Good Times to Hard Times: An Examination of Adult Learners’ Enrollment from 2004–2010

Abstract

The study examines employment, income, motivations and barriers of adult learners, comparing results from a 2004-2005 study with results from a 2010 study of nontraditional students (age 25 and over) enrolled in four-year colleges that offered programs designed for working adults. The study compares responses gathered from a convenience sample of face-to-face learners (683) in five private institutions and one public university in 2004-2005 with those from a convenience sample of face-to-face and online learners (530) in three private institutions in 2010. Economic items for comparison purposes included part-time and full-time employment, and household income.