Dropout in Adult Education

Why do adults end their participation in educational programmes prematurely? This is an interesting question because the answer provides fundamental insights into educational decision-making processes. Nevertheless, this topic has only been marginally addressed in adult education research. Following significant research in the 1970s and 1980s, the topic has appeared sporadically. 

It was not until 2022 that Thalhammer et al. argued, based on empirical findings, that the discontinuation of continuing education is simply a revision of a decision made due to changes in individual and/or organisational conditions or because expectations have not been met. In many cases, such discontinuations have few consequences for learners, although it seems appropriate to make distinctions between different areas of adult education here.

The specific situation of Adult Basic Education

More than ever, basic education is a central pillar of adult education. Basic education is by no means limited to reading and writing, but also includes basic mathematical skills, digital skills, basic economic knowledge and basic political education. The latest PIAAC study (OECD, 2024) has once again demonstrated the urgent need for literacy and basic education programmes for adults, even in OECD countries. While people with low literacy levels are not all socially excluded — many are employed, have families and actively participate in social life (Grotlüschen & Buddeberg, 2020) — the risk of exclusion processes is nevertheless much higher for this group.

Against this background, the relatively low participation of low-literate adults in adult education can be seen as an educational policy challenge, but also as a conscious and legitimate individual decision not to engage wit organized learning opportunities. However, the discontinuation of educational activities among this target group, which is already difficult to attract to adult education, appears to be particularly problematic. This raises the question of the causes of course drop-outs in basic education.

The research project DrAG

These dropouts were the subject of a joint research project by the universities of Cologne and Munich, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (funding code W1474AFO). The study employed a mixed-methods approach, involving interviews with nine individuals responsible for basic education in various institutions, thirteen teachers, fifteen participants, and six dropouts, as well as a standardised survey of 173 participants (Bickert, 2024). These surveys were supplemented by a narrative review of existing studies on dropouts from adult education. The different perspectives of the actors involved enabled a more comprehensive understanding of dropouts from adult education in the basic education sector, taking into account the diverse viewpoints.

A special learner and educator bond

A theoretical model on dropouts in adult education as a whole (Thalhammer et al., 2022) highlights the fit between individual needs and life contexts, as well as institutional conditions of adult education, as a central criterion for dropout or retention. Accordingly, dropouts primarily occur when this balance is disrupted by changes in individual or institutional circumstances. 

This dynamic is also evident in the context of dropouts in literacy and basic education. Reasons why an educational offer is no longer perceived as suitable include changes in physical distance (due to the educational provider or learner moving), changes in employment or family circumstances (Sindermann, 2023), but often also a change of course leader or course organization. This became particularly clear during the 2020–21 pandemic, when many courses were either discontinued or continued in a different (digital) form (Bickert et al., 2022).

However, what is particularly striking is the close bond between participants in basic education and their respective course leader. Staff changes and turnover, which are common in this field due to precarious employment conditions, are associated with a high risk of learners also ending their participation. This is largely due to the importance of a relationship of trust between learners and teachers, which is often built up over months or even years (Bickert, 2024). This appears to be less important in other areas of adult education. Not only the expectations of learners but also the support offered by teachers seem to go beyond what is usual in other adult education contexts:

"The [teacher] is also responsive to the needs of individual people. If you have a problem or something, she always helps or supports you" (I14, 91)

Overall, there are surprisingly few findings on the relationship between learners and teachers in adult education as a whole (Schmidt-Hertha & Bernhardt, 2022). This study provides the first insights into this relationship from a specific sub-area.

Building trust

Literacy and basic education courses differ from other adult education courses in that the participants are often particularly vulnerable and require intensive support with their learning. Secondly, continuity is particularly important for these basic education courses, particularly in terms of personnel. However, building trusting relationships between teachers and learners requires stable, predictable and attractive employment conditions to limit staff turnover in this area. In Germany, interviews with teachers suggest that their commitment to basic education is driven primarily by altruistic motives, but the remuneration is insufficient for them to make a living from their work. In addition, fixed-term financing models usually only offer teachers short-term contractual safeguards. To date, however, there have been no comparable studies on the employment conditions of teachers or the dropout rates of learners in basic education in other European countries.

References

Bickert, M. (2024). “When my teacher quits, I'll quit too.” - A mixed methods study on trust and (dis-)continuation in adult basic education.  International Journal of Lifelong Education, 1-16. DOI: 10.1080/02601370.2024.2412590

Bickert, M., Arbeiter, J., Sindermann, L. & Thalhammer, V. (2022). Drop-out in der Alphabetisierung und Grundbildung Erwachsener – Pandemiebedingte Herausforderungen und theoretische Perspektiven. Zeitschrift für Bildungforschung, 12(1), 61-79. DOI: 10.1007/s35834-022-00338-6

Grotlüschen, A. & Buddeberg, K. (Eds.) (2020). LEO 2018. Leben mit geringer Literalität. Bielefeld: wbv.

OECD (2024). Do Adults Have the Skills They Need to Thrive in a Changing World?: Survey of Adult Skills 2023. Paris: OECD Publishing, https://doi.org/10.1787/b263dc5d-en.

Schmidt-Hertha, B. & Bernhardt, M. (2022). Pedagogical Relationships in Digitised Adult Education. Studies in Adult Education and Learning, 28(1), 11-24.

Sindermann, L. (2023). Frustration, care work, and the pandemic: Reasons for drop-out in literacy and adult basic education. Internationale Yearbook Adult Education 46, 99-114. DOI: 10.3278/9783763973910

Thalhammer, V., Hoffmann, S., von Hippel, A., & Schmidt-Hertha, B. (2022). Dropout in adult education as a phenomenon of fit: An integrative model proposal for the genesis of dropout in adult education based on dropout experiences. European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults, 13(3), 231–246. https://doi.org/10.3384/rela.2000-7426.3351

Thalhammer, V., Sindermann, L., Bickert, M., Mulliez, G., Schmidt-Hertha, B. & Schemmann, M. (2023). Understanding and Dealing with Drop-out in Literacy and Adult Basic Education. In L. Formenti, A. Galimberti & G. Del Negro (Eds.), New seeds for a world to come. Policies, practices and lives in adult education and learning. Proceedings of the 10th ESREA Triennial Conference (p. 462 - 463), University of Milano Bicocca. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8017866