Obstacles, Responsibilities, and Life Stressors for the Adult Learner

Introduction

There are several conclusions we can draw from Chapter 1. First, nontraditional learners face more barriers to success than do traditional learners (Choy, 2002; Horn & Carroll, 1996; Pelletier, 2010; Radford et al., 2015). Second, a student should not be labeled as merely traditional or nontraditional, as moderately and highly nontraditional learners are qualitatively different from minimally nontraditional learners (Babb et al., 2022; Ellis, 2019; Trenz et al., 2015). Finally, it is imperative that universities truly see and understand nontraditional students and their needs, in order to provide them with the support they need to succeed in their academic endeavors (Remenick, 2019).

As far as to what extent Horn and Carroll’s (1996) seven characteristics of nontraditional learners affect college attainment, these students’ biggest barriers are work and family responsibilities (Erisman & Steele, 2012). These two characteristics in particular are associated with creating the biggest time constraints for nontraditional learners, which affects their time spent participating in and preparing for class, as well as their ability to access campus support services (Markle, 2015; Ross-Gordon, 2011; van Rhijn, 2016). Conflicting hours, the ability to find childcare, family health, and finances combine to produce pressure on adult learners’ time, energy, and mental health, especially for students who are women (Markle, 2015).

Following closely behind these two obstacles is financial concerns; adult learners, especially those from low socio-economic backgrounds, struggle to support themselves and their families while also paying tuition and fees (Erisman & Steele, 2012; Taylor & House, 2010). As the majority of nontraditional learners are 24 or older, they are considered financially independent, and often must research the requirements and guidelines of applying for financial aid, and must then meet enrollment and grade requirements to keep their aid. As low socioeconomic status is associated with higher levels of life stress and poor health, adult learners from impoverished backgrounds may face an increasing number of obstacles to their success that snowball over time (Hyun, 2018). Nontraditional learners are becoming increasingly diverse as well, and a high proportion of these students are from low-income families (Babb et al., 2022; Chen, 2017; Sautter et al., 2012; Williams & Mohammed, 2013).

In addition to the seven characteristics that define a nontraditional learner (Horn & Carroll, 1996), other variances distinguish nontraditional learners from traditional learners. For example, a nontraditional learner is more likely to be a first-generation student (Cuseo, 2018); in addition to the life stress experienced by nontraditional learners who are balancing academics, work, and family responsibilities, first-generation students do not have parents to help them navigate financial aid, college policies and procedures, and help them to create realistic expectations for success. First-generation, nontraditional students, especially those from impoverished backgrounds, have a high rate of attrition in their first year of study (Kamer & Ishitani, 2021).