Why do adult learners leave higher education?: a descriptive analysis
Keywords: Adult college students, Attitudes
Adult college students, Ontario
Adult college students, Social conditions
Adult college students, Ontario
Dropouts, Attitudes
Dropouts, Ontario
Dropouts, Social conditions
Dropouts, Ontario

In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 part-time adult participants who were enrolled in an undergraduate degree program through Woodsworth College at the University of Toronto, but who left prior to completion of the degree program. The participants' transcribed responses were then descriptively analyzed in terms of commonalities and relationships with respect to three themes identified within the literature, namely returning to, learning in, and leaving from higher education. Higher education institutions negatively perceive adult learners who leave their programs prior to graduation. It is assumed that these adults have incomplete goals and that their exit status is permanent. The institutions frequently rely on statistical analyses to explain why adult learners leave, however such analyses do not reveal the underlying reasons. Adult learners who leave higher education prior to graduation should not be viewed as having failed, either by the individual or by the institution. These participants perceived leaving as being temporary and necessary at the time, as a result of variables tipping the balance in favour of leaving higher education. They acknowledged, however, that they had gained academically and personally, and they planned to reengage in the future. The reasons for leaving reported by the participants in this study were primarily non-academic with financial issues being reported most frequently. Institutional reasons for leaving were reported by the least number of participants. There were, however, several institutional recommendations recommended by the participants in this study. Although it is important for institutions to provide appropriate support by socially and academically integrating adult learners into the learning environment, the implementation of administrative structures that facilitate intermittent learning and recurrence may also be important to adult learners in higher education. All participants in this study reported that they returned to school primarily to prove to themselves that they could get into and succeed at the university level and they did not necessarily have a specified educational goal in mind. A positive and supportive learning experience was reported by all participants in the adult university preparation program at Woodsworth College. As undergraduate students, the participants in this study were not, however, feeling as connected to the university as their traditional-age classmates, nor did they report a sense of cohesion with these colleagues. All participants in this study identified more than one reason for leaving, to a maximum of six, indicating that the decision to leave the undergraduate program arose from a complex and dynamic interplay of variables. This study provides a descriptive analysis of why adult learners choose to leave higher education by examining the types of decisions adult learners face when deciding whether to continue or leave, how adult learners reach their decision to continue or to leave, and the major issues in the decision making process. This study also examines how higher education institutions can better provide appropriate support for adult learners.