why do you think that adult have so much fear of returning to colllege
please think about before replying
Eric,
Good analysis of why many adult students have a fear of being successful in returning to college. The more we can help them have early success when they come back the more self confidence they will have in terms of moving forward with their career goals.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
For many adult students, the stress of returning to a long ago abandoned "learning environment" is being compounded with either a loss or a serious reduction of income. So, in a sense, these students are fighting two battles on two fronts. In light of this, I find it amazing that so many of them succeed...with our help. Though these issues may not be openly discussed in my classroom, being ever mindful of the battles helps me to meet these students' needs.
David,
My older students express the same concerns and fears. Once we get over these fears then they are ready to move forward with course success.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
In my 23 years of teaching I have found that adults have a fear of returning because they:
Think they will fail because they've been out of school so long
Feel "older" and "less intelligent" than their younger peers
Will lose quality time with their family
Will lose the respect of their family if they don't succeed
Did not grow up in the "entitled" generation and feel that the younger students are selfish and petty
Aren't prepared for the course load.
Roxsie,
Anything you can do to give them early success will help them to build their self confidence early in the course. This way they won't be so prone to drop out.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
After being out of school for several years a lot of basic skills are lost it can take a while to get your skills back up to par. It is embarssing not to be able to answer simple questions or do basic math problems.
James,
Thank you for sharing your own life experiences as an example of someone that when he wants something bad enough can be successful. You are a model for your students and I am sure they relate to your life experiences as they work through their own situations as students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Teresa,
You are a good example for your students since you went through as a student what they are going through currently.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
My own personal experience tracks along with what this course related. As a 33 year-old I returned to the university to complete the final semester I had left dormant for 13 years while pursuing an active military career. The pressure to do well (as demanded by my Commander), erosion of good study and note-taking habits, realization of the lack of a continuity of my learning in this particular discipline (industrial engineering) over a 13 year absence, insertion into classrooms with much younger students who had no interruption of their studies with whom I would have to compete for good grades, provided a fear factor near the top of the scale. Only by immersing myself into extended study, working hard with other students in study groups and projects, and not allowing the "fear factor" to occupy my thoughts was I able to graduate near the top of the class.
as a adult learner when i went back to school i felt that i couldn't learn i appiled my self even harder to conqur my my dought
