ERIC Number: ED181186
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1979
Pages: 58
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Participation and Persistence in American Adult Education. Implications for Public Policy and Future Research from a Multivariate Analysis of a National Data Base. Direction Papers in Lifelong Learning.
Anderson, Richard E.; Darkenwald, Gordon G.
A study was conducted to analyze the sociodemographic determinants of participation, satisfaction, and persistence in American adult education in order to formulate recommendations for public policy regarding access to lifelong learning opportunities. Data were collected from questionnaire responses by a sample of 79,631 adults. Of the total sample, 9,173 respondents were identified as participants in adult education. Findings indicated that the most powerful predictor of participation in adult education is amount of formal schooling. The second most powerful predictor of participation in adult education is age. Family income and black racial status have little effect on participation in adult education. In addition, it was found that low socioeconomic status in combination with being young and black has a pronounced negative effect on persistence. Adults who enroll in adult basic education and high school completion programs are four times more likely to drop out than are other adult education participants. (Four recommendations for public policy are listed and discussed.) (LRA)
Descriptors: Adult Basic Education, Adult Dropouts, Adult Education, Adult Students, Adults, Dropout Characteristics, Educational Background, Individual Characteristics, National Surveys, Participant Characteristics, Participant Satisfaction, Participation, Persistence, Prediction, Predictor Variables, Socioeconomic Influences, Statistical Analysis
College Board Publication Orders, Box 2815, Princeton, NJ 08541 ($3.00)
Publication Type: Collected Works - Serials; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: EXXON Education Foundation, New York, NY.
Authoring Institution: College Entrance Examination Board, New York, NY. Future Directions for a Learning Society.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
