Australian Journal of Adult Learning - Volume 51 - Number 1 - April 2011 - Secondary level re-entry of young Canadian adult learners

Oct 15, 2026

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Explores barriers and pressures confronting young Canadian adult learners aged 18–24 who return to secondary school within high school and adult education centre contexts. Highlights how factors such as early school leaving, gender, semi-autonomy, and socio-economic constraints shape re-enrolment decisions and influence negative experiences that can lead to leaving prior to program completion. Uses summative yet grounded personal insights and qualitative observations from a central Ontario site.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The young adult: pressures

The young adult: traits and outcomes

Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 51, Number 1, April 2011 Secondary level re-entry of young Canadian adult learners Cassandra MacGregor Sudbury Adult Learning Centre, Ontario, Canada Thomas G. Ryan Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada This paper illuminates and details some of the traits, pressures and semi-autonomy of the young adult between the ages of 18 and 24 who must confront the barriers and challenges upon returning to secondary school within the high school and the adult education centre context. Focusing on these young adults is fundamentally important to begin to understand and appreciate the many variables such as gender, early school-leaving, re-entry and needs that impact students who are re-entering secondary school. We present the negative experiences that many of our young adult students have had in a manner that is summative yet touches on the underlying socio-economic challenges that have forced their hand and placed them not only at risk but caused them to leave the secondary school program before program completion. A number of personal insightsand qualitative collective observations present an accurate picture of the situation in one central Ontario (Canada) site. 144 Cassandra MacGregor and Thomas G. Ryan Introduction This paper illuminates and details the barriers faced by young adult learners who return to secondary school (high school). Focusing on adults between the ages of 18 and 24 is fundamentally important to this discussion in order to understand the many challenges of secondary school reentry. Early school leavers are repeatedly labelled‘dropouts’, however the term needs further attention. In the past, the term ‘dropout’ was applied to: … any student, previously enrolled in a school, who is no longer actively enrolled as indicated by fifteen days of consecutive unexcused absence, who has not satisfied local standards for graduation, and for whom no formal request has been received signifying enrollment in another licensed educational institution.(Chuang 1994: 1073) This understanding is used henceforth within this critical area which is omnipresent for us as authors, as we are both also educators. One author was a secondary educator who currently teaches adults atthe post-secondary level and the other is currently a vice (assistant) principal with responsibilities for an adult education centre. The adult education centre has been experiencing declining enrolment in recent years in spite of the increasing facilities for drop-outs within the jurisdiction of central Ontario (Canada). This writing effort developed from discussions with current adult students at the centre in order to understand how to support this group of learners in pursuit of personal goals that often results in the awarding of an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) . Many adult students have overcome obstacles in their lives and believe it takes a lot of courage to come back to school. Nonetheless, surprisingly, little research has been directed towards finding factors that influence the decision of a dropout, aged 18 to 24, to re-enrol, as well as strategies and programs that need to be in place to support these learners (Bradley & Goldman 1996a, Chuang 1994, Skaalvik & Secondary level re-entry of young Canadian adult learners 145 Skaalvik 2005). We believe that this age group is often overlooked by various researchers and community stakeholders. Within Ontario there are many programs to keep students aged 16 to 18 in school, for instance, the Learning to 18 initiative developed by the Ontario Ministry of Education, but there are many students who do not achieve an OSSD by age 18. These students often leave highschool in need ofonly a few credits to complete secondary school and graduate. We believe it is vital that educators acknowledge this problem and step forward to help students achieve an OSSD so that they have more options when considering future education or care

FAQs

Which age group does the paper focus on, and what educational setting are they returning to?

The paper focuses on young adults aged 18 to 24 returning to secondary school, including the high school and adult education centre context.

How does the paper frame the term “dropout” for early school leavers?

It cites an established definition describing students no longer actively enrolled, linking the concept to absence patterns and graduation standards, and argues the term needs further attention.

What pressures and background factors contribute to dropout risk according to the paper?

The paper links dropout risk to low socio-economic status, racial or ethnic minority status, poorer grades, low-income single-parent households, and parents lacking post-secondary credentials, alongside employer expectations for an OSSD.

Oct 15, 2026

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