A Comparison of Adult Learners' Academic, Social, and Environmental Needs as Perceived by Adult Learners and Faculty

Abstract

Adult learners are returning to college in massive numbers. Community colleges have seen a tremendous increase in enrollment as a result of this population of students (Boggs, 2004; Carlan, 2001; Moore & Piland, 1994). In order to stay abreast of this rapid growth of student population, it is imperative that community colleges continue to identify strategies and methods to strengthen relationships between adult learners and faculty members. The purpose of this study was to identify the academic, social, and environmental needs of adult learners in their learning environment in order to improve the way community colleges address the needs of this group. Given the need for additional research in this area, the following questions were investigated: (1) What is the relationship of part-time and full-time adult learners’ academic needs and part-time and full-time faculty perceptions of adult learners’ academic needs in the community college setting?; (2) What is the relationship of part-time and full-time adult learners’ social needs and part-time and full-time faculty perceptions of adult learners’ social needs in the community college setting?; (3) What is the relationship of part-time and full-time adult learners’ environmental needs and part-time and full-time faculty perceptions of adult learners’ environmental needs in the community college setting? A survey data were based on a convenience sample of 242 adult learners and 106 faculty members in the community college setting. Reliability of the instrument reported Cronbach’s alpha of .81. After data collection, three 2 x 2 Factorial ANOVA’s and qualitative themes were used to determine the significant relationships between part-time and full-time adult learners and part-time and full-time faculty members’ perceptions of adult learners’ academic, social, and environmental needs. Quantitative findings indicated that a significant interaction occurred between part-time and full-time status and adult learners and faculty members regarding social needs and a significant effect occurred between adult learners and faculty members regarding environmental needs. Qualitative explanations conferred that significant relationships existed between adult learners’ and faculty members’ perceptions of adult learners’ academic and environmental needs. Implications for community colleges’ administrators and faculty members were identified and areas for further research are presented.