adelphia.net

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References

• Belzer, Alicia (1998)
• Comings, John, Learner Persistence, paper
  presented at the Meeting of the Minds National
  Adult Education Practitioner-Researcher
  Symposium, 2004
• Quigley, B. Allen, The First Three Weeks A
  Critical Time for Motivation, FOCUS ON BASICS
  Vol 2, Issue A Mar 98, http//ncsall.gse.harvar
  d.edu/fob/1998/fobv2ia.htm
• Sticht, Thomas, 1998

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This project was developed by National Human
Resources Development, Inc. (NHRD) and the
National Adult Education Professional Development
Consortium in cooperation with the Michigan
Department of Career Development and funded
through a grant under Section 222(a)(2) State
Leadership Activities of the Adult Education and
Family Literacy Act, Title II of the Workforce
Investment Act of 1998, amended. For more
information visit httpwww.maepd.org