ARTICLE BEGINS NEXT PAGE

This publication is the

product of a Workforce
Investment Act Title II
State Leadership grant
to Lancaster-Lebanon
Intermediate Unit 13
through the Pennsylvania
Department of Education,
Bureau of Adult Basic
and Literacy Education.
Opinions expressed are
those of the individual
authors and do not
necessarily represent the
positions or policies of
the U.S. Department of
Education, Pennsylvania
Department of Education,
or Lancaster-Lebanon
Intermediate Unit 13; as
such, no ofcial endorse-
ment should be inferred.
Articles may be
distributed freely;
however, please request
permission from the
editor to reprint in order
to give proper credit
to the authors and the
project.
Please direct questions
and report errors to Tana
Reiff, Editor, tana_reiff@
iu13.org
Copyright
Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania 2007
File name:
fn07persistence.pdf
Complete publication at
www.able.state.pa.us/
eldnotes07
ABSTRACT
Learner motivation and
persistence
By Katherine R. Stamler
L
earner motivation and persistence remain issues hindering student success.
Plagued with problems, students come seeking assistance with educational ef-
forts, yet can easily lose track of goals. Much research has been done on the topic
to determine what happens to motivation and persistence and what practitioners do
that increases persistence. NCSALL, in a study being conducted by Dr. John Comings
and others, has reviewed research efforts and offers not only the results of their copi-
ous research, but suggestions to practitioners in their efforts or practices in addressing
student needs. The study has been divided into three phases. The rst phase focused
on researching the question How can I keep students longer? on a programmatic
level and then interviewed students around New England. The second phase of the
study focused on a pilot project involving ve sites across the country. The third phase
is still in progress and offers results from the other two phases, identies ve types of
learners and three forces that impact learner persistence, and provides suggestions for
practitioners to increase persistence in their learners. NCSALL offers a few publications
as a result of the ongoing study and a study guide, which are available for practitioner
review on their Web site (ncsall.net).
Katherine R. Stamler has been Community Action, Inc.s adult education director for 10
years, serving learners in Jefferson and Clarion Counties, where learners face many barri-
ers to self-sufciency and educational success. The core of staff focus continues to remain on
student-centered, individualized instruction, enabling students to focus on their own goals.
CONTINUED
Learner motivation and persistence 2
Learner motivation and
persistence
By Katherine R. Stamler
M
otivating a learner to maintain goal pursuit or to persist is essential to learner
success. Focusing on what makes a learner persistent (dened as intensity and
duration of efforts by NCSALL) in pursuing a goal incorporates the motivating
factors that inuence learner actions. NCSALL (National Center for the Study of Adult
Learning and Literacy*) reviewed a variety of studies focused on factors that inuence learner
persistence and led research studies to produce information benecial to adult education
providers in meeting student needs and facilitating student success.
The commonality in the research indicates that learners respond to methods that take
into consideration all of the learners concerns and the factors that have an impact on the
learners life, not just educational needs. The holistic approach to learner needs brings prac-
titioners and learners together as partners while focusing on learner-centered learning.
Supporting the Persistence of Adult Basic Education Students identies four supports for
persistence: 1) identifying and managing forces that impact persistence, 2) identifying and
writing learner-set goals, 3) identifying and building learners success; and 4) identifying
the steps and the progress toward reaching a goal.
NCSALL research on Adult Student Persistence conducted by John Comings and others
is available for preview (www.ncsall.net/?id=226). NCSALLs three-phase study focuses on
the things that support and inhibit persistence. The rst phase focused on the identication
of factors that inuence persistence through research of various studies, and asking questions
of programs and learners. The second phase focused on establishing ve (library literacy)
pilot programs to implement suggestions while monitoring the practices and recording the
results at all stages. The third phase (currently active) focuses on reviewing the rst two
phases in order to choose effective practices and testing them for efcacy. Practitioners can
look for the results of the third-phase efforts on the NCSALL site. The site may be nished
prior to the end of the funding supporting their research pursuits.
Types of learners
The study places learners into ve categories based on patterns of persistence: 1) long-term
students: students with few barriers and high motivation; 2) mandatory students: students
who have a legal mandate to participate; 3) short-term students: those who have quick goal
success and are usually motivated; 4) try-out students: those who stay long enough to try
the program but disconnect readily; 5) intermittent students: those who can get off track
due to barriers but will return when issues are resolved or prove manageable. Comings sug-
gests the fourth group needs more time and attention in determining barriers, supports,
and goals, and the fth group needs a wider variety of resources to foster learning when
not able to attend classes (such as distance learning) and/or assistance in developing plans
to overcome barriers.
Learner motivation and persistence 3
According to Comings, the role of practitioners is to help learners manage barriers,
see and achieve successes, and clearly identify short- and long-term goals, not just address
instructional needs.
Learn about persistence
In assisting programs to incorporate knowledge and nurture learners in their efforts
toward self-efciency, a study guide has been developed. An Adult Student Persistence
Guide is available on the NSCALL Web site (www.ncsall.net/?id=896) as training material
for practitioners. It presents a framework for a 10.5-hour, three-session study circle. The
guide explores how to apply what was learned in classrooms and programs through the
NCSALL research. The articles resources and action research reports permit practitioners
to explore a variety of strategies to meet the needs of programs across the state. Included
are steps for facilitating the three sessions, suggestions for organizing a follow-up session,
tips for facilitating study circles, and a NCSALL Feedback Form for facilitators. One of
the highlights of the study circle guide is a persistence video that can be viewed online or
purchased for $5.00 in DVD. It provides the condensed version of the major points of the
NCSALL research through an entertaining panel discussion.
Through the NCSALL sites Connecting Practice and Policy Research tab, you may
obtain lists of research studies on persistence and motivating learners. The list provides
easy access to a variety of articles for practitioner review and can facilitate tailoring prac-
tices to meet programmatic needs. Further identication of barriers and supports can be
found though Supports and Barriers to Persistence and Helping Adults Persist NCSALL
seminar guides as well as other publications suggested on the site. Here in Pennsylvania,
programs that incorporate ABLEworks, PA WIN, and/or distance learning may nd further
resources at www.pawerc.org and padistancelearning.org to help tailor efforts in meeting
student needs.
* All funding for NCSALL will end on July 31, 2007. Its research publications, training
and teaching resources, and other materials will continue to be available on the NCSALL
Web site.