Understanding the Causes of Success and Failure in Adult Esl: Superación Vs Dropout of Adult English Learners in the Us

This book explores the reasons why adult ESL learners drop out of their language classes and suggests explicit strategies for keeping students engaged. The most effective strategies may be personal rather than technical or curricular. Based on a study of a group of Mexican immigrants to the US, the author proposes that superación or ‘self-actualization’ is crucial to understanding the relative success of adult ESL learners. Learners’ decisions to drop out were not hasty or superficial but were based on a commonsense assessment concerning how the class might improve the quality of their lives. Those involved in delivering ESL to adult learners should stress the tangible, practical advantages that accrue with learning English, and at the same time strive to make instruction relevant.

Taewoong Kim teaches Korean at Washington University in St Louis, USA, having previously taught English and Korean to students of all ages. His research interests include learner identity and investment, and social justice through education.