September 10-19, 2021
It is human nature that when we feel welcomed, respected, and develop a sense of belonging, we are more apt to return to the setting or endeavor than when those factors are not present. When immigrants and refugees sign up for classes or US-born adults decide to resume their education, they usually bring with them the expectations and connotations of whatever their previous educational experiences were like. For some adult learners the decision to go back to school can be anxiety provoking. They are stepping into unfamiliar territory, possibly without an expectation of belonging there. For that reason, cultivating a sense of belonging from the moment a prospective adult learner comes through the doors or calls is an important persistence strategy.
In the New England Adult Learner Persistence project, 11 out of the 18 action research program staff made specific observations about a greater sense of community in the group where the persistence strategies were implemented.
One of the strategies found to foster a sense of belonging in adult education settings is group learning (cohorts). In studying the stages of development of adult literacy learners at three sites, Robert Kegan and his fellow researchers found that adult learners benefited greatly from a group learning environment.
