Adult Learners in Undergraduate Health Education Professional Education Programs: Planning for Now and the Future

Abstract

Adult learners comprise 44 percent of the undergraduate student population in the United States. Professional preparation programs in health education may have a significant number of adult learners currently enrolled or may need to plan for this growing segment of the student population. The purpose of this study was to identify the demographic and motivational characteristics of adult learners in health education undergraduate professional preparation programs in four Illinois public universities. A questionnaire, the Health Education Adult Learner Survey, was mailed to 75 adult learners enrolled in four undergraduate health education programs in Illinois. Data from 38 respondents (51 percent) were used in the analysis. The largest percentage of respondents were Caucasian females between the ages of 40 to 45. Their primary motivation for taking courses was to obtain an undergraduate degree in order to apply for health education positions. Geographic location, convenience of course offering times, and reputation of the university were the main reason for selecting a particular university. Recommendations for future program planning and development are addressed.