Today’s “Typical” Students Aren’t College Kids: An Invitation to Participate in a National Study of Adult College Student
Most members of the general public picture college students as 18- to 22-year-olds who live on campus, attend school full-time, and are financially supported by their parents. Yet the vast majority of college students do not fit this image. Data from the National Center for Educational Statistics indicates that almost three-quarters of undergraduate students in 1999-2000 were nontraditional in some way. Nontraditional students may work part- or full-time, claim financial independence, or delay enrollment for years after high-school graduation. Many nontraditional students have spouses or life partners, or are raising children.
Although “nontraditional” students account for the majority of learners enrolled in postsecondary institutions, their opinions, needs, and wishes are seldom sought out, studied, or considered in decision making. The very identifier used to label them (“nontraditional”) describes only what they are not—perhaps because we have not yet taken the time to understand who they are.
A recent survey conducted by the University of Phoenix Research Institute shows that public perceptions do not match the reality of the adult student population. “The public still associates college students with residence halls and football stadiums instead of with working adults who struggle to support themselves and their families while earning a college degree,” says Dr. Leslie A. Miller, PHR, Co-Executive Director of Research at the University of Phoenix Research Institute. For example, over half (51%) of the survey respondents described today’s typical college student as an individual between 18 and 22 years of age, and almost half (46%) stated that they viewed a typical student as someone financially dependent on his or her parents.
While some educators recognize the needs of adult students on campus, many institutions direct the bulk of their time, attention, and resources to the 27% of students who are considered “traditional.” Adult students are often grouped with sub-populations such as commuters or married students, whether or not they fit these descriptions. “It is a mistake to assume that all adult learners fit the same profile,” says Dr. Ruby Rouse, who studies workforce advancement as Co-Executive Director of Research at the University of Phoenix Research Institute. “An MBA student who travels frequently for work, for example, will have very different needs than a single mother earning her bachelor’s degree. Institutions need to be aware of the fact that different types of adult students require very different types of support.”
Another study by the University of Phoenix Research Institute investigated the social and emotional challenges faced by adult students pursuing associate degrees. Eightyeight percent of working learners surveyed in the study said that having a “social cheerleading squad” of co-workers and friends helped improve the retention and persistence of adult learners. “It is extremely important for working adults to have someone who can listen to them and provide them with support while they pursue their degrees,” Rouse says.
The Role of Adult Students in Higher Education
Researchers at Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce project that by 2018, three million jobs requiring a post-secondary degree will remain unfilled due to a lack of qualified candidates. The shortage of degreeholding citizens has caused President Obama to set a goal for the United States to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.
To reach the president’s goal and meet workforce needs, eight million people in the United States need to earn college degrees over the next 10 years. Traditional students alone may not attend school in sufficient numbers to fill this gap. To meet the goal, educators must pay greater attention to the more than 70% of American adults who do not yet possess a four-year degree.
The University of Phoenix Research Institute has championed the effort to understand the characteristics, concerns, and needs of adult students. “The mission of the Research Institute is to develop primary research on today’s modern learners—working adults—to provide a broad understanding of the characteristics, needs, and goals of this population,” says Dr. Tracey Wilen-Daugenti, Vice-President and Managing Director of the University of Phoenix Research Institute. “A primary aim of the Institute is to generate research that will provide actionable recommendations for improving educational outcomes for adult learners.” Such research, she notes, is essential to the preparation of a more educated workforce.
Psychosocial, Lifespan, and Generational Issues Among Adult Students: Areas in Need of Further Study
Some key factors that have yet to be fully studied are the ways psychosocial issues and generational membership affect adults students’ learning styles and retention rates. While several well-known theories exist to explain the psychosocial issues experienced by 18- to 22-year-olds (finding a peer group and adjusting to independence), little scholarly attention has been paid to the psychosocial issues adult students face, such as avoiding higher education due to low self-esteem, experiencing self-doubt after being laid off, and struggling with adopting a “student” identity after years in the workplace. “For adult students who’ve had a successful career, going back to school can be stressful,” notes Geraldine Panelo Elizondo, Director of Student Affairs at the Silicon Valley campus of Carnegie Mellon University. “They may experience anxiety and frustration, question their ability to perform academic work, or feel isolated if they are placed into a situation with students who are much younger than they are.”
Another facet of the adult student experience that has yet to be thoroughly studied is how lifespan phase affects students’ retention rates and their need for support. Lifespan theorists such as Erik Erikson, Daniel Levinson, and Gail Sheehy have identified sequential and developmentally unique periods of life throughout adulthood. These and other scholars have observed a series of psychological and social issues related to identity, self-esteem, goal clarity, fulfillment, productivity, and emotional support that adults navigate during their lives. Adult students may experience different issues—and require different types of support—depending on what stage of their lifespan they inhabit. As Wilen- Daugenti explains, “A student who is struggling to remain relevant at mid-career might require a different kind of career counseling than a student who wants to develop necessary skills early in her career, or one who is struggling to maintain self-esteem after a corporate layoff.” Understanding the types of support services these different types of students need can enable institutions to target their efforts to maximize adult student success.
Along with differences based on lifespan phase, membership in a generational cohort may affect the kinds of issues adult students experience when re-entering an educational environment. Research on generational cohorts has described how adults from different generations hold consistent sets of values and priorities that may affect their expectations about returning to school and influence their level of satisfaction and subsequent degree-completion rates (Delahoyde, 2009; Coates, 2007; Walker et al., 2006; Kuppenschmidt, 2000). Baby Boomers, for instance, are intensely competitive and have a strong work ethic (Delahoyde, 2009), but this competitiveness may lead to overly critical self-evaluation when Boomers find themselves surrounded by younger students with fresher learning skills. Members of Generation X value independent problem solving and sufficient time for leisure activities (Walker et al., 2006), meaning they may not be satisfied by degree programs that do not allow for individual academic exploration. Millennials are characterized as self-reliant, questioning, linear thinkers who believe respect must be earned, not automatically granted (Walker et al., 2006). They may clash with faculty members who take a more authoritarian approach to learning. These generational profiles have been used as a framework for investigating the learning styles and classroom activity preferences common to each generation (Coates, 2007; Delahoyde, 2009; Walker et al., 2006). Faculty and staff who are not aware of the generational makeup of their adult student population may also be unaware of the issues and needs of that population and how such students can best be supported in their pursuit of a degree.
Study Participation: Opportunities and Benefits
The University of Phoenix Research Institute intends to expand the research on adult students’ psychosocial, lifespan, and generational issues with a nationwide, multiinstitutional study of adult college student retention. The study’s principal researchers are looking to other two- and four-year colleges and universities to assist in achieving a sample size of 10,000 to 15,000 respondents to ensure the results are representative of the diversity of adult students in the United States. “With the combined strength of multiple higher education institutions, we can produce reliable results that shed greater and needed light on the issues faced by adult students,” notes Wilen-Daugenti.
The study will use a survey created and validated with the assistance of subject matter experts and tested for reliability with a sample of more than 600 adult students to collect data about the extent to which psychosocial issues affect adult college student retention. To differentiate among the varying life circumstances of adults, researchers will look for correlations between generational membership and the experience of psychosocial issues. The study will also investigate which sources of support members of different generations prefer.
Institutions may participate in the nationwide study by posting information about the study and a link to the survey on their website, in newsletters, or in other relevant communication pieces to which adult students have access. They may also assist by sending email invitations directly to adult students inviting them to visit the survey website and document their experiences and opinions.
Participating institutions will be the first to receive results of the study in early summer 2011. The results may lead to improved understanding of the unique psychological and generational needs of adult learners. After identifying the generational mix in their institution’s adult student population, student affairs leaders may use the study’s results to identify specific strategies and resources that can increase retention and degree completion of adult students.
“Educating adult students is critical to the success of our nation’s workforce,” says Wilen-Daugenti. “Our research will help educators understand the expectations, needs, and issues of this vital population, and to be active partners in helping them reach their academic goals.”
For more information about participating in the study, contact the University of Phoenix Research Institute at institute@phoenix.edu by April 15, 2011.
References
Coates, J. (2007). Generational learning styles. River Falls, WI: LERN Books.
Delahoyde, T. (2009). Generational differences of baccalaureate nursing students’ preferred teaching methods and faculty use of teaching methods (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database. (UMI 3360175)
Kupperschmidt, B. R. (2000). Multigeneration employees: Strategies for effective management. The Health Care Manager, 19(1), 65-76. doi:10.1097/HCM.0b013e3181e8e077
Walker, J. T., Martin, T., White, J. Elliott, R., Norwood, A., Mangum, C., & Haynie, L. (2006). Generational (age) differences in nursing students’ preferences for teaching methods. The Journal of Nursing Education, 45(9), 371-374. Retrieved from http://www.slackjournals.com/article.aspx?rid=34911
