Beyond Intent: Reentering College to Complete the Degree

Abstract

This paper proposes a descriptive model illustrating the path of adult problem solving and thinking that leads to reentry, retention, and eventual completion of a college degree. Each stage of the model represents a unique decision point at which action may or may not be taken to achieve the goal of college degree completion. Variables depicting the outcome of each decision point are identified. Intrinsic and extrinsic facilitators and inhibitors to degree completion, theories of motivation, and persistence are explored. The educational program options available to adult learners in the 1990s, the types of choices adults make in the process of reentering higher education, and relevant extant theory contribute to the proposed model. A discussion of implication for policy development that would encourage adult reentry and degree completion is included.