With the transition toward a lifelong learning society, the participation of adult learners in higher education has expanded, requiring universities to assume roles not only for traditional college-aged students but also for adult learners. However, a...
With the transition toward a lifelong learning society, the participation of adult learners in higher education has expanded, requiring universities to assume roles not only for traditional college-aged students but also for adult learners. However, adult learners exhibit diverse personal backgrounds and learning motivations, and adult colleges must reflect these characteristics by strengthening institutional operations and enhancing educational quality based on the voices of adult learners as the primary stakeholders. Accordingly, this study aims to analyze differences in perceptions of the importance of university educational operation factors according to educational participation motivation among enrolled adult college students, and to derive implications for improving the operation of adult colleges.
To achieve this purpose, the following research questions were established: First, are there differences in perceptions of the importance of university educational operation factors according to the personal background characteristics of adult college students? Second, are there differences in perceptions of the importance of university educational operation factors according to their educational participation motivations? To address these research questions, a survey was conducted among adult college students enrolled in institutions located in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. A total of 205 questionnaires were collected through both online and offline surveys over a 14-day period from October 4 to October 18, 2025. After excluding two questionnaires with insincere responses and two with missing data, 201 questionnaires were used for analysis. The survey instrument consisted of 65 items, including 15 items on educational participation motivation, 46 items on university educational operation factors, and 4 items on personal background characteristics. SPSS 29.0 was used for data analysis, and validity and reliability were examined through factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha, Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and one-way ANOVA were also conducted.
The results of the analysis are as follows. First, significant differences were found in perceptions of the importance of university educational operation factors according to the personal background characteristics of adult college students. This finding indicates that personal background characteristics of adult learners function as important factors in adult college operations rather than merely as demographic variables. Second, significant differences were identified in perceptions of the importance of university educational operation factors according to educational participation motivation among adult college students. This suggests that adult learners’ motivations for participating in education should be sufficiently considered in the operation of adult colleges.
Based on these findings, this study presents implications regarding factors that adult colleges should consider for adult learners within the evolving lifelong education environment. The results confirm that adult learners’ personal background characteristics and educational participation motivations are critical elements to be considered in the operation of adult colleges, and they may serve as foundational data for future improvements in adult college management and operation.