ESOL Persistence
From LiteracyTentWiki
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What are common reasons why ESOL/ESL students do not come to class consistently or persist in the program?
- Severe health problems that they had just discovered after years of not accessing health care.
- Childcare issues.
- Child behavioral issues.
- Running out of money to pay for classes.
- After working 10-12 hour shifts, or multiple jobs, worker students are exhausted and hungry
- The need to add a job in lieu of class; or a change in work schedule that precludes more classes.
- Loss of transportation.
- Loss of home to gentrification efforts in the local area.
- Spouse or other family member doesn't feel that school is necessary for the learner.
- Shift change or mandatory work overtime that makes it impossible to attend class.
- Lack of connection between student's goals and curriculum content.
- Discouragement because of slow progress, sometimes the result of insufficient intensity of instruction.
- Conflict with (an)other student(s) in the class from the same or other country.
- Discouragement because class includes too wide a range of learners: highly literate in first language to nonliterate in any language.
From postings during a discussion on the NIFL EnglishLanguage Electronic List in August, 2006.
