The relationship between childhood education and adult learner characteristics

Abstract Childhood education affects how individuals adapt to the challenges of adulthood. Although various generalizations are made relating childhood educational experiences to characteristics of adults, there is scant evidence to support those assertions for adult literacy learners in the United States. This study investigates the relationship of childhood educational attainment to other characteristics of adult learners. In this study, 201 native English-speaking adult learners in the United States who read at the 3.0–7.9 grade equivalency levels were administered surveys and tests to better understand the relationships between childhood educational attainment and the following characteristics: childhood school disability status and grade repetition; as well as adult characteristics including current reading-related skills, reading avoidance behaviors, reading practices for informational and digital texts, employment status, and Readiness-to-Learn. Results indicated that only school disability status was correlated with educational attainment (Cramer’s V test, V = 0.279, p = 0.004). The results contribute to the body of knowledge about adult learners who want to develop literacy skills and the nuances of childhood schooling experiences in this population. Based on these results, caution should be exercised when treating educational attainment as a signal of other characteristics, including reading skills, among adult literacy students. These findings align with other international research findings.