This project
is a continuance of an innovative grant submitted by Dr. Lois Adams-Rogers in
1997. As a result of that work, we
were asked to design a study that would help the Department for Adult Education
& Literacy gain an understanding of the motivations and obstacles that
influence educational decision-making among individuals who have not
attended a GED or literacy program or who have not reached their educational
goals. This report summarizes the
findings of a comparative, qualitative case study conducted in seven
non-metropolitan sites.
This
research was driven by the following questions: Why do some under-educated
adults choose not to pursue adult education or literacy training? What kinds of
internal and external motivations affect these decisions?
How do economic opportunities or constraints affect educational
decision-making? How do local
attitudes toward schooling affect perceptions of adult education?
How are these attitudes similar or different in different parts of the
state?
Our
results indicate the following:
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adult education
programs directly compete with everyday priorities including work, family,
and community responsibilities in complex ways;
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adult education is
perceived by the public as GED preparation with the accompanying stigma of
being “school-like” ;
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the GED is often
not considered an appropriate goal by under-educated adults and therefore
not valued;
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alternative forms
of certification to the GED are desirable;
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the population of
under-educated individuals in the state is not only demographically diverse
(age, gender, and geographic location), but also has diverse work and
educational experiences requiring a mix of program offerings;
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there is no one
marketing campaign that will
reach this diverse population;
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to be
more effective, adult education providers must assume a client-centered
philosophy of practice that respects prior experience, prioritizes relevant
content, and emphasizes a problem-solving approach to learning.
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to be
more effective, adult education providers must assume a client-centered
philosophy of practice that respects prior experience, prioritizes relevant
content, and emphasizes a problem-solving approach to learning. |
