Adults are sometimes tired when they attend classes as a result of their other responsibilities. They may be working full-time, looking after a family and attending classes. These goals may include self-improvement, getting a driver's licence, reading to their children, improving job skills, getting a job or a promotion, getting a high school diploma or equivalent. Some will learn more easily if they can see or feel what is to be learned, while others may have to hear it to know it. Most adult learners know how they prefer to learn if the right questions are asked.
Adult students are usually highly motivated when they begin.
The motivation can quickly lessen if they become discouraged, if progress is slow, or as time passes and other responsibilities affect the amount of time and energy they can give to their learning. Needs of the adult learner will change over time. The goals identified by the learner at the beginning may become more realistic, evolve as learning takes place, or change with one's life circumstances. For example, wanting to read with one's children may become secondary to learning to read messages from the school and write messages to the teacher if a child is sick or having problems at school. However, they do not lose their capacity to learn.