2016 Annual Conference

More and more adults re-enter universities to obtain their Bachelor's degree, yet with different motivations and expectations. This session presents a qualitative study of 20 African American adult undergraduates, which was designed to help improve retention of those students through providing the supports needed.

The participants of this session can be:
1) Adult education program recruiters who are looking for fits into their programs
2) Instructors who teach adult undergraduates
3) Advisors who provide academic supports to adult learners
4) Program Administrators who are searching for strategies that can improve the retention rate of adult education programs

As a result of societal, political and economic shifts in the U.S., including job loss, promotion aspirations, dissatisfaction with status in life, an increasing number of adults, age 25 and above, have chosen to return to colleges and universities to obtain a bachelor’s degree (Choy, 2002; Moffatt, 2011). According to National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (2010), adults represent 59% of part-time, 27% of full-time, or 39% of total enrollment in undergraduate colleges and universities nationwide. Furthermore, among the adult undergraduates, the number of African American enrollment grows faster than the other ethnicity groups (Kasworm, 2003; 2011). Although much research has studied the emerging phenomenon of adults’ reentry to the undergraduate degree program, only limited research effort has been made to understand the motivations, expectations and aspirations of this particular group of students and help them succeed (Ross-Gordon & Brown-Haywood, 2000; Ross-Gordon, 2005). This study is a timely addition to adult and continuing education by providing insights into what African American adult undergraduates need, want, expect and aspire, which is the key to the success of the individual adult learners, the adult completion programs and the higher education institutions, therefore, improving the retention rate.