A Model of College Outcomes for Adults

Abstract

This article presents a model of college outcomes for adult undergraduate students to address the key elements that affect their learning and to stimulate research and theory building about adults' experience in college. It provides a review of the literature and a comprehensive model that considers the relationships between six major elements related to adults' undergraduate collegiate experiences: (a) prior experiences; (b) orienting frameworks such as motivation, self-confidence, and value system; (c) adult's cognition or the declarative, procedural, and self regulating knowledge structures and processes; (d) the "connecting classroom" as the central avenue for social engagement and for negotiating meaning for learning; (e) the life-world environment and the concurrent work, family, and community settings; and (I) the different types and levels of learning outcomes experienced by adults.

Transfer Student Engagement

“…Although we did not find differences across age groups, our findings do support the research within the adult education literature on the primacy of the classroom as a source of collegiate engagement. Donaldson and Graham (1999) note that in their model of college outcomes for adults, "the classroom is seen as the fulcrum of the collegiate experience . .…”

Rethinking Adult Learner Persistence: Implications for Counselors

“…Most researchers have focused on persistence in traditional students, excluding the experiences of adult learners (Donaldson & Graham, 1999). Widely accepted models of student persistence describe the concept in terms of student retention and outcomes (Donaldson & Graham, 1999). Bean (1 990) and Tinto (1 993) argued that persistence is strongly related to a student's commitment to a college or university.…”

“…Authors have recently identified ways in which adult learner persistence may differ from traditional definitions and have noted a lack of research that guides our understanding of persistence patterns in this significant student population (Donaldson & Graham, 1999;Naretto, 1995). One issue emphasized in the literature relates to adult learners' academic expectations and demands on their time and energy.…”

“…Often, they hold negative views of college because of prior academic experiences and therefore lack confidence in their abilities to be successful. They may also experience financial obstacles and child care difficulties and may possess poor study skills (Donaldson & Graham, 1999;Kerka, 1998).…”

“…Despite juggling multiple roles and having little involvement in the campus environment, adult learners report educational outcomes similar to those of traditional-age students (Bowden & Merritt, 1995;Justice & Dornan, 2001;Richardson & King, 1998). For example, Donaldson and Graham (1999) emphasized adults' abilities to compensate for their lack of traditional campus involvement. They argued that adult learner persistence is related to several variables, including commitment to the student role, possessing adequate study skills, and possessing clear, focused academic goals.…”