ABSTRACT
A key difference in learning between adults and children is that adults choose to participate in educational programs whereas children participate because of legal mandates and strong social and cultural forces. Adults must make an active decision to participate in each class or tutoring session and often must overcome significant barriers to do so. Although some adults come to adult basic education programs with very limited goals, most come with goals that require hundreds if not thousands of hours of instruction to achieve. Every adult basic education program, therefore, should help its students persist in their learning so that they can reach their educational goals.
