The document discusses adult students and their success in educational institutions. It notes that adult students now make up 47% of enrolled college students, representing a new normal. Adult students face significant stress balancing work, family, and social responsibilities with their studies. Key coping mechanisms for adult students include problem-focused coping like managing time, avoidance coping such as removing distracting influences, and emotion-focused coping like balancing course loads. Adult students expect educational institutions to allow them to apply their life experiences in their studies and discuss those experiences in relation to course content.

1. ADULT STUDENTS AND POINTS
FOR THEIR SUCCESS
BY ALLISON N. EADY

2. INTRODUCTION
This presentations will discuss:
• Stress adult students face.
• Coping mechanisms for such predicaments.
• What adult students expect from their educational
institution.

3. NON-TRADITIONAL IS THE 'NEW' TRADITIONAL
When looking at the demographics of today’s student body, nontraditional
is the new traditional (Pelletier, 2010). With adult students making up a
whopping forty seven percent of enrolled college students in the U.S.
(Pelletier, 2010), it is safe to say that adult students are the 'new normal.' With
adults take the first step to enhance and further their education, there are
many factors to be considered before making such an important decision. The
main concerns are work, family and social roles, and as a result, not having
enough time and energy to pursue ‘learning’ (Zeivots, 2016).

4. STRESS OF THE AVERAGE ADULT STUDENT
The stress of being a successful student and maintaining the
responsibilities of life can be difficult. Though traditional students face
difficult situations on a regular basis (illness, finances, work, etc.), adult
students are more likely to pause their education to address such situations
as they are either head of household, parents, or depended on by others.

5. COPING MECHANISMS FOR ADULT STUDENTS
Learning how to cope with stressful situations is crucial in daily life as it can
affect satisfaction with various life aspects, including learning and
educational outcomes (Lapina, 2016). Below are the three coping mechanisms
identified by Angelina Lapina, and an example of each:
• Problem-Focused Coping - Creating time in an already stretched schedule.
• Avoidance Coping - Removing one’s self from people or situations that will
not help reach educational goals.
• Emotion-Focused Coping - Balancing courses and/or making sure one
doesn’t take on too many courses at one time.

6. WHAT ADULT STUDENTS EXPECT FROM THEIR
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
Adult students learn differently in
that they do not just memorize
information, but they have a
platform where they take the
information learned and apply it
(Aldridge, 2010). Adult students
have experiences and want to talk
about them in reference to their
studies (Aldridge, 2010).

7. REFERENCES
Lapina, A. (2018). Facilitating Coping Through Reflective Learning in Adult
Education: A Review the Reciprocal Relationship Between Coping and
Learning. Adult Learning, 29(4), 131. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159518776126
Pelltier, S (2010). Success for Adult Students. Public Purpose. Retrieved
from: https://www.aascu.org/uploadedFiles/AASCU/Content/Root/MediaAndP
ublications/PublicPurposeMagazines/Issue/10fall_adultstudents.pdf
Zeivots, S (2016). Emotional Highs in Adult Experiential Learning. Australian Journal
of Adult Learning. Vol. 56, number 3. Retrieved
from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1120642.pdf