title: Dispositional factors affecting motivation during learning in adult basic and secondary education programs.
abstract: Research indicates that about a quarter of adult students separate from formal adult basic and secondary education (ABE/ASE) programs before completing one educational level. This retrospective study explores individual dispositional factors that affect motivation during learning, particularly students' goals, goal-directed thinking and action based on hope theory and attendance behaviors, and self-perceptions of competency based on affective domain attributions about external and internal obstacles to learning and employment, and demographic factors. Among 274 ABE/ASE students, those learners who made an education gain in 1 year significantly differed from those who did not in only a few dispositional or demographic variables; and by educational level they significantly differed in a wide variety of dispositional and demographic variables. These findings suggest researchable questions and programmatic considerations that may lead to future innovations that improve learner persistence.
authors.affiliation: University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Daryl F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Mellard
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krieshok
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fall
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Woods
keywords: Adult literacy; Goals; Hope; Motivation; Persistence