Date of Award
6-3-1983
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Abstract
Adults are returning to post secondary education in increasing numbers as a response to the rapid technological changes evidenced in contemporary society. These adult learners are older and better educated than their traditional counterparts. the 18 to 22 year old Student. The presence of these mature students in the classroom poses a challenge to provide the curriculum programs and services to continue to meet their needs. The Information necessary to make sound decisions on policy and programs requires some current measure of the characteristics of the student population. This study reported a survey of 119 students enrolled at Fayetteville Technical Institute to determine why they decided to continue their education, what factors triggered their enrollment, and what were some of the factors which influenced their decision to enroll at Fayetteville Technical Institute. The results indicated that Fayetteville Technical Institute students were older. Included more women, and their educational attainment exceeded that of the students who were surveyed in an earlier study of North Carolina Community College enrollment. The typical Fayetteville Technical Institute student was a married female, 27 years of age, who enrolled for the opportunity to obtain a better job, encouragement from her family was the most important factor which triggered her enrollment, and she chose Fayetteville Technical Institute because of the courses available. Male students were married, age 29.5, who considered the opportunity to earn more money and the courses offered as the reasons for continuing their education and for their selection of Fayetteville Technical Institute. The availability of financial assistance was indicated as the most important trigger to enrollment. The recommendations include consideration for additional studies of student characteristics and implications for recruiting and marketing strategies. particularly regarding female students and the large military veteran population found in this survey. Keeping pace with the rapid changes in the societal factors affecting education will require that local data collection instruments be developed and administered on a regular and continued basis. The microcomputer has made such surveys a practical reality. The survey results in this study were recorded and listed for analysis using a personal computer and commercial software to demonstrate the usefulness of the microcomputer to future studies of current topics of interest. The survey questionnaire and tables of results are appended.