<p> Adult learners have become the majority on many college campuses, but as many as two-thirds of these students do not persist in attaining a degree. Although future labor projections present a positive outlook, an estimated shortage of graduates appears imminent despite the fact that individuals with bachelor&rsquo;s degrees have greater earning potential, lower unemployment rates, and greater career opportunities. The cause of this persistence problem is examined through analysis of the factors that affect persistence and the enrollment patterns of adult learners. </p><p> The diversity of the nontraditional adult population contributes to this predicament of low completion rates as their heterogeneous characteristics creates difficultly in analyzing which factors, in isolation or in combination, can be attributed to the gap in achievement. Moreover, a consistent standard of measuring adult student retention is lacking. Some colleges and universities do not even track degree persistence and completion rates for nontraditional adult students. </p><p> The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics of nontraditional adult learners to determine how these factors influence a student&rsquo;s ability to persist toward degree completion. This study examined student demographics, finances, employment, academic records, institutional factors, and enrollment patterns to gain an understanding of what motivates adult students to complete a degree, continue to persist, or to cease enrollment altogether. With this information, institutions of higher learning will be in a better position to determine methods, policies and practices that will encourage, empower and motivate all adult learners to persist in their studies despite any combination of factors putting at risk their potential to graduate. The research design was a quantitative, nonexperimental, correlational, predictive design.</p>

This study utilized the Beginning Postsecondary Student (BPS) longitudinal data set (2004-2006) from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), which will follow for six academic years a nationally representative sample of students who began their postsecondary education during the 2004-2005 academic year. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of paid employment during the first year of college on first-generation academic success and first to second year persistence as compared to non first-generation students enrolled at 4-year institutions. First-generation students were observed to have a higher average number of hours worked in a week as well as GPA scores than non first-generation students. An independent samples t-test was performed in order to determine whether there was a significant difference between the groups. Considering the number of hours worked by the student, it was found that there was again a significant difference between the first-generation and non first-generation students, t = 8.57, p < .05. In fact, first-generation students would work almost four more hours on average than non first-generation students would. There was a significant relationship between the number of hours worked per week and the persistence of the student, t(200) = -9.25, p < .01. In fact, the model predicted that those who were still in their persistence track worked 10.82 fewer hours a week than students who are not in their track anymore. This indicated that students who were still on track did not work as many hours a week (not including study hours) as students who did not continue with their track. Based on this information, it was found that there was a significant relationship between the persistence track and the generation of the student, χ2(n = 1490, df = 1) = 23.15, p < .01. This indicated that whether the student was still on track depended on whether the student was a first or non first-generation student. In fact, those students who were first generation students were expected to be still on track more frequently than were observed (expected value was greater than observed value).

<p> Research reveals that for American secondary teachers, mere participation, or the desire to participate, in professional development is not a matter of concern, as many in the educational community have assumed. Yet, there is a void in the literature regarding American, lower secondary educators of literacy and their overall perceptions of professional learning. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the perceptions of lower secondary English language arts (ELA)/literacy teachers, specifically in regard to what motivates these educators to participate in professional development, what they value in professional learning opportunities, the challenges that keep them from participating, and their overall professional development needs. </p><p> This qualitative study draws on two theoretical frameworks, constructivism and adult learning theory, as there are varied philosophies that contribute to the understanding of a teacher&rsquo;s perception of professional learning. A non-experimental, phenomenological methodology was chosen, aiming to better understand participant&rsquo;s individual experiences through their comprehensive, self-reported descriptions. The population of this study consisted of experienced, lower secondary ELA/literacy teachers employed in southern California public schools. Purposive, criterion sampling was used for this research, collecting data from a total of 13 semi-structured interviews of participants from two school districts. </p><p> The findings from this study resulted in five thematic categories that present the essential drivers and impediments to the participants&rsquo; involvement in professional learning opportunities: (a) teachers desire to improve their professional practice, (b) professional learning should be immediately applicable to professional practice, (c) teachers prefer to learn from other experienced teachers, (d) the culture of the school district and or site influences teacher learning, and (e) a teacher&rsquo;s learning is influenced by their perception of themselves and previous experiences. Six conclusions were drawn from the thematic findings of this study. They rely upon the literature and findings to argue how teachers&rsquo; motivation, personal values, and aspirations for participation in professional learning opportunities is centered on personal and organizational factors along with the historical and current culture of American K-12 public schools.</p><p>

This diploma thesis presents the concept of lifelong learning as an ambitious political project born in the field of international organisations at the beginning of the 1970s which now reaches far beyond the borders of national states and education policy. The sphere of education still remains the responsibility of national governments, however, even here strong globalising tendencies have occurred since the 1990s, as a result of which the national policy is more and more being influenced by supranational institutions. Although the concept of lifelong learning now serves as a common framework, it has been interpreted differently during its evolution and a consensus on what it exactly means and how it should be put into practice still does not exist. Based on analysis of key documents, this thesis aims to compare the view of lifelong learning held by the international organisation UNESCO with that of OECD, as two distinctive perspectives on this issue. The comparison draws on Rubenson's model (2004), which examines lifelong learning through three key categories representing the main actors of social life - the state, the market and civil society. As this topic has not been widely explored in the Czech Republic, this thesis aims to present a complete overview, including a critical assessment of both...