NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

ISSUE

BRIEF

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Educational Research and Improvement

May 1998

In 1990, there were about 25.5 million U.S. adults age 18 and older who

spoke a language other than English at home, up from 17.9 million a decade earlier, according to Census data. Many of these non-English speakers were new immigrants. However, some immigrants have lived here for

many years, and some non-English speakers were born in the United States.

Many of these adults reported that they have difficulty speaking English,

but they were highly motivated to learn the language, especially to obtain

jobs and gain access to educational opportunities (Chisman 1989; U.S.

Department of Education 1995).

As the number of non-English speaking residents has increased, the demand for placement in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes has

grown each year. With this heightened demand, there are long waiting

lists for ESL classes in many parts of the country (Bliss 1990; Chisman

1989; Crandall 1993; U.S. Department of Education 1995; Griffith 1993).

Until now, fashioning plans to meet the demand for ESL services has been

made more difficult by the lack of nationally representative information

on the characteristics of adults who take ESL classes and on those who

want to do so but have found barriers that prevent them from participation

in ESL classes. The 1995 National Household Education Survey (NHES)

provides nationally representative information to contribute to filling these

information needs.

According to the NHES:95, about 12 million U.S. adults age 16 and older

speak something other than English as their primary home language. The

study asked members of this group about their participation in ESL classes

during the previous 12 months, their interest in ESL classes, and various

barriers that may have prevented them from participating in such classes.

Interviews for the NHES were conducted in English or Spanish; hence,

there may be some underreporting for persons who could not speak either

language.

Which non-English speaking adults have taken or may be

interested in taking ESL classes?

As shown in figure 1, about 11 percent of the population of interest reported that they had participated in ESL classes in the 12 months prior to

the study. About 25 percent had not taken ESL classes in the previous

year, but were very interested (16 percent) or somewhat/slightly interested

(9 percent) in doing so. The other 64 percent reported that they had not

participated in ESL classes in the previous year and were not interested in

participating. Over half of these persons reported that they could read

English “very well” or “well.” The rest of the nonparticipating adults who

were not interested in ESL classes reported that they read English “not

well” or “not at all.”

Younger adults were more likely than older adults to have taken ESL classes

in the past year (table 1). Of those ages 16 to 25, 19 percent participated in

ESL classes, compared with 4 percent of respondents 46 years and older.

Fourteen percent of non-English speakers with a high school diploma or

equivalent but no postsecondary education had taken an ESL class, compared with 8 percent who had not finished high school.

Recency of immigration and current English language ability also were

related to ESL participation. Recent immigrants (those in the country no

more than 5 years) took ESL classes at the highest rate. Also, those who

reported that they could read English “well” or “not well” were more

likely to have taken an ESL class than were respondents who said that

they could read English “very well.”

Among those who had not taken a class in the previous 12 months but

were interested, adults 26- to 45-years-old, those who reported they read

English less than “very well,” and persons who immigrated less than 25

years ago were more likely to say they were interested in taking such a

class.

Why did ESL participants take the classes, and how did they

find the classes they took?

Of the population of interest who participated in ESL classes, 42 percent

did so as part of a college program. An additional 29 percent said they

took ESL classes to improve communication skills, 14 percent said they

took the classes for a personal, family, or social reason, and the remaining

15 percent said they took the classes for job-related reasons, to improve

basic skills, to meet requirements for a diploma or some other certificate,

or for some other reason. Among the ESL participants whose classes

were not part of a college program, about 74 percent had learned about

the classes from family, friends, neighbors, or employers, while 26 percent learned about the classes from newspapers, radio, or some other source.

Figure 1.—Participation and interest profile of the population of

interest* for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL)

classes: 1994–95

* Includes civilian, noninstitutionalized adults, age 16 or older, not enrolled in elementary or

secondary school at the time of the interview, and whose primary language at home was any

language other than English.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National

Household Education Survey (NHES), spring 1995.

19%

11%

16%

13% 9%

14%

18%

Read English very well

Persons who took 

ESL classes in the 

past 12 months

Persons who did not take ESL 

classes in the past 12 months 

and were very interested in 

taking such a class

Persons who did not 

take ESL classes in the 

past 12 months and were 

somewhat/slightly interested 

in taking such a class

Read English 

not at all

Read English 

not well

Read English well

Persons who did not take ESL classes 

in the past 12 months and were not 

interested in taking one who reported 

they:

Adult Participation in

English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) Classes
NCES 98-036

Issue Briefs present information on education topics of current interest. All estimates shown are based on samples and are subject to sampling variability. All differences

are statistically significant at the .05 level. This Issue Brief was prepared by Edith McArthur, National Center for Education Statistics, Data Development and Longitudinal

Studies Group, 202-219-1442 or Edith_McArthur@ed.gov. For additional copies of this Issue Brief or other NCES publications, call 1-800-424-1616. NCES publications

are available on the Internet at http://www.NCES.ed.gov/.

Where did adults take ESL classes, and what were the costs?

Nearly two-thirds of those taking ESL classes outside of a college program were taking them at an elementary school, a secondary school, or a

college, the remainder took classes provided by a private organization, a

business, or government or some other provider. More than one-third of

these participants reported that they did not spend any of their own money

for tuition or expenses for the classes. Another one-third reported that

they spent $100 or less to take the class, while the remainder spent more

than $100 for the class. For those who paid for their ESL classes, the

average amount spent was $185.

What are the barriers to ESL participation?

Among the 12 million adults whose primary home language was a language other than English, about 25 percent reported that they were interested in taking an ESL class but had not done so in the past 12 months. Of

those 3 million adults, 59 percent said they did not know of any classes.

When respondents knew about classes, the main barriers that prevented

them from taking a class were not enough time (40 percent), cost of the

class (26 percent), and child care/transportation (23 percent). The cost of

an ESL class was perceived to be a major barrier even though two-thirds

of the adults who took an ESL class within the previous year spent $100

or less for such a class.

Summary

Younger adults, more recent immigrants, and persons whose highest education was a high school diploma or equivalent were more likely to have

participated in ESL classes in the previous 12 months. Among those who

said they were interested in taking an ESL class but had not, most reported that they did not know about any ESL classes that were available.

Table 1.—Percentage and number of the population of interest* for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes, by participation status and

adult characteristics: 1994–95

*Includes civilian, noninstitutionalized adults, age 16 or older, not enrolled in elementary or secondary school at the time of the interview, and whose primary language at home was any

language other than English.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey (NHES), spring 1995.

Among those who wanted to take an ESL class and were aware of opportunities, the main barriers reported were time, money, and child care/transportation.

In future studies, several issues merit attention. For example, in the

NHES:95, only those adults who said they were interested in taking ESL

classes were asked about perceived barriers. But, it is quite possible that

many people reported no interest in taking an ESL class precisely because

such barriers appeared insurmountable, thus discouraging them from ever

hoping to take such a class.

References

Bliss, W.B., “Meeting the demand for ESL instruction: A response to demographics,” in Leadership for Literacy, ed. F.P. Chisman and Associates (San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass, 1990): 171–197.

Chisman, F.P. 1989. Jump Start: The Federal Role in Adult Literacy Education.

Washington, DC: The Southport Institute.

Crandall, J. 1993. Improving the Quality of Adult ESL Programs: Building the

Nation’s Capacity to Meet the Educational and Occupational Needs of Adults

with Limited English Proficiencies. Background Paper Prepared for Project on

English as a Second Language Service for Adults. Washington, DC: Southport

Institute for Policy Analysis.

Griffith, S. 1993, September 28. “Immigrants overwhelming English courses for

adults.” The Washington Post, pp. E1, E5.

U.S. Department of Education. 1995. Adult Education for Limited English Proficient Adults. Washington, DC: Office of Vocational and Adult Education, Adult

Learning and Literacy Clearinghouse.

U.S. Department of Education. Office of Educational Research and Improvement.

National Center for Education Statistics. June 1997. Statistics in Brief: Participation of Adults in English as a Second Language Classes: 1994–95. NCES 97-

319. Washington, DC.

Number of adults* Participants Number Percent interested in Percent not interested

Characteristics (in thousands) (percent) (in thousands) taking ESL classes in taking ESL classes

 Total 12,078 11 10,777 28 72

Age

 16 to 25 years 2,104 19 1,712 22 78

 26 to 35 years 3,443 13 2,988 34 66

 36 to 45 years 3,157 10 2,839 33 67

 46 years and older 3,374 4 3,238 20 80

Educational attainment

 Less than high school diploma 4,947 8 4,571 31 69

 High school diploma or equivalent 4,498 14 3,855 28 72

 Some postsecondary education or more 2,633 11 2,351 22 78

How long lived in the United States

 2 years or less 973 31 668 41 59

 3 to 5 years 1,354 27 987 34 66

 6 to 9 years 1,878 9 1,703 39 61

 10 to 24 years 4,202 9 3,832 33 67

 25 years or more 1,731 3 1,680 15 85

 Born in the United States 1,939 2 1,905 11 89

Self-reported reading ability in English

 Read English "very well" 2,630 5 2,513 9 91

 Read English "well" 3,340 12 2,948 25 75

 Read English "not well" 3,557 16 3,001 43 57

 Read English "not at all" 2,551 9 2,314 33 67

Nonparticipants