This document discusses barriers to adult learning through a case study format. It identifies common barriers such as attitudinal barriers, time and financial barriers, education barriers, and institutional barriers. It provides strategies that educators can use to help adult students overcome these barriers, including creating a safe learning environment, acknowledging prior experiences, linking material to student goals, and providing support and feedback. The document applies Knowles' principles of adult learning and Maslow's hierarchy of needs to recommend specific educator strategies.

1. Barriers to Adult Learning
PROJECT
By: Patti Blight, Sarah Cancelliere, Danielle Gunton, Avril Reid, Kerry Weir
DUE DATE
JANUARY 16 2013 COURSE
BEC910CE- ADULT EDUCATION

2. ADULT LEARNING BARRIERS
What are some common
barriers experienced by adult
learners when they choose to
return to school or
participate in workplace
training?

3. POSSIBLE BARRIERS TO ADULT LEARNING
1. Attitudinal Barriers
2. Time and Financial Barriers
3. Education Barriers
4. Institutional Barriers
5. Learning Disabilities

4. QUESTION TO EDUCATORS
So what can we do as educators
to help our students overcome
these barriers and take control
of their own learning?

5. ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS
YOU CAN’T
TEACH AN OLD
DOG NEW
TRICKS…OR
CAN YOU?

6. THE CASE
•Anita is over 50
•She has been in her job for 20 years
•Her job is being outsourced
•She is unable to retire
•She needs to develop new skills
•She needs to go back to school

7. THE BARRIER
“Many adults have experienced so
much criticism, failure, and
discouragement in their youth that their
self-confidence and sense of worth are
damaged. In a new learning
environment, adults often are anxious,
fear failure, and dread rejection by their
peer group (Kennedy, 2003).”

9. ALLEVIATING THE FEARS
• Provide a safe and welcoming
environment
• Have students interact and discuss prior
experiences
• Have students explain their goals
• Provide students with detailed course
outline and expectations

10. THE EDUCATOR
“Part of being an effective educator
involves understanding how adults
learn best (Lieb,1991)”.

11. APPLYING KNOWLES
KNOWLES’ PRINCIPLES EDUCATOR STRATEGY
•Be a facilitator
1. Adults are internally
motivated and self •Understand how adults
directed learn and allow students
to participate in the
direction of the class
•Recognize and
accommodate different
learning styles

12. APPLYING KNOWLES
KNOWLES’ PRINCIPLES EDUCATOR STRATEGY
2. Adults bring life •Acknowledge value of
experiences and previous experience
knowledge to learning
experiences

13. APPLYING KNOWLES
KNOWLES’ PRINCIPLES EDUCATOR STRATEGY
3. Adults are goal oriented •Show direct link between
course material and
students’ goals
•Use real case studies to
examine theory

14. APPLYING KNOWLES
KNOWLES’ PRINCIPLES EDUCATOR STRATEGY
4. Adults are relevancy
•Provide assignment
oriented
options that reflect
students’ interests
•Provide students with
reflective questions to
assess connection to
goals

15. APPLYING KNOWLES
KNOWLES’ PRINCIPLES EDUCATOR’S ROLE
5. Adults are practical •Encourage active
participation allowing
students to experiment
and develop self
efficacy
•Provide feedback on a
regular basis

16. APPLYING KNOWLES
KNOWLES’ PRINCIPLES EDUCATOR STRATEGY
•Acknowledge past
6. Adult learners like to be experience
respected
•Treat adult learner as an
equal
•Promote an environment
for expression of ideas

17. TIMING AND FINANCIAL BARRIERS

18. OVERLOAD?
As adults we have their hands full.
Between work, family and home
responsibilities, we can feel like we are
going a little crazy.
Is there really enough time in the day
and extra money to spend on growing
ourselves intellectually?

19. THE CASE
•Sandra is 40 years old
•She’s a wife and mother of three children
•She’s been a Medical Lab Assistant for 18 years
•She feels she cannot progress further in her career
•She and her husband are worried about future tuition
costs for their children
•She needs to expand her career by developing new
skills
•She wants to go back to school

20. THE BARRIER
“How will I juggle family, work and school?
There are only so many hours in a day…
Women, by characteristic, experience a
greater amount of guilt about her student
role if she feels it interrupts her
responsibility for maintaining her role within
the family. Consequently, if she feels too
much strain during this time, she will
ultimately give up school to make things
easier.” (Shields, 1994)

21. THE FEARS
day Cost of
e of extra
Tim child ca
ot su itable re durin
g
n course
shift work hours
for
Lac Co
k of cou st o
to c time rse f
omm ma an
it to ter d
cou ia ls
rse

22. ALLEVIATING THE FEARS
Sandra Can...
1. Discuss with her family how further
education will improve her career and self.
2. Ask her family to compromise.
Example: Older children can help with lunch
preparation and basic housekeeping tasks
3. Form a realistic household budget to
accommodate the added costs of schooling.

23. ALLEVIATING THE FEARS
Sandra Can...
4. Develop time management strategies.
Organize by task on a calendar to understand
her own abilities and how to adjust her life to
accommodate others.
Example: Put on calendar dates of school,
work and family events. Put due dates for
bills, school assignments, etc.

24. THE EDUCATOR
“Much of the excitement of learning is in
the evolving, unpredictable and unanticipated
learning that inevitably occurs. Realizing that
the richest resource in the classroom are the
members present, helped teachers of adults
to relax and enjoy themselves too. Such
congruence between belief and practice
enhanced all.”
(Barer-Stein and Draper, 1993).

25. APPLYING MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
MASLOW NEED EDUCATOR STRATEGY
1. Physiological Need •Ensure the classroom
Refers to the basic environment is comfortable
bodily requirements •Equipment and resources
needed to survive must be in working order
•Offer short breaks
throughout the lesson

26. APPLYING MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
MASLOW NEED EDUCATOR STRATEGY
2. Safety Need •Set clear expectations for
Refers to the the course
desire to be safe •Provide a personal
from physical or introduction to help students
emotional injury feel at ease
•Be approachable and
accessible

27. APPLYING MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
MASLOW NEED EDUCATOR STRATEGY
3. Social Need •Create an “ice breaker”
Refers to the lesson:
need for love, •Form the students into small
belonging and groups and allow them to
acceptance from introduce themselves
others
•Have students talk about
their strengths, weaknesses
and state their expectations
for the course

28. APPLYING MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
MASLOW NEED EDUCATOR STRATEGY
4. Esteem Need Constantly provide positive
Refers to the need and critical feedback to
to be seen by students. (Also known as
others, as well as “Constructive Criticism”)
themselves, as a
person of worth Be flexible and
and importance understanding of the hectic
schedules of students
Guide them to success
within the course

29. APPLYING MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
Maslow Need EDUCATOR STRATEGY
5. Self-Actualization •Provide consistent
Need evaluations
Refers to the desire to •Congratulate students
reach one’s potential on accomplishments
and level of
succession •Encourage students to
move beyond their
comfort levels

30. ACADEMIC BARRIERS

31. THE CASE
•Maude is 40 years old
•She is a high performer in her job at a factory
•She would like to advance in the company
•Her employer has recommended courses in
business administration in order to advance
•Her literacy and computer skills are low

32. THE BARRIER
“While adult learners who have some
academic skills can find learning
opportunities to refresh these skills, those
who have very poor literacy skills or who
have difficulty communicating in the
language of instruction may not be able to
gain easy access to related programs.”
(MacKeracher, Suart, Potter 2006)

33. THE FEARS
n
t gai How w
an’ any ill I ge
f I c e to t he s u t
at i nc Will ppor t
Wh pta that I
need?
acce am? others
pr ogr laugh at
me?
What if I can’t keep
up with students Wh
who have more ca at if
academic skills? n’t I ju
do st
i t?

34. THE EDUCATOR
“Designing educational institutions and
learning opportunities to serve the adult
learners who encounter the most barriers to
participation – learners with low incomes, low
literacy skills, foreign credentials, and learning,
sensory and mobility disabilities –creates a
learning environment that equitably serves all
learners.”
(MacKeracher, Suart, Potter, 2006)

35. Overcoming the Barrier
1. Provide instruction in a variety of formats
2. Support learners in gaining basic skills and
access to academic programs
3. Use mixed group learning where students of
different skills learn together
4. Recognize previous learning and
experience
5. Demonstrate high expectations to produce
high achievement

36. APPLYING KELLER
EDUCATOR STRATEGY
1. Keep learners’ •Use a variety of teaching
attention methods
•Encourage curiosity through
problem solving and team
research
•Include active participation

37. APPLYING KELLER
EDUCATOR STRATEGY
2. Show relevance •Build on students’
previous experience
•Provide the objective
outcome (what’s in it for
me?)
•Allow learners a choice in
how they learn

38. APPLYING KELLER
EDUCATOR STRATEGY
3. Build learners’ •Provide feedback and support to
confidence learners
•Allow learners to see the link
between effort and success –
build each success
•Allow the learners to feel a
sense of control over learning
and success by providing choice
in learning methods and pace of
instruction

39. APPLYING KELLER
EDUCATOR STRATEGY
4. Aim for learner •Allow students to
satisfaction demonstrate newly
acquired skills and
knowledge
•Provide reinforcement to
promote desired behaviours
•Keep tasks challenging

40. INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS

41. THE CASE
• Terry is a 30 year old single mom
• She lives in Fort William First Nation, a small
rural town outside of Thunder Bay
• She does not own a vehicle
• Terry has decided that she would like to go
back to school to upgrade her marketable
skills
• She signs up for a distance education class
because she cannot afford to take classes in
town

42. THE BARRIER
“Institutional barriers (inconvenient class
schedules, full time fees for part-time study,
restrictive locations) often exclude or discourage
certain groups of learners such as the poor, the
uneducated, and the foreign born. In addition,
adults living in certain geographical areas,
especially those in small towns and rural areas,
are less likely to participate in educational
activities.” (Johnstone and Rivera, Volunteers for
Learning.)

43. THE FEARS
d
er stan
d Will others
e y un
ll th ture?
Wi u l
laugh at
c me?
my How
the will I ge
s
that upport t
I ne
ed?
Ho
the w ca
How will I get av re s n I a
ail ou cc
there? ab rce es
le sa
to s ll
me
?

44. OVERCOMING THE BARRIER
• Create material that is targeted to
learner
• Be aware of the community and its
people
• Guarantee support provisions are in
place, if needed
• Create short lessons/sessions
• Continually provide feedback

45. APPLYING MASLOW
EDUCATOR STRATEGY
Self Actualization •Guarantee that distance
Need
Realizing personal
education students have access
potential, self- to educational services
fulfillment, seeking
personal growth and
•Include step-by-step material on
peak experiences how to access services in course
introduction
•Create a discussion page where
students can see their grades
and receive constant feedback

46. APPLYING MASLOW
EDUCATOR STRATEGY
Esteem needs •Get to know students and
Self-esteem, ensure a close home-school link
achievement, •Make special arrangements
mastery, where this occurs
independence, •Provide an opportunity for
status, dominance, students to bond and feel a
prestige, managerial sense of belonging
responsibility, etc. •Create online group activities to
give students a chance to get to
know one another.

47. APPLYING MASLOW
EDUCATOR STRATEGY
Belongingness •Be aware of the community
and love needs and tailor the training material
Work group, •Maintain sensitivity to cultural
family, affection, environment?
relationships, etc.
•Create an introduction method
that will make you aware of
your students’ background
•Acknowledge contributions

48. APPLYING MASLOW
EDUCATOR’S ROLE
Safety needs •Provide students with
Protection from information related to
elements, security, school support and
order, law, limits, services.
stability, etc. •Be aware of the community
and use inclusive language
•Guarantee you are easily
accessible

49. Helping
Exceptional
Students
Overcome
Barriers

50. THE CASE
• Viktor is 28 years old
• He wants to progress in his career
• He has an auditory processing
disorder (APD)
• He will need accommodations
when he goes back to school

51. THE EXCEPTIONALITY
• An Auditory Processing Disorder affects language
acquisition
• Exceptionality is classified as a Communication-
Language Impairment
• A person with an APD may have:
• Trouble following conversations
• Difficulties reading, writing, and learning technical
language
• Organizational issues
(American Academy of Audiology, 2010)

52. THE BARRIERS
Students reported that learning barriers
stemmed from what they experienced as a
lack of instructor cooperation and school
resources to accommodate their individual
needs.
(Fuller, Healey, Bradley, Hall, 2004)

53. THE FEARS rces
t re resou ort
on’t wan Ar e the to supp
Id s to ilable ?
peer ava me
my
What if
the roo pity me
large an m is
d I can’
the inst t hear
ructor?
e in s tructor
Will th e me?
acco modat

54. A SOCIAL MODEL OF DISABILITY
Instead of focusing on a student’s
medical diagnosis, concentrate on
which learning barriers will prevent this
student from reaching his or her full
potential in the classroom.
(Fuller et al., 2004)

55. APPLYING FULLER ET AL.
EDUCATOR STRATEGY
1. Use varied •Incorporate group work/discussion
instructional •Enlist a scribe to take lecture
strategies notes
•Post lecture notes and media
online
•Provide written instructions for
tasks
•Allow students some time to
generate responses to the topic
before a discussion

56. APPLYING FULLER ET AL.
EDUCATOR STRATEGY
2. Be ready to •Contact relevant school office
modify for accommodation tips
assessments •More time or fewer questions
for individual on exam
learner needs
•Use yellow paper instead of
white as it is easier to read
(Bennet, Dworer, Weber, 2008)
•Allow student to complete tests
using a scribe or computer

57. APPLYING FULLER ET AL.
EDUCATOR STRATEGY
3. Ensure the •Seat student in centre of room
classroom •Allow students to tape lectures
environment
is conducive •Let students choose a quiet
to learning space for individual and group
work
•Encourage student to bring any
assistive devices, like a personal
FM system (American Academy
of Audiology, 2010)

58. References
American Academy of Audiology. (2010). Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and management
of children and adults with central auditory processing disorder. Retrieved
from:http://www.audiology.org/resources/documentlibrary/Documents/CAPD%20Guidelines
%208-2010.pdf
Barer-Stein, T., and Draper, J.A. (Eds.). (1993). The craft of teaching adults. Toronto, ON: Culture
Concepts.
Bates, P., Aston, J. (2004). Overcoming barriers to adult basic skills in sussex. Institute for
Employment Studies. Retrieved
from:http://www.employmentstudies.co.uk/pdflibrary/1552slsc.pdf
Bennet, S., Dworet, D., Weber, K. (2008). Special education in ontario schools (6th ed.). St David’s,
ON: Highland Press.Fuller, M., Healey, M., Bradley, A., & Hall, T. (2004). Barriers to learning: a
systematic study of the experience of disabled students in one university. Studies In Higher
Education, 29(3), 303-318.
Crawford, D. L. (2004). The Role of Aging in Adult Learning: Implications for Instructors in Higher Education .
Retrieved from http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/lifelonglearning/higher-
education/implications/index.html.
Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. (2002). Motivating adult learners to their highest potential. Retrieved from:
http://www.glencoe.com/ps/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/5.

59. References
Goncalves, A. (2003). Development of quality learning models. Retrieved from:
http://www.virtualeduca.info/encuentros/encuentros/miami2003/es/actas/10/10_16.pdf
Huitt, W. (2007). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA:
Valdosta State University. Retrieved from:
http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/conation/maslow.html.
Keller, J.M., & Suzuki, K. (1988). Use of the ARCS motivation model in courseware design. In D. H.
Jonassen (Ed.) Instructional Designs for Microcomputer Courseware. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence.
Kennedy, R.C. (2003). Applying principles of adult learning: the key to more effective training programs,
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 72(4), 1-5. Retrieved from: http://www.fbi.gov/stats-
services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/2003-pdfs/april03leb.pdf.
Levy, S. (2003). Six factors to consider when planning online distance learning programs in higher
education. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 6(1). Retrieved from:
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring61/levy61.htm.
Lewis-Fitzgerald, C. (2005). Barriers to Participating in Learning and in the Community. Retrieved from:
http://www.ala.asn.au/conf/2005/downloads/papers/workshops/Cheryl%20Lewis-%20Barriers%20to
%20learning.pdf.

60. References
MacKeracher, D., Suart, T., Potter, J. (2006). A review of the state of the field of adult learning: barriers to
participation in adult learning. Retrieved from: http://www.ccl-
cca.ca/pdfs/AdLKC/stateofthefieldreports/BarrierstoParticipation.pdf.
Queensland Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Collaborative. (2007). adult learning theory and principles.
Retrieved from: http://www.qotfc.edu.au/resource/index.html?page=65375.
Shields, C.J. (1994). Back in school: a guide for adult learners. Hawthorne, NJ: Career Press.
Siebert, A. (2000). Teaching students the way they learn: the instructor's role In retaining adult learners
and Increasing their chances of success in college. Proceedings from The National Conference on
the Adult Learner. Retrieved from: http://www.adultstudent.com/eds/articles/teaching.html.
Zirkle, C. (2004). Access barriers experienced by adults in distance education courses and programs: a
review of the research literature. Proceedings from the Midwest Research-to Practice Conference in
Adult, Continuing, and Community Education. Retrieved from:
https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/bitstream/handle/1805/273/Zirkle.pdf;jsessionid=4D51BE277293A9CC
5325D674C8BBE72B?sequence=1.