ADULT UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC PARTICIPATION

The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between 10 independent variables and undergraduate academic participation within a weekend college environment. The four demographic variables were age, educational attainment, job type and work setting. The six variables contained in Cross' Chain of Response Model (self‐evaluation of ability, attitudes towards education, goals and expectancy, life transitions, opportunities and barriers, and information) were also investigated. Three levels of participation were identified low, medium, and high. An ex post facto design was employed in the present study. Data were gathered through the administration of a survey instrument to 220 adult students enrolled in a weekend‐degree program. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess instrument sub‐test internal consistency. Internal consistency coefficients ranged between .63 to .88. A statistically significant relationship was found under discriminant function analysis with alpha = .05 between participation and all variables except job type and work setting. Under chi‐square analysis, there was found no relationship between job type or work setting and paticipation. There were no differences found under univariate anaylsis of variance with alpha = .05 between the remaining eight variables and level of participation except self‐evaluation of ability where high participators exhibited greater self‐confidence in their ability than low participators.