Share this
Overcoming Barriers for Adult Learners
by Monique Tuset on Nov 07, 2022
As a former college advisor, I worked tirelessly to help high school students plan, apply, and pay for college. This work excited me because I knew the impact a college education would have on their lives and their families lives for generations to come. While doing this work, I couldn't help but notice how many of them would be first-generation college students. While we celebrated the students for taking this big step, I always wondered about the adults they lived with. Did those adults ever aspire to attend college? Was a past hope of a college education dashed? Were they waiting on the right time to pursue an education-related goal?
Barriers to Education
During countless conversations with parents, guardians, and adult community members, I discovered that many of them had similar stories related to education. They either once desired to attend college or had earned some college credits - many still thought they might someday attend college. When asked about what prevented them from completing their educational goals in the past or what is preventing them in the present, some common barriers that arose were:
- Family/work obligations
- Limited financial resources
- Lack of time
- Lack of clarity on academic and career goal setting
- Doubt of academic ability
As CAEL's research has found, these barriers are common to many adult learners. The desire to create a better future for themselves and their families may exist, but these barriers appear unsurmountable. The parents I connected with also brought up feelings of shame and defeat related to their educational aspirations, which was a motivating factor for them to push their children to become college educated.
Institutions of higher education can respond to and help adult learners overcome barriers to education by adhering to the Adult Learner Leadership for Institutional Effectiveness (ALLIES) Framework. Within this framework, institutions are able to utilize data-driven planning to create academic programs for adults, equip their organization to receive adult learners, and create an inclusive student experience for adult learners to thrive.
The Importance of Support
For many of the aspiring adult learners I connected with in my work, my willingness to help them embark upon their educational journey was incredibly impactful. I remember helping an adult learner complete a FAFSA, and she was overcome with emotion when she discovered she was Pell Grant eligible. While it may be easy to assume that an adult can figure out how to complete an application or be able to navigate college business offices, it is important to realize this experience may be new to them and they require a bit more guidance. Having clear information on financial resources, academic advising, information on credit for prior learning, adult-centered orientation programs, and access to technical support is necessary for adult learners to feel both welcomed and empowered to embark upon this important step in their journey.
In addition to the support that institutions are able to provide directly, it is important for there to be a strong referral network for adult learners to assist them with challenges that may arise outside of the classroom. Resources related to housing, childcare, food insecurity, and financial needs may alleviate stress for adult learners as they are navigating their academic programs.
Once a never-enrolled adult makes the decision to work toward an educational goal, it is critical to surround them with as many resources and support as possible. This will help them build self-efficacy and increase their likelihood of completing their academic program. This could create incredible opportunities for these adult learners in the future and allow them to actualize the version of themselves they always dreamed about.
Share this
- Adult Learner Success (108)
- Success Stories (71)
- CAEL Members (70)
- Workforce Development (58)
- Credit for Prior Learning (54)
- Best Practices (47)
- Career Pathways Support (31)
- Work-based Learning (29)
- Impact (28)
- Strategic Partnerships (28)
- Trends in Higher Education (25)
- Upskilling and Reskilling (21)
- DEI (19)
- Curation (18)
- Retention and Completion (18)
- Q&A (17)
- Talent Management (17)
- Adult Learner 360 (15)
- Policy (12)
- Short-term Credentials (11)
- Competency Based Education (CBE) (10)
- Adult Learner Academy (9)
- Student support (9)
- Enrollment (8)
- Research (7)
- Student Stories (7)
- Transfer Students (7)
- Experiential Learning (6)
- Featured (6)
- HSIs (6)
- In the news (6)
- Military-connected Learners (6)
- NACTEL (6)
- Online Learning (6)
- Case Studies (5)
- Community colleges (5)
- EPCE (5)
- Education Benefits (5)
- Wraparound Support (4)
- Apprenticeships (3)
- COVID-19 (3)
- Future of work (3)
- Guest blog (3)
- Structural Approaches to Learning (3)
- Accelerated Program (2)
- Credit Predictor Pro (2)
- HBCUs (2)
- Tuition (2)
- Skills-based hiring (1)
- Student parents (1)
- October 2024 (2)
- September 2024 (7)
- August 2024 (10)
- July 2024 (9)
- June 2024 (8)
- May 2024 (11)
- April 2024 (5)
- March 2024 (7)
- February 2024 (5)
- January 2024 (7)
- December 2023 (9)
- November 2023 (7)
- October 2023 (3)
- September 2023 (4)
- August 2023 (3)
- July 2023 (5)
- June 2023 (8)
- May 2023 (9)
- April 2023 (5)
- March 2023 (6)
- February 2023 (5)
- January 2023 (3)
- December 2022 (4)
- November 2022 (7)
- October 2022 (7)
- September 2022 (6)
- August 2022 (6)
- July 2022 (4)
- June 2022 (6)
- May 2022 (4)
- April 2022 (4)
- March 2022 (3)
- February 2022 (5)
- January 2022 (5)
- December 2021 (4)
- November 2021 (2)
- October 2021 (8)
- September 2021 (4)
- August 2021 (4)
- July 2021 (2)
- June 2021 (6)
- May 2021 (5)
- April 2021 (9)
- March 2021 (8)
- February 2021 (5)
- January 2021 (4)
- December 2020 (4)
- November 2020 (3)
- October 2020 (6)
- September 2020 (2)
- August 2020 (1)
- July 2020 (4)
- May 2020 (2)
- April 2020 (1)
- March 2020 (2)
- February 2020 (3)
- January 2020 (3)
- December 2019 (2)
- July 2019 (1)
- May 2019 (1)
- February 2019 (1)
- January 2019 (1)
- October 2018 (4)
- September 2018 (1)
- August 2018 (1)
- July 2018 (1)
- May 2018 (1)
- April 2018 (2)
- March 2018 (1)
- February 2018 (2)
- September 2017 (1)
- August 2017 (2)
- July 2017 (5)
- June 2017 (4)
- May 2017 (3)
- March 2017 (1)
- February 2017 (4)
- December 2016 (3)
- November 2016 (1)
- October 2016 (3)
- August 2016 (8)
- July 2016 (2)
- June 2016 (2)
- May 2016 (5)
- April 2016 (2)
- March 2016 (6)
- February 2016 (9)
- January 2016 (4)
- January 2015 (2)