How Adult Learners are Using the Internet
David J. Rosen, Ed.D. September 8, 1996
This is a summary of the results of a study I conducted in the Winter and Spring of 1996. It was enabled by a fellowship from the National Institute for Literacy. It is a snapshot of how a small selection of adult basic education students, including those learning English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL) from Northern and Southern California, and from Southern Ohio, are using the Internet: their hopes, satisfactions, frustrations, and what has helped them to overcome obstacles in using this technology.
This research is preliminary, not comprehensive, and not generalizable to the population of adult basic education students as a whole. Because the use of computers in adult literacy/basic education is expanding so rapidly, as is the use of the Internet in the U.S. and across the world, I believe we should look at this as early evidence of what lies ahead for many more students and practitioners. I hope this will interest not only those in our field who are using the Internet, and who hope to, but also those who would plan to expand its use at their adult education programs, and those who plan staff development for these practitioners.
Description of the Focus Group Participants
California Groups
Three adult learner focus groups were held in Northern and Southern California during February 12-15, 1996. All three were held in community colleges and the participants were studying ESOL. They were primarily pre-college students, and most appeared to range from intermediate through upper ESOL levels. They were from a range of Asian and Latin American countries: Vietnam, China, India, Mexico, Thailand, and others.
All three students in the first group (from Rancho Santiago Community College and the ABC Adult School) had used the Internet and one was an experienced user.
Two of the eight students in the second group (Mission College) had used the Internet and one of these was an experienced user.
Six of the ten students in the third group (Mission College) had used the Internet once or twice, or were new users, but none of these was an experienced user.
Southern Ohio Group
One adult learner focus group was held in Southern Ohio on April 24th, at the Hamilton, Ohio ABLE program. The 12 ABE participants, 11 of whom were women, said they were pursuing adult high school diplomas of General Educational Development (GED's).
In total, 33 students participated in the 4 focus groups, 3 in the group at Rancho Santiago, 8 and 10 in the two groups at Mission College, and 12 in the group at the Hamilton ABLE program.
Percentage of Students Using the Internet in these Groups
Although 23 of the 33 students (70%) said they had used or were currently using the Internet only two of these described themselves as "experienced Internet users" ; 18 students (55%) described themselves as "new Internet users." 6 students (18%) said they wanted to use the Internet but hadn't yet had the opportunity, and 4 students didn't respond to the question. Of course, these were biased samples; only students who had used -- or who wanted to use -- the Internet were invited to attend the focus groups.
Where Students Get Access to the Internet
Students who used the Internet did so from school (for example, all the Rancho Santiago and Hamilton students accessed it from school) and from home (the 5 Mission college students who used the Internet were accessing it from home, and only learned that access was available from school through the focus groups.) One Mission college student had access to his company's email (and possibly Internet email) at work. No one was accessing the Internet from public libraries, and it wasn't clear that Internet access was available from libraries in these three areas.
Why Students Without Access Want it
Students at Mission College, many of whom were not using the Internet yet, or who were new users, cited the following as reasons for getting online:
How Students Use the Internet
They:
(Students also use CD-ROMs -- Grolier Encyclopedia, for example, and at least one student appeared not to remember if what she saw was on the CD-ROM or on the Internet. For her it was a seemless electronic world.)
Difficulties Students Have Encountered in Using the Internet
There were several categories of problems that students experienced: getting online, figuring out how to use the Internet, reading, and others.
Getting online
Figuring out how to use the Internet
Reading
Other Problems
Training or Supports Which helped Students Overcome These Difficulties
Some students described what would be helpful to them; some included what had already helped. Below are a combination of these.
What was NOT helpful
Internet Resources/Sites/Features Students Thought Would be Useful
Other Comments
Conclusions
Adult literacy/basic education/ESOL students are beginning to use the Internet. An increasing number are very interested in using it for a wide range of purposes: for learning (e.g. to improve reading and writing skills, or take a course;) to access a wide variety of information (e.g. information about the weather, health, travel, other cultures, American news, and -- in the case of ESOL students -- news from their native countries;) for classes at school; for shopping; to communicate with friends, family members, other students, or key pals; for entertainment; for virtual travel; and for the sense of control and power one can feel when using a computer and the Internet.
Adult students appear to experience many of the same kinds of difficulties in using the Internet that their teachers do: problems getting access and getting online; having the system crash for a variety of reasons; difficulty figuring out how to navigate online; problems with online and hardcopy instructions; finding out-of-date information at sites; and reading on-screen. Some students also cited problems with their keyboard skills.
Students found that it helped to partner with other students (or with a family member or friend;) to ask for help online; to use online chat rooms; to combine English language learning with computer skills; to read books about the Internet; to look at a videocassette on how to use the Internet; to take an Internet course; to participate in a live, interactive TV program on how to use the Internet; to use computer software which teaches how to use the Internet; to participate in training provided in-person by a teacher; and to have time to practice what one is learning.
Students have a clear idea of what they would like to use or find on the Internet: on-line videotelephone (especially to friends and relatives in other parts of the country or the world); more information by voice instead of by text; better search engines, filters, or other ways to find information; more graphical ways to navigate; simple, easy-to-use directions; and language translators.
Recommendations:
1) This study provides clear evidence that some adult students are using -- or want to use -- the Internet, but it also suggests that access is still a daunting problem. One thing which practitioners can do immediately is to inventory free or low-cost Internet access resources in their communities and let their students know where and how these are available.
2) ESOL programs should consider offering classes which simultaneously teach computer/Internet skills with English language skills.
3) Those who are designing Web-based resources for adult learners might consider organizing these around interests which students have articulated here:
4) Although this was not an explicit finding of this study, it was clear that the students interviewed in these groups were among the few students who have access to the Internet. Increasing programs' capacity to purchase and use hardware and software, and to connect to the Internet must become a higher national, state and local priority if we are to see the kinds of experiences discussed here become widespread across the country.
Adult Literacy Resource Institute