Common Barriers Experienced by Adult

Learners Returning to School

Group Assignment – DU-TEACH1980By:

Catherine D’Amico-Maharaj, Heather Gregg, April Leblanc, Hetal Peshavaria, Connie Wang, Stacie White

Case Study

As a family they decided that Carolyn should rejoin the workforce. She found a job as a receptionist at the local car dealership and the kids settled into before and after care at school. At 33, with an 8 and 6 year old, Carolyn and John found themselves expecting again. Thrilled, but more informed this time around, Carolyn started to worry about the cost of day care as she knew she would be back to work after this little one. John’s company had started layoffs and he was uneasy. After her maternity leave, Carolyn went back to her job and realized that she needed to earn a better pay cheque. John was having no luck in trying to find a more secure job and the mortgage, bills, after-school care and day care costs were weighing heavy.

After some job searching, Carolyn realized that her 13 year old diploma and no experience weren’t enough: she needed to return to school. With 3 young children, a strained partner, a full-time job and mounting bills Carolyn registered for an online course. 

Carolyn is 35 years old, a married

mother of three young children. She and

husband, John, met in college and

married shortly after graduation. They

rented a small apartment in the big city,

ate out often and travelled when they

could. They did not save any money, but

they earned enough in their entry level

jobs to pay their rent and have a little

fun.

Two years into their marriage John got a

promotion and Carolyn was expecting

their first child; life was good and John’s

extra income allowed Carolyn to resign

from her job. Baby number two came two

years later and their growing family

needed a place to call home. They

purchased a new house and Carolyn was

a stay at home mom. John’s career was

thriving and although he wasn’t earning

the big money yet, he was on his way.

The family settled into a comfortable

routine and the kids went to the local

school, where Carolyn sat on the PTA and

volunteered in the library. Then the

rumblings started: John’s company was

no longer on solid ground; the times were

changing and they were struggling to

keep up with the competition.

Barriers for Returning to School Found Within the Case Study

O TimeO FinancesO Family

CommitmentsO MotivationO Self-efficacy

Barrier 1: TimeTime has always been one of the

biggest challenges affecting

many when it comes to juggling

multiple responsibilities such as

school, work, friends, family, volunteer and other

commitments. Many adults

struggle to be able to dedicate

time to their studies and be successful.

Carolyn has multiple priorities that she must

balance: her children and family responsibilities,

volunteering, working full-time, her job search, and finally the commitment to

her education and the course she is planning to

take.

She may also need time to adjust to the technological

platform that her online learning course will be using (eg: Moodle) and more time may be required to learn the

material, given the years she has been out of school.

Barrier 1: TimeO Bandura’s theory outlines “4 necessary conditions for effective

modeling…attention, retention, reproduction and motivation”. (Learning Theories, 2015)  If Carolyn is busy with all of her other obligations and is distracted or stressed, she does not have the capacity to be “attentive”.

O The complexity of the online portal can make it difficult for her to navigate to obtain the information she needs. Given that she has limited time to allocate to her online course, retention would also be difficult to achieve without full attention and she will be unable to review and understand the material.

O This also affects reproduction because she is unable to remember the topic or have a mental “picture” of what was learned. Due to a lack of time she may not be motivated to imitate what was learned or apply it to her everyday life.

O Time management is critical to self- directed learning success. An adult learner must “find and manage time effectively to allow for learning to take place”. (Cobb, 2011)

Barrier 1: TimeMethods to overcome:

Determine Flexibility

Carolyn will need realistic goals on how much time she can contribute to her studies weekly, daily and so forth. By understanding what efforts she can in reality contribute, she can choose a class or two to see if her time can be managed and if not she can adjust accordingly.

Determine Availability

If she works during the day and has family matters early evening, maybe she can focus on school work at night or on the weekend.

O The instructor can ensure a course syllabus is provided in advance. This will outline the scope of learning outcomes as well as identify course deliverables and deadlines. This offers a platform for feedback on weeks that could be an issue for the students.

O Feedback allows the instructor to gain a better idea of the time constraints and personal commitments that students have. This may also be an easy way to determine which students may need a bit more assistance.

O It may be best, for Carolyn, to divide larger assignments into shorter pieces over a span of a week or two. This can minimize the weekly workload and allow for regular feedback from the instructor.

Barrier 2: Finance

Deciding to return to school as an

adult learner can create a financial

burden for the individual and their

family. The lack of regular income in a

household can have a very negative

impact without a well prepared plan.

Monthly household expenses, such as

rent/mortgage, utilities, groceries,

and childcare costs can soon reach

hundreds, even thousands of dollars.

A key solution is planning ahead.

Barrier 2: FinanceO Ontario is offering up to 30%

off tuition for both college and university students (Ontario Government, 2015).

O Bursaries or scholarships: Since Carolyn works for a car dealership, they may offer a scholarship program like the Buick Achievers Scholarship Program (General Motors, 2015) or Ford Blue Oval Scholarship Program (Ford, 2015).

O Another financial benefit that Carolyn could apply for is the Employment Income Family Supplement Benefit (Service Canada, 2015).

Methods to overcome:

Apply for Financial Assistance, like the

Ontario Student Assistance Program

(OSAP)

The maximum amount currently allowed

for a married parent is $19,040 (Ontario

Government, 2015).

Factors that OSAP considers when

lending money are:

1) education expenses such as cost of

tuition, books, child care, and living

expenses

2) personal financial situations, like

how much the family can expect to

contribute based on income and

other factors (Ontario Government,

2015).

O As an educator, it is common to see adult learners struggle with financial situations. These can manifest as increased stress and the inability to focus.

O Abraham H. Maslow, in his Theory of Human Motivation (Durham College, 2015), explains that physiological needs must be satisfied first. If a student’s basic needs are not met, it will be extremely difficult to concentrate on their personal development and self-actualization goals.

O Safety, the next level in Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, is another necessity that must be met for the adult learner. Being financially prepared to return to school provides a sense of safety and well-being for the student and their family so that the next stage of the learning process can take place.

Finances in the classroom

Barrier 3: FamilyThe obstacles of family and the immediate

need to provide for them by working full

time can create a barrier to her success as a student.

“Adults who are working full time and

studying part time have trouble

completing their programs. Six years after

beginning postsecondary studies, 62

percent of these adult learners had not

completed a degree or certificate and

were no longer enrolled, compared to 39

percent of students who work (part time).

(Berker et al. 2003).  

O Carolyn is  motivated by the economical advancement of her family, after making a decision to return to school. However, she is feels the burden of self guilt; realizing that having a family and being employed full time is proving to be a barrier to getting an education.

O Family demands such as: unexpected emergencies, engagements, social activities and unpredictable circumstances are making her commitment to further her education challenging.

Barrier 3: Family

Barrier 3: Family

Methods to overcome:O Redefine the roles of

responsibilities within the family. For example: Having your partner be the primary contact for emergency situations after hours and seeking assistance from other family members.

O Delaying and rescheduling social activities until after the course is completed  

In the Classroom:O Inform the instructor of

unexpected circumstances that arise immediately

O The instructor should also create online forums where individuals who have successfully completed the program are able to encourage and support student who are experiencing similar barriers

Self-guilt is a real factor that can impact the mother’s success. Parents feel guilt about being unavailable when their children need them, with mothers of children

younger than thirteen feeling the most conflict (Terrell, 1990).

Barrier 4: MotivationMaslow's Hierarchy of Needs states that deficiency needs

(physiological, safety/security,

belongingness, esteem) must be

met before moving on to the

next higher level "growth" needs

of self-actualization, Huitt, W. (2007).

In this challenging market, where the economy is far weaker than the government lets on (Stanford, 2015), her entry level position is not enough to reduce the financial strain on her family. She notices too, that she has many peers that are feeling the pinch and are unable to make it from one pay cheque to the next.

Barrier 4: MotivationMethods to overcome: O Be proactive! Make the

best use of available resources

O Use job sites to find out what employers are seeking (like Monster and Workopolis)

O Investigate aptitude testing, career counseling and course calendars at the local college

In the Classroom

Carolyn, with her deficiency needs met, is highly motivated to upgrade her professional business skills to improve her family’s quality of life.O An instructor would be thrilled

to have a motivated student like Carolyn, in class (or on-line) as they recognize the sacrifice she is making to be there and her desire to succeed.

O The instructor could suggest that Carolyn submit her previous diploma for consideration as she may be able to transfer some of her past coursework toward this new credential.

Barrier 5: Self-efficacy

“In this chicken-or-the-egg argument, one thing is certain:

every study conducted in the past

50 years on self-confidence and

success has proven that the two are at least related.

That is, self-confident people are

more successful in all areas of life.

And successful people have a high

level of self-confidence” (CFNC, 2011).

Barrier 5: Self-efficacyAfter returning to the workforce

following a long hiatus, and facing the daunting prospect of also returning to

school, it is easy to understand the self-doubt and lack of confidence

Carolyn feels. If Carolyn does not have the self-confidence in herself, it will be

difficult for her to learn and absorb new concepts because of her self-doubt. Ultimately this will be an

obstacle for to advance her knowledge and achieve new heights in her career.

Methods to overcome:

O Find others in your class that are in a similar situation. Be supportive to one another.

O Uncover common ground between new learning and real-life. Knowing that you have shared accomplishments will build confidence

O As defined by Bandura (1997), self-efficacy is "a person’s belief about his/her abilities to complete specific actions" (Vilkas & McCabe, 2014).

O There are four key factors that influence self-efficacy: mastery, vicarious experience, social persuasion and psychological factors (McCabe & Vilkas, 2014). 

Self-efficacy in the Classroom

O As an online instructor it is vital to understand each students’ background so teaching strategies can be tailored. Request students post a brief introduction to build a sense of community and connection.

O This would help Carolyn identify others in similar situations and build her confidence as she is not alone. Moreover it would allow open dialogue with other students and establish an informal support network.

O Continuously encourage students to relate concepts to their personal experiences and share these with the group. While the educational concept may be new, relating it to a personal experience will solidify understanding and increase confidence that she does have the necessary skills and/or life experiences necessary to succeed (2011, April 8).

Carolyn is motivated – she’s excited about the new

opportunity ahead of her as well as her ability to make a

difference to her family’s bottom line.

She has considered many of the

barriers that she will encounter like limited time and money,

considerable family commitments, and self-doubt

about her abilities to pull this off,

but knows that the investment is well worth the short-term

sacrifice she will need to make.

 

She wants to be a positive role

model for her young children and

a resourceful partner for her husband.

Together they can build a solid future for their family.

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