Putting a Price Tag on Learning - 2006

Putting a Price Tag on Learning: The financial and social costs to adult learners in PEI

Author: Angela Larter

Adult learners face many challenges upon returning to school. In addition to the actual academic work, they have multiple demands on their time as the majority of adult students are also juggling responsibilities of home and work. One of the premier responsibilities placed on an adult learner are the finances of the family unit.

This research project examines three questions that explore the economics of an individual in PEI enrolling in Adult Education at Holland College:

What are the financial costs incurred when returning to school as an Adult Education student? What supports are available to learners to offset such costs?
What are the non-financial costs experienced when returning to school as an Adult Education student? What supports do learners have in place to lessen the effect of these costs?
Do the costs sustained shape learners’ long-term goals? What additional resources would improve learners’ situations and how would their educational and/or career goals change?

Read the full Research Paper.