ABSTRACT

Just over a decade ago, Lynch studied adult students in community colleges who had already earned a postsecondary credential, but “returned to learn.” Lynch situated his study at a mid-western community college and noted the recession as a major driver of students returning to learn occupations. Replicating his study in the post-recession economy, similar findings were identified, including nearly a third of all adult returning students holding a bachelor’s degree or higher while pursuing an associate’s degree in an occupational area. These learners were primarily enrolled in health-related occupational education programs, such as nursing, surgical tech, and respiratory therapy and nearly all used their own personal resources to fund their education. The majority of adult students also identified economic reasons as the primary reason for their return to the classroom, although some did identify career enhancement as a motivation for their enrollment.

摘要

就在十多年前，林奇研究了社区学院的成年学生，这些学生已经获得了高等教育证书，但“回来学习了”。林奇在中西部社区大学学习，并指出经济衰退是学生返回学习职业的主要驱动力。在经济衰退后复制他的研究，发现了类似的发现，包括近三分之一的成年回国学生持有学士学位或更高的学位，同时在职业领域攻读副学士学位。这些学习者主要参加与健康相关的职业教育计划，例如护理、外科技术和呼吸治疗，并且几乎所有人都使用自己的个人资源来资助他们的教育。