The Forgotten 90%: Adult Nonparticipation in Education

• In Event: 44.044 - What the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies Says About Adult Skills, Employment, Education, and the Workforce

Abstract

Objectives
A need for adults to enter family-sustaining careers is acute (Carnevale, Smith, & Strohl, 2013). Yet 90 percent of adults with little education (“least educated”) have not participated recently in education (Author & Co-Author, 2016). Career-ready adults rarely end education with secondary credentials. The least educated adults include high-school dropouts, low-skilled graduates, and immigrants. The paper addresses questions about the forgotten 90 percent, their backgrounds, and deterrents. What might trigger them to re-engage in formal education?

Conceptual Framework
On the pathway to further education and high-skilled workforce, the least educated face deterrents (see Figure 1). Large skill gaps by participation are widest for least educated adults (Author & Co-Author, 2016). Non-participants have higher median ages (OECD, 2013) and sometimes face deterrents of visual or hearing difficulties and learning disabilities. The least educated lack employer support yet need it most (Author & Co-Author, 2016), especially for postsecondary costs or flexible scheduling (Schleicher, 2013).

Methodology
Research Questions
1. What are characteristics and backgrounds of the least educated, age 20-65?
2. What are their assessed skill levels (literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving)?
3. How do propensity scores and deterrent covariates predict likelihood of not participating in education?

IDB Analyzer and SPSS facilitate categorical analyses and score comparisons using plausible values. Participants reported pursuing formal or non-formal education in the year before PIAAC. Non-participants pursued neither. Variables for PSA matching (Pan & Bai, 2015) are skill areas, deterrents, and demographic characteristics. Propensity scores and covariates enter logistic regression models to predict non-participation.

Preliminary Findings
• 1 in 4 non-participants had fair or poor health (vs. 1 in 10 of comparison group)
• 23% of non-participants (vs. 45%) wanted education last year but didn’t go – reasons: family responsibilities, cost, and being too busy at work
• Non-participants had less flexibility in structuring their work schedule (50% vs. 57%)
• 71% reported a “high extent” of liking to learn new things yet 30% reported a high extent of relating new ideas to real life
• Assessed skills were drastically lower for non-participants (see Figure 2)
[Remaining findings are reported in the final paper].

Significance
Determining non-participation effects of the forgotten 90 percent will inform educators and policy makers. In-depth PIAAC-USA analyses of the backgrounds and deterrents of least educated adults adds to the knowledge base of non-participation and identifies triggers for re-engagement. To remain economically vibrant, the USA needs to raise skill levels of the entire population, including least educated non-participants (Reder, 2010).

Author

• Margaret B. Patterson, Research Allies for Lifelong Learning