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12/12/04
The information presented by John Comings on learner persistence created a lot of energy on both days of the [Meeting of the Minds ] conference [in Sacramento,CA ], from what I heard, especially the ideas that we can't do much about duration (how long our learners stay in our programs), because things happen in people's lives that cause them to have to change their schedules and priorities, but that we can do something about intensity (the number of hours they attend while they're there), that could increase their learning gains. The other thing is that a big group of our learners are intermittent attenders, but that we could do a lot to support them to keep on learning when they aren't able to come to the class, and to encourage them to return whenever they are ready.
The most direct application this has to my practice, so far, is that I've been doing a workshop on how to create a web page for your class. I was presenting this mainly as something that's nice to have, your students can download assignments from home, email you their writing, check for announcements, etc., but from the point of view of learner persistence,it becomes a lot more important to have a web presence, because it's a way for learners to stay connected to the program when they can't attend. They might be able to continue as distance learners, but even if they just stayed in contact with the class through discussion board, email or whatever, it would make it easier for them to come back when they were ready.
My vision is that even basic skills class in a computer lab would have a website and be treated as a supported distance learning class. The students would come to the lab, log in to the class site, get their assignment, track their progress, communicate with the teacher and other students, etc., all with the teacher and fellow learners present in the room. That way they are getting used to being online learners in a very supportive environment. Maybe when they leave the program they would have more incentive to stay connected.
For an example of a class that is already doing exactly this, see Ron Fujihara's class website. Ron teaches an ESOL lab class in Long Beach, CA. [1]
Marian
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12/12/04
One place to start is with the NCSALL study circle guide on Learner Persistence.
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~ncsall/teach/lp.pdf
David Rosen
On the topic of learner persistence, I am wondering what teacher experience and research has been done on those transition times students face. I am thinking specifically about what effects learner persistence when they move from one program (ie. the library literacy program) to another (an ABE program) or when they obtain their GED and then are moving to another learning goal. Also what impacts their ability to continue to learn on their own independent of school structures -- beyond the distance learning model -- to pursuing knoweldge for its own sake on their own?
I am grappling with this issue at the moment in order to make the transition between the library literacy service and my ABE classes easier on the students. We don't have many who move the the next level. Has anyone studied this? Do any of you have programs that work for helping make the transitions easier?
I also wonder about my GED students who have been with me for a few years and are now ready to pass their tests. Sometimes, I think it feels like a loss to them to "finish" the class and wonder how to deal with this transition myself.
Michele Craig
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4/28/06
Hi. Another resource on this topic is NCSALL’s “Program Administrator’s Sourcebook.” This book reviews NCSALL research and presents implication for program practice and change around a number of issues (including teaching and learning, learner persistence, and professional development). You can download it for free from this url: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=1035
Erik Jacobson
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5/1/2006
I just came across two learner persistence studies from the UK that were conducted in the mid-90’s. In each study two questionnaires were distributed – one was sent to students who had left programs before completing the course and the other was to their tutors. The first study focused on ABE programs, the second on ESOL programs. One thing that was consistent across the two studies was that tutors underestimated how many students left because they were dissatisfied with the education being provided. Tutors were also off in terms of how many students left because they had achieved their goals.
The questionnaires were developed by conducting interviews and piloting questions in the first phase of research. This lead to rather concrete choices like “Left program because the room was too cold” being on the final version of the questionnaire that was sent out.
Here are the urls for pdfs of the documents.
Time to Leave? Progression and Drop Out in Basic Skills Programmes
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/24/20/72.pdf
Where Next? Drop Out and Progression from ESOL Provision
http://www.basic-skills.co.uk/general/documentdownload.php?p=308
Erik Jacobson
PS - That is, tutors overestimated how many people left because they had met their goals.
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5/4/2006
Hi. Here is a brief from Jobs for the Future about (high school) persistence, drop outs and the transition between GED to college.
Making Good on a Promise: What Policymakers Can Do to Support the Educational Persistence of Dropouts
http://www.jff.org/download.php?file=MkingGoodProm.pdf&KC_PubID=277
Some of its key findings include:
1. Socioeconomic status, rather than race, is the key indicator for dropping out
2. Most drop outs are persistent in their attempts to complete secondary education
3. Although many (44%) dropouts finally enroll in post-secondary education, few (less than %10) complete their postsecondary degree.
4. Black dropouts who get their high school credentials enroll in college in significantly lower rates than their white and Hispanic counterparts (even when controlling for socioeconomic status)
The report suggests redesigning dropout “recovery” programs and working with community colleges, but does not deal with adult education programs.
These results are consistent with other studies that have looked at this issue. What implications for adult education program practice might this kind of report have?
Erik Jacobson
