Making it Worth the Stay: Findings from the New England Learner Persistence Project
Summary
The New England Literacy Resource Center (NELRC) at World Education implemented the New England Persistence Project (NELP) to improve adult learner persistence and outcomes for adult learners to be able to meet their educational and related life goals, and strengthen workforce development in New England. This study examines the effectiveness and impact of the different persistence strategies implemented and measured by programs participating in the NELP Project. Eighteen adult education programs from five New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island) participated in the project.
For the purpose of this study, learner persistence is defined as “adults staying in programs for as long as they can, engaging in self-directed study when they must stop out of their programs, and returning to a program as soon as the demands of their lives allow.” Thus, according to this definition, persistence is sustained participation in learning inside and/or outside of class time. Persistence was measured by attendance rates, course completion, and/or hours of self-study. Many of the participating programs also tracked students’ learning gains and attainment of educational goals related to their intervention.
This report details the persistence strategies employed by each program and their outcomes in four categories of program activities that roughly correspond to students’ phases of participation in these programs: 1) Intake and Orientation; 2) Instruction; 3) Counseling and Peer Support; and 4) Re-engagement. Each category is explored in depth to include supporting research and results from the data collected across programs, as well as showcases effective strategies implemented in individual programs. The report concludes with an explanation of how persistence strategies connect to and reinforce the needs of adult learners. The needs identified and explored in the NELP Project include: a sense of belonging and community, clarity of purpose, agency, competence, relevance, and stability.
Citation
Nash, A. and Kalledbach, S. (2009). Making it Worth the Stay: Findings from the New England Adult Learner Persistence Project. New England Literacy Resource Center, World Education.
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