ERIC Number: EJ1392942
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jul
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1443-1394
EISSN: N/A
Self-Authored Motivations of US Adult Basic Education English Learners
Ouellette-Schramm, Jennifer
Australian Journal of Adult Learning, v63 n2 p185-205 Jul 2023
Many adult English learners enroll in U.S. Adult Basic Education programs every year. The federally defined goal of these programs is to increase adult learners' skills to enable them to enter the workforce, but it is not clear whether this purpose matches learners' own motivations for entering these programs. Using the lens of self-authorship theory of adult development, this small qualitative case study investigated learning motivations among three adult ELs in an Adult Basic Education college and career preparation class. Data included two qualitative interviews per participant, demographic questionnaires, and reading scores. Interviews were analyzed using the grounded theory approach to qualitative interview analysis. This study presents findings unique to three learners in this study, which was part of a larger cases study investigating learning experiences of nine adult learners from an adult developmental perspective. The three learners in this study constructed meaning from a developmental perspective growing toward self-authorship, characterized by orienting to an internal authority and self-defined goals. This article discusses these distinct self-authored learning motivations and offers implications for adult education programs to respond to the self-authored learning motivations of adult English learners.
Descriptors: Adult Basic Education, English Language Learners, Adult Students, Student Motivation, Learning Motivation, Individual Development, Goal Orientation, College Preparation, Student Experience
Adult Learning Australia. Office 1, Henderson House, 45 Moreland Street, Footscray VIC 3011, Australia. Tel: +61-3-9689-8623; e-mail: info@ala.asn.au; Web site: http://www.ala.asn.au
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Basic Education; Adult Education; Elementary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A