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Forty Percent of Adults Participate in Adult Education Activities:1994-95Contents- Adult Education Participation Rates  Types of ParticipationSummary
- Survey Methodology and Reliability  Measuring ParticipationParticipation in Credential Programs
- Classifying Types of Adult Education Activities  Data ReliabilityNonsampling Errors
- Response Rates  Sampling ErrorsAcknowledgements
- Endnotes  TablesAuthors
Today, education must serve the needs of adults as well as youths.Adults participate in educational activities to acquire the knowledgeand skills necessary to succeed in the workforce and to masteremerging technologies, as well as to acquire basic skills, learnEnglish, earn credentials, and enrich their lives. One of theNational Education Goals states that "By the year 2000, everyadult American will be literate and will possess the knowledgeand skills necessary to compete in a global economy and exercisethe rights and responsibilities of citizenship."**1** This reportcontains the first release of information from the adult educationcomponent of the National Household Education Survey (NHES:95)on the educational activities of adults in the United States in1994-95. It focuses on the types of educational activities inwhich adults participate and how this participation is relatedto their educational attainment.
Some key findings concerning participation in adult educationactivities are:- About 76 million adults (40 percent) participated in one ormore adult education activities during the 12 months prior tothe study. **2**  About one-fifth of adults participated in work-related courses,and about the same fraction participated in personal developmentcourses.About one in three adults (31 percent) participated in onlyone type of educational activity; about one in eleven (9 percent)participated in two or more different types of activities.
- The overall participation rate of college graduates was morethan three times the rate of those who did not have a high schooldiploma, and nearly twice the rate of those without any postsecondaryeducation.  Darkenwald and Merriam define adult education as participationin systematic learning activities for the purpose of acquiringnew knowledge or skills or changing attitudes or values, by personswho have assumed adult social roles?**3**  Adult education is also generally regarded as noncompulsory or postcompulsory education. Withinthis general perspective, adult education is a diverse arena,and may be defined in a variety of ways. The NHES:95 incorporatesa broad approach to the range of activities that may be consideredadult education, including six types of educational activitiesin its definition of adult education. Each course or program wasreported in only one category of adult education. The six typeswere asked in the following order:
**English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction helps adultswhose main language is not English to improve their English languageskills and learn basic American social skills.4**
**Adult basic education (ABE) and basic skills courses, GED preparationclasses, and adult high school programs focus on helping adultsto improve basic reading, writing, and math skills or to preparefor a high school diploma or its equivalent.**
**Credential programs deal mainly with formal programs leadingto a college or university degree or a postsecondary vocationalor technical diploma. Some adults also reported programs leadingto other certificates related to qualifications for jobs or licenses.For this report, the definition of adult education participationincludes part-time, but not full-time, participation in credentialprograms.5**
**Apprenticeship programs provide formal training in occupationsin which a participant learns a trade through on-thejob trainingand other related instruction.**
**Work-related courses are those related to a job or career,whether or not respondents had a job when they took the courses.Some examples are courses taken at work, courses taken elsewherethat relate to a job or career, or courses for a license or certificationfor a job.**
**Personal development courses include various types of educationalactivities that have an instructor and are not included in thecategories described above. Some examples are courses relatedto health, hobbies or sport lessons, computer classes (other thanwork-related), and Bible study classes.**
The participation status of adults was determined by their involvementin one or more of these six types of adult education in the 12months prior to the interview. Adults who reported that they hadparticipated only as full-time credential seekers are not countedas participants in this analysis.
The NHES:95 was a random-digit-dial (RDD) telephone survey ofthe civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the 50 statesand the District of Columbia, conducted in January through Aprilof 1995. In the adult education component, the population of interestwas adults age 16 and older who were not enrolled in elementaryor secondary school. Brief descriptions of the study methodologyare presented in the Survey Methodology and Data Reliability sectionof this report.Adult Education Participation Rates
About 76 million adults (40 percent) participated in one or moreadult education activities in the 12-month period prior to thesurvey (table 1). The participation rate in the NHES:91 adulteducation component was 32 percent,**6** so this represents a substantial increase in participation rates from 1991 to 1995.**7** This growth is consistent with the findings of previous research utilizingadult education data from the Current Population Survey (CPS)from 1969 to 1984, which also showed significant growth over time.**8**,**9**
The two types of educational activities in which adults participatedmost were workrelated courses and personal development courses.**10**Table 1 shows the percentages of adults who participated in adulteducation activities. (The sum of the percentages for each typeof adult education is greater than the overall participation rateof 40 percent. This is because some adults participated in morethan one type of adult education, and they appear in percentagesfor more than one type.) About one-fifth of adults participatedin workrelated courses, and about the same fraction participatedin personal development courses. Other types of educational activitiesare more specialized and fewer adults took part in them. About6 percent of adults age 16 and older participated in a credentialprogram on a parttime basis, and only about 1 percent participatedin each other type of activity -ABE/GED, ESL, and apprenticeships.
Cross states that "Learning is addictive; the more educationpeople have, the more they want, and the more they will get."**11**The NHES:95 adult education findings support this assertion. Theoverall adult participation rate is significantly related to educationalattainment, and the participation rate increases with each levelof education shown (table 1). The overall participation rate ofcollege graduates was more than three times the rate of thosewho did not have a high school diploma and nearly twice the rateof high school graduates without any postsecondary schooling (figure1). Participation rates in work-related and personal developmentcourses (which dominate the activities reported) also increasedacross levels of education from very low rates among those withouta high school diploma to much higher rates among those with moreeducation.
Educational attainment is also associated with participation inpart-time credential programs, although the rates are much lowerthan those for work-related or personal development courses. Increasingfrom less than 1 percent among those with no high school diplomato 11 percent among those with some postsecondary education, thepart-time credential participation rate drops off slightly (to8 percent) for those with a bachelor's degree or more. Among thosewith some college or vocational/technical school, participationin credential programs may represent continued enrollment.
Participation rates in ABE/GED courses, ESL courses, and apprenticeshipprograms do not follow this general pattern in relation to educationalattainment. ABE/GED courses and programs are specifically designedfor those who need assistance with basic skills or who wish to completea high school diploma or its equivalent.**12**As one might expect, the rate of participation in ABE/GED classes was highest amongpersons without a high school diploma or its equivalent. Therewas no relationship between participation in ESL and educationalattainment as might be expected, since persons of all educationallevels come to the United States and participate in ESL classes.The observed differences in rates of participation in apprenticeshipprograms are statistically significant, but the range of the estimates(i.e., from less than one percent to two percent) is minimal.
The National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) reported that 21 to23 percent of the adult population in the Nation lack proficiencyin reading prose, understanding and interpreting documents, andperforming quantitative tasks.**13**The NALS also indicated that adults with less than a high school diplomawere most likely to lack proficiencies in these three areas. This lack of skillcan inhibit the adult's ability to function in a modern and increasingly technicalsociety. Nevertheless, the NHES:95 data show that adults withless than a high school diploma were least likely to participatein adult education activities overall, in credential programs,and in work-related courses, and only 5 percent of these adultsparticipated in adult basic education or GED preparation.Types of Participation
Some adults participated in only one type of adult education activityin the previous year, whereas others participated in two or moretypes. Table 2 shows the distribution of adult education activitiesamong the population of adults, classified so that each adultappears .in only one category. About one adult in three (31 percent)participated in only one type of adult education in the previousyear, and about one in eleven (9 percent) participated in morethan one type of activity.**14**
**Figure 1.-- Percent of adults age 16 and older participatingin adult education activity, by educational attainment**

**NOTE:** Includes civilian, nonlnstitutionalized adults age16 and older, not enrolled in elementary or secondary school.
**SOURCE:** U.S. Department of Education, National Center forEducation Statistics, National Household Education Survey, 1995.
The percent of adults who participated in one type of activityor in multiple activities increases across education levels (table2 and figure 2). Thus, we see that not only do more adults withhigher education levels participate in *any* educational activities,but greater proportions participate in *multiple* types of educationalactivities.**15** About 15 percent of adults with a bachelor's degreeor more education participated in more than one type of activity;this represents about one in four college graduates participatingin adult education (15 percent out of the 58 percent of this groupthat were participants, tables 1 and 2). About 5 percent of thosewith a high school diploma or equivalent participated in morethan one type of activity, which represents about one in six highschool graduate participants (5 percent out of the 31 percentwho were participants, tables 1 and 2).
Among the types of educational activities adults have participatedin, the most common activities were work-related courses only(14 percent of adults) and personal development courses only (12percent of adults). In addition, 5 percent of adults participatedin both of these types of activities. Participation in these twoactivities, taken separately and in combination, accounts for31 percent of adults, a large majority of the 40 percent overallparticipation rate. About 3 percent of adults participated inpart-time credential programs only, and only 1 percent or lessparticipated in each of the other individual activities or combinationsof activities.
The same set of activities (work-related only, personal developmentonly, and both of these) account for the great majority of adulteducation activities among adults who have a high school diploma,some postsecondary education, or a bachelor's degree or more education.Among those without a high school diploma, about 3 percent tookonly ABE/GED classes; however, even in this group, participationin personal development courses (6 percent) was still more commonthan participation in basic skills education or GED preparation.
About 2 percent of participants without a high school diplomatook some other combination of adult education activities (lastrow of table 2) than those specifically identified in the table.Because these various other combinations of activities are veryrare, they are not shown individually. However, these combinationsdo include persons who took ABE/GED courses plus some other typeor types of adult education.Summary
In summary, about 40 percent of adults were engaged in one ormore types of adult education in the 12-month period prior tothe NHES:95. This represents a substantial increase in participationcompared to that found in the adult education component of theNHES:91, which showed a 32 percent participation rate.**16**The most prevalent adult education activities were participation in work relatedcourses and personal development courses. Participation ratesoverall and for the two leading types of educational activitieswere strongly associated with the adult's educational attainment.Only about one in six non-high school graduates participated inany educational activities, compared to nearly six of out tencollege graduates. Only 5 percent of those without a high schooldiploma took courses to improve their basic skills, to preparefor the GED, or to complete a high school diploma during the 12-monthperiod (table 1).
**Figure 2.-- Percent of adults age 16 and older participatingin one type or multiple types of adult education activity, byeducational attainment**

**NOTE:** Includes civilan, noninstitutionalized adults age16 and older, not enrolled in elementary or secondary school.
**SOURCE:** U.S. Department of Education, National Center forEducation Statistics, National Household Education Survey, 1995.Survey Methodology and Data Reliability
The 1995 National Household Education Survey (NHES:95) is a telephonesurvey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education's NationalCenter for Education Statistics (NCES). Data collection took placefrom January through April of 1995. The sample is nationally representativeof all civilian, noninstitutionalized persons in the 50 statesand the District of Columbia. This sample was selected using random-digit-dialing(RDD) methods, and the data were collected using computer assistedtelephone interviewing (CATI) technology. This section providesa brief description of the study methodology; further detailswill appear in the forthcoming Adult Education Data File User'sManual of the NHES:95.
The adult education component of the NHES:95, which is the basisof this report, sampled civilian adults who were age 16 and olderand not enrolled in elementary or secondary school. A householdscreener was administered to an adult member of the householdto collect the information about each household member requiredfor sampling. Adults who had not completed a high school diplomaor its equivalent and adults who had participated in an educationalactivity in the previous 12 months were sampled at higher ratesthan other adults. In most households, only one adult was selectedfor the adult education component. However, up to two adults couldbe selected if at least one adult in the household did not havea high school diploma or equivalent and had participated in aneducational activity in the previous 12 months. Weighting procedureswere used to adjust for differences in probabilities of selection.
In the adult education interview, information was collected abouteducational attainment, participation in a wide range of educationactivities in the previous 12 months, and labor force participation.The only person who could respond to the adult education interviewwas the sampled adult him/herself; multiple attempts were madeto complete interviews with persons not available at the timeof selection. Interviews were conducted in both English and Spanish.This report is based on the 19,722 completed adult education interviews.
While this report focuses on participation in educational activitiesof adults and educational attainment, other potential uses ofthe data include an examination of the specifics of participationin six different types of adult education activities, the roleof employers as providers and sponsors of educational activities,the reasons adults participate, and barriers to their participation.Measuring Participation
The measurement of adult education participation is, of course,dependent upon the specific definition of adult education usedfor the analysis presented in this report. Beyond this, the waysin which questions are asked may lead to differences in the observedresponses. The NHES:95 used a specially developed set of questionsin an effort to capture the wide range of adult education activities.These questions were modified from the items used in the NHES:91and were tested in a variety of samples prior to this data collection.As a result, the assessment of change in the participation ratesover time could have been due to changes in the questions.
To address this concern, a methodological study was incorporatedin the NHES:95. In this study, a supplemental (or "Splice")sample of 3,569 adults was administered the same set of participationquestions used in the NHES:91. This permits the comparison ofthe participation estimates from the NHES:95 adult education interview,the NHES:95 Splice interview, and the NHES:91 adult educationinterview. The observed participation rates for the NHES:95 adulteducation and the NHES:95 Splice interviews were both 40 percent.This suggests that the difference between the NHES:91 and NHES:95observed overall participation rates is due to changes in participationrates over time rather than changes in the questionnaire.Participation in Credential Programs
Credential-seekers are included in the credential participationrate if they were enrolled in a credential program on a part-timebasis during some or all of the year, regardless of whether theyalso participated in a credential program on a full-time basisduring the same year. Those who participated in a credential programon a full-time basis only are not included as credential participantsin this report. Full-time credential-seekers may have also participatedin other forms of adult education and, if so, they are includedin the rates for those types of adult education and in the overallrate. Finally, adults who participated in a credential programon a full-time basis only and did not participate in any otherform of adult education are not counted as participants in adulteducation. There are an estimated 24.7 million credential seekers(13 percent of adults), as found in the NHES:95. Of these, 13.1million (7 percent of all adults) participated in a credentialprogram on a full-time, but not part-time, basis and are not includedin the credential rate. The adults who reported participatingin a credential program on a part-time basis are included as participants,an estimated 11.6 million adults (6 percent of all adults) nationally.Classifying Types of Adult Education Activities
In the adult education interview, respondents were asked aboutthe many types of educational activities in the following order:English as a Second Language classes, basic skills and GED classes,credential programs, apprenticeships, work-related courses, andpersonal development courses. Because respondents could not knowthe types of activities that would be addressed in later sectionsof the interview, they may have reported activities in the firstsection of the interview in which they appeared to fit (knownas an order effect). In this report, activities are classifiedaccording to the way in which they were reported. Alternatively,analysts could classify activities according to the main reasonfor which the adult participated in the activity (e.g., to earna credential, improve one's job skills, and personal interest),according to the intensity of the activity (e.g., using lengthor hours as a criterion), or according to the type of provider(e.g., college, vocational school, business, church, etc.).
Most full-time credential seekers are "traditional"college students who are 18 to 21 years old, while some are older.Some people regard full-time credential-seeking as traditionalschooling rather than adult education. The exclusion of full-timecredential-seekers is consistent with previous presentations ofdata on adult education participation in NCES reports.
Estimates of participation in credential programs are higher thanestimates based on institutional reports of enrollment (e.g.,those from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System,IPEDS). In particular, estimates of participation in credentialprograms other than college degrees are higher than IPEDS estimates.Respondents included credential programs other than traditionalcollege degrees or postsecondary vocational diploma programs.These include programs leading to certificates or licenses ofmany kinds, some of which are offered by vocational or technicalschools and some of which are offered by businesses, governmentagencies, churches, or other institutions.Data Reliability
Estimates produced using data from the NHES:95 are subject totwo types of error, sampling and nonsampling errors. Nonsamplingerrors are errors made in the collection and processing of data.Sampling errors occur because the data are collected from a samplerather than a census of the population,Nonsampling Errors
Nonsampling error is the term used to describe variations in theestimates that may be caused by population coverage limitationsand data collection, processing, and reporting procedures. Thesources of nonsampling errors are typically problems like unitand item nonresponse, the differences in respondents' interpretationsof the meaning of the questions, response differences relatedto the particular time the survey was conducted, and mistakesin data preparation.
In general, it is difficult to identify and estimate either theamount of nonsampling error or the bias caused by this error.This is particularly problematic in random-digit-dial surveysbecause so little is known about the sampled telephone numbers.Since nonresponse is an important source of nonsampling errorin the NHES:95, a special Technical Report is being prepared toaddress this issue. The results of this research uncovered nolarge response biases.
In the NHES:95, efforts were made to prevent nonsampling errorsfrom occurring and to compensate for them where possible. Forinstance, during the survey design phase, focus groups and cognitivelaboratory interviews were conducted for the purpose of assessingrespondent knowledge of the topics, comprehension of questionsand terms, and the sensitivity of items. The design phase alsoincluded a multi-phase field test pretest in which about 550 adulteducation interviews were conducted.
An important source of nonsampling error for a telephone surveyis the failure to include persons who do not live in householdswith telephones. About 95 percent of all adults age 16 and olderlive in households with telephones. Estimation procedures wereused to help reduce the bias in the estimates associated withexcluding the 5 percent of adults who do not live in telephonehouseholds.**17**Response Rates
In the NHES:95, screeners were completed with 45,465 households,with a response rate of 73.3 percent. Of the 23,969 adults sampledfor the adult education component, 80 percent (19,722) completedthe interview. Thus, the overall response rate for the adult educationinterview is 58.6 percent (the product of the screener responserate and the adult education completion rate).
For the adult education interview, item nonresponse (the failureto complete some items in an otherwise completed interview) wasvery low for most items. The item nonresponse rates for most variablesin this report are less than 4 percent. The single exception isan item that is used to determine part-time credential statusin the adult's third credential program. This question appliedto only 10 respondents, and 2 had missing values for this item.Items with missing data were imputed using a hot-deck procedure.The estimates included in this report are based on the imputeddata.Sampling Errors
The sample of telephone households selected for the NHES:95 isjust one of many possible samples that could have been selected.Therefore, estimates produced from the NHES:95 sample may differfrom estimates that would have been produced from other samples.This type of variability is called sampling error because it arisesfrom using a sample of households with telephones, rather thanall households with telephones.
The standard error is a measure of the variability due to samplingwhen estimating a statistic; standard errors for estimates presentedin this report were computed using a jackknife replication method.Standard errors can be used as a measure of the precision expectedfrom a particular sample. The probability that a population parameterobtained from a complete census count would differ from the sampleestimate by less than 1 standard error is about 68 percent. Thechance that the difference would be less than 1.65 standard errorsis about 90 percent; and that the difference would be less than1.96 standard errors, about 95 percent.
Standard errors for all of the estimates are presented in thetables. These standard errors can be used to produce confidenceintervals. For example, an estimated 40 percent of adults participatedin some form of adult education activity in the previous 12 months(not including full-time credential programs), and this figurehas an estimated standard error of .48. Therefore, the estimated95 percent confidence interval for this statistic is approximately39 to 41 percent (40 +/- 1.96 (.48)). That is, in 95 out of 100samples from the same population, the estimated participationrate should fall between 39 and 41 percent.
The tests of significance used in this analysis are based on Chi-squaredtests for bivariate relationships and Student's t statistics forthe comparison of individual estimates. The RaoScott Chi-squaredtest was used to take into account the complex sample design.As the number of comparisons at the same significance level increases,it becomes more likely that at least one of the estimated differenceswill be significant merely by chance, that is, it will be erroneouslyidentified as different from zero. Even when there is no statisticaldifference between the means or percentages being compared, thereis a 5 percent chance of getting a significant t value of 1.96from sampling error alone. As the number of comparisons increases,the chance of making this type of error also increases.
A Bonferroni adjustment was used to correct significance testsfor multiple comparisons. This method adjusts the significancelevel for the total number of comparisons made with a particularclassification variable. All the differences cited in this reportare significant at the .05 level of significance after a Bonferroniadjustment.Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the following people who reviewed thisreport and provided helpful critique and suggestions: Mike Cohen,Statistical Standards and Methodology Division of NCES; Jim Houser,NCES; Andrew Kolstad, NCES; Roslyn Korb, NCES; Gordon Darkenwald,Rutgers University; Elisabeth Hayes, University of Wisconsin-Madison;Richard Hoehlein, Tidewater Community College.Endnotes
1) National Education Goals Panel (1994). *The National EducationGoals Report: Building a Nation of Learners.* Washington, DC.
2) In a forthcoming technical report, other estimates of participationin adult education (viz., the 1992 Current Population Survey)will be compared with those in the NHES:95. Some of these otherestimates are significantly lower than those reported here, suggestingthat the determination of participation in adult education maydiffer from survey to survey.
3) Darkenwald, G.G., and Merriam, S.B. (1982). *Adult Education:Foundations of Practice.* New York, NY: Harper & Row.
4) In the NHES :95 survey administration, interviews were conductedin English and Spanish. As a result, the survey may underrepresentparticipation in ESL among adults who do not speak English orSpanish.
5) In general, full-time enrollment in credential programs (e.g.,college degree programs or postsecondary vocational or technicaldiploma programs) is not considered to be adult education, buttraditional schooling. Some analysts may consider nontraditionalcredential seekers (e.g. adults over the traditional college agerange) to be adult education participants.
6) Korb, R., Chandler, K., and West, J. (1991). *Adult EducationProfile for 1990-91.* Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education,National Center for Education Statistics, p. 6.
7) There are some methodological differences between the NHES:91and the NHES:95, but these differences are not responsible forthe increase in rates. This issue is discussed in the **SurveyMethodology** and **Data Reliability** section.
8) The NHES rates are much higher than the CPS rates (15 percentin 1984), which most likely reflects differences in the designand procedures of the two surveys in addition to change over time.Some of these differences may be attributable to methodologicaldifferences in the studies. For example, in the NHES, nonparticipantswere sampled as well as participants. In the course of conductingthe interviews, some of those sampled as nonparticipants werefound to be participants. Only those initially reported as participantswere sampled for the CPS 1969-84 Adult Education Supplements.
9) Hill, S.T. (1987). *Trends in Adult Education 1969-1984.*Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Centerfor Education Statistics.
10) Some adults participated in more than one type of educationalactivity. This is addressed in table 2 and the accompanying discussion.
11) Cross, K.P. (1984). Adults as Learners. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass.
12) Persons who received their high school diploma or equivalentin the year prior to the interview and persons who received ahigh school diploma in a foreign country were also asked abouttheir participation in ABE/GED activities in the previous 12 months.
13) Kirsch, I.S., Jungeblut, A., Jenkins, L., and Kolstad, A.(1993). *Adult Literacy in America: A first look at the resultsof the National Adult Literacy Survey.* Washington, DC: U.S.Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
14) The classification of types of adult education and whetheran adult participates in more than one type depends on the definitionsor groupings of adult education activities employed in a particularstudy.
15) participation in more than one type of activity does not necessarilymean participation in more courses. For example, an adult maytake three courses of one type, while another adult takes onecourse of each of two different types.
16) Korb, R., Chandler, K., and West, J. (1991). Adult EducationProfile for 1990-91. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education,National Center for Education Statistics, p. 6.
17) For additional information on telephone coverage issues andestimation procedures to correct for coverage biases, see J. M.Brick and J. Burke, *Telephone Coverage Bias of 14- to 21-year-oldsand 3- to 5-year-olds.* Washington, DC: U.S. Department ofEducation, National Center for Education Statistics, report numberNCES 92-101.Tables
**Table 1.-- Percent of civilian, noninstitutionalized adults,16 years of age or older,(1) who took part in adult educationactivities in a 12-month period, by educational attainment: 1995**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                   Educational attainment                                       ----------------------------------------                                               Less than                                           a high school                High                                          school diploma      school diplomaType of                 All adults     or its equivalent   or its equivalentadult education      Estimate  s.e.      Estimate   s.e.      Estimate  s.e.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Estimated number of adultsin thousands)         189,576   153        29,347    660        62,957   780Types of activity  Any adult education    activity)2             40   .48            16   1.07            31   .76  Any ABE/GED)3             1   .08             5    .41             1   .13  Any ESL)5                 1   .06             1    .21             1   .11  Any credential prog.)2    6   .16          <0.5    .12             4   .24  Any apprenticeship    program                 1   .09             1    .22             1   .17  Any work-related course  21   .36             4    .39            14   .49  Any personal development    course                 20   .33             7    .76            15   .54--------------------------------------------------------------------------------                      Educational attainment (continued)                  ----------------------------------------                        Some college,        Bachelor's                   associate's degree         degree orType of            or voc/tech school            higheradult education      Estimate  s.e.      Estimate   s.e.--------------------------------------------------------Estimated number of adultsin thousands)          50,736   753        46,535    559Types of activity  Any adult education    activity)2             50   .75            58    .98  Any ABE/GED)3          <0.5   .07          --)4     --  Any ESL)5              <0.5   .09             1    .10  Any credential prog.)2   11   .42             8    .38  Any apprenticeship    program                 2   .19          <0.5    .10  Any work-related course  24   .60            38    .92  Any personal development    course                 25   .76            28    .70--------------------------------------------------------
1) Excludes persons enrolled in elementary or secondary schoolat the time of the interview.
2) Adults who participated in a credential program on a full-timebasis only, for part or all of the year, and did not participatein any other type of formal educational activity are not countedas participants in adult education. Adults who participated ina credential program on a full-time basis only and also participatedin another type of adult education are included in the overallrate and the rate for the type of non-credential adult educationin which they participated, but not in the credential programrate. Adults who participated in a credential program on a part-timebasis only or on both part-time and full-time bases are includedin the credential rate and the overall rate.
3) Adult Basic Education/General Educational Development (ABE/GED).Respondents who did not have a high school diploma or its equivalent,received a high school diploma or its equivalent in the past 12months, or received a high school diploma in a foreign countrywere asked about participation in adult basic education, GED preparationclasses, adult high school, or high school equivalency programs.
4) persons with a Bachelor's degree or more education were notasked about participation in adult basic education, GED preparationclasses, adult high school, or high school equivalency programs.
5) English as a Second Language (ESL). Respondents whose primarylanguage is other than English were asked about parUcipation inEnglish as a Second Language classes.
**NOTE:** s.c. is standard error. Percents for different typesof adult education sum to more than the overall participationrate because some adults participate in more than one type ofactivity or program. Estimates that are more than 0, but do notround to 1, are shown as <0.5 (less than one-half).
**SOURCE:** U.S. Department of Education, National Center forEducation Statistics, National Household Education Survey, 1995.
**Table 2.-- Percent of civilian, noninstitutionalized adults,16 years of age or older(1), who took part in various adult educationalactivities, by educational attainment: 1995**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                   Educational attainment                                       ----------------------------------------                                               Less than                                           a high school                High                                          school diploma      school diplomaType of           All participants     or its equivalent   or its equivalentadult education      Estimate  s.e.      Estimate   s.e.      Estimate  s.e.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Estimated number of adultsin thousands)         189,576   153        29,347    660        62,957   780**Only one type of activity**31   .39            14   1.02            26   .70  ABE/GED)2 only            1   .07             3    .37             1   .11  ESL)4 only             <0.5   .05             1    .13          <0.5   .10  Credential program)5    only                    3   .12          <0.5    .12             2   .17  Apprenticeship prog.    Only                    1   .06          <0.5    .14             1   .13  Work-related course    only                   14   .26             3    .35            10   .46  Personal development    course only            12   .25             6    .74            12   .47**Two or more types of activity**                9   .24             2    .25             5   .25  Credential program)5 and    work-related            1   .07          <0.5    .03          <0.5   .06  Credential program)5 and    personal development    1   .08          <0.5    .02             1   .09  Work-related and personal    development             5   .19          <0.5    .08             3   .18  Credential program)5, work    related, and    personal dev.        <0.5   .04             0(6)   *          <0.5   .04  Any other combination of    adult education activ.  1   .06             2    .24             1   .11--------------------------------------------------------------------------------                      Educational attainment (continued)                  ----------------------------------------                        Some college,        Bachelor's                   associate's degree         degree orType of            or voc/tech school            higheradult education      Estimate  s.e.      Estimate   s.e.--------------------------------------------------------Estimated number of adultsin thousands)          50,736   753        46,535    559**Only one type of activity**38   .64            43    .75  ABE/GED)2 only         <0.5   .05           --(3)   --  ESL)4 only             <0.5   .08          <0.5    .09  Credential program)5    only                    6   .36             3    .25  Apprenticeship prog.    Only                    1   .13          <0.5    .05  Work-related course    only                   15   .51            24    .66  Personal development    course only            16   .58            14    .50**Two or more types of activity**               12   .51            15    .56  Credential program)5 and    work-related            2   .18             2    .19  Credential program)5 and    personal development    2   .19             2    .18  Work-related and personal    development             6   .41            11    .46  Credential program)5, work    related, and    personal dev.           1   .11             1    .08  Any other combination of    adult education activ.  1   .14          <0.5    .10--------------------------------------------------------
1) Excludes persons enrolled in elementary or secondary schoolat the time of the interview.
2) Adult Basic Education/General Educational Development (ABE/GED).Respondents who did not have a high school diploma or its equivalent,received a high school diploma or its equivalent in the past 12months, or received a high school diploma in a foreign countrywere asked about participation in adult basic education, GED preparationclasses, adult high school, or high school equivalency programs.
3) Persons with a Bachelor's degree or more education were notasked about participation in adult basic education, GED preparationclasses, adult high school, or high school equivalency programs.
4) English as a Second Language (ESL). Respondents whose primarylanguage is other than English were asked about participationin English as a Second Language classes.
5) Adults who participated in a credential program on a full-timebasis only, for part or all of the year, and did not participatein any other type of adult education are not counted as participantsin adult education. Adults who participated in a credential programon a full-time basis only and also participated in another typeof adult education are included in the overall rate and the ratefor the type of noncredential adult education in which they participated,but not in the credential program rate. Adults who participatedin a credential program on a part-time basis only or on both part-timeand full-time bases are included in the credential rate and theoverall rate.
6) this estimate is based on a sample; it is possible that personswith these characteristics exist in the population.
*Standard errors are not appropriate when no observations occurin a cell.
**NOTE:** s.e. is standard error. Percents may not sum to 100due to rounding. Estimates that are more than 0, but do not roundto 1, are shown as <0.5 (less than one-half).
**SOURCE:** U.S. Department of Education, National Center forEducation Statistics, National Household Education Survey, 1995.Authors
Kwang Kim, Mary Collins, Westat, Inc.
Peter Stowe, Kathryn Chandler, NCES
For more information about the substantitive content of thisreport, contact Kathryn Chandler at Kathryn.Chandler@ed.gov.IES  NCESNational Center for Education StatisticsJoin NewsflashNCES BlogEdNCES XEdNCES FacebookEdNCES LinkedInEdNCES YouTubeExplore the Institute of Education Sciences- IES
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