Adult Learners’ Perceptions of University Support: Identifying Latent Classes and Influential Factors

The purpose of this study is to identify types of perceived institutional support among adult learners at four-year universities in Korea and to investigate how predictors and outcomes of institutional support vary across different groups. A latent profile analysis was employed to analyze data of 465 adult learners, sourced from the Korea-National Survey of Student Engagement surveyed in 2023. The main findings are as follows. First, four distinct types of perceived institutional support were identified: (a) unsatisfactory and avoidance, (b) ordinary and casual, (c) satisfactory and engagement, and (d) relationship-oriented. Second, significant factors differentiating the latent profile membership probabilities included grade, university admission type, type of high school, collaborative behavior, academic self-efficacy, and career maturity. Lastly, institutional commitment, as an outcome of university experience, was found to be higher in the ‘satisfactory and engagement’ group compared to others. Based on the findings, we discussed academic and practical implications for building adult-friendly university support systems that enrich adult learners’ student engagement and institutional commitment.