Adult Learners Postsecondary Academic Persistence Dissertation

Adult Learners Postsecondary Academic Persistence - Dissertation Example Actually, most community colleges rely on mature students with most of them learning part-time and staying outside the school. In the recent past, the mode of enrollment for most students has undergone a transformation with majority of them preferring to commute to and back from colleges (Bean and Metzner 485). The rise in the number of mature students was occasioned by massive dropouts of traditional students thus forcing college administrators to come up with a model that could take in mature students to replace those who were dropping out. Despite the high number of adult students joining colleges, trends also show that such students have an unlikely possibility of completing their studies. Majority of the non-traditional students live outside the school setting and this aspect alone sets them apart from the traditional students. Majority of these non-traditional are also part-timers since most of them are either working or taking care of families. Due to lack of adequate contact with the student’s faculty, non-traditional students are less likely to complete their study program (Bean and Metzner 485). Q.2 Commuter can come from any part of the country. Given the nature of these students, they are unable to reside within the schools and they therefore have to commute hence earning themselves the name commuter students. On their part, traditional students are classified as 18-24 years and they attend college full-time. By virtue of being mature, the commuter students have already developed self-control and values that usually come with being mature. This makes them less susceptible to socialization unlike their traditional counterparts (Garni 465). In many instances, traditional students are registered for degree programs than any other. While on the other hand, commuter students might be registered for a degree or any other programs. The commuter student is not mostly likely to be affected by what the college has to offer and most of them do not conti nue with the program after they are assured that they have attained the qualification that they were looking for. Most commuter students are usually in a certain location for some time and if for example one is transferred from their place of work, then they have to discontinue the program. This means that commuter students are less likely to continue with their academic programs as compared to their residence counterparts (Garni 466). Q.3 It is evident; there is a clear connection between a student’s high school GPA and their college performance. Students who demonstrate a low academic performance are most likely to drop out compared to their counterparts who perform well. Research has also shown that a student’s college GPA is strongly linked to their past academic performances. Although a student’s high school grades may not be directly linked to the rate of dropout, there is a clear link between high school grades and college grades and low grades are a key factor in the rate of drop-outs (Bontrager 9). Ideally, the academic outcome has a direct link with the psychological outcome. Students who attain good grades are more likely to stay in school compared to those who perform poorly. Research shows that most commuter students had a low GPA in high school and this translates to low GPA in their college education. In reality, even if a student has a low academic outcome but get adequate psychological support,