In this section we will deal with the reasons why it is difficult for adult students to finish a language course and learn a foreign language successfully. Other our task will be the exact analysis of the given problem and the results summary of the project research Don’t give up 'questionnaires and in-depth interviews'. A key step will be to find motivational and other factors which will help language schools and their lecturers to keep adult students in a language course and learn a foreign language successfully.

The basic question to which we try to find an answer is:

Why do adult students leave language courses before their successful completion?

Pedagogical aspect

Weak methodological preparation of teachers for working with adults – teachers have good education for teaching languages, quality language preparation; they, however, miss the experience with adult students. This fact reflects negatively on the study’s results and also increases the students‘percentage that leaves language courses before their completion. We see one outcome in the establishment of an independent field: Language Adult Education which would be taught at European Universities. This study field would have to include all the aspects of Language Adult Education; and these are: a foreign language knowledge, mastering of teaching techniques and language education methodology; pedagogical, social and methodological work with adult students.

Psychological aspect

Teachers do not sufficiently motivate adult students in regards to the lack of experience with methodical approaches in the adult education. A whole complex of motives influences an adult student which develops and changes in the course of whole study and cannot be exactly hierarchies. The answer to the question, “Why do you want to study a following language“?, is inevitable and key one while choosing the instruction form and making up a lesson plan. Motives that lead an adult to foreign language study can be divided into two groups; willing and unwilling. A lecturer’s key task is to create such an environment to make a student realise the correct reasons for the study. Next not less important lecturer’s task is to motivate a student over the whole course of the study, thus continually, say by means of change from primary motivation to continual motivation.

Financial restriction

Especially in post-communistic countries language courses for adults are organized only in the private sector. This way of study is at many instances financially demanding for a student. We see the solution of this problem in the creation of a complex system by means of which a state would contribute to financing language courses for adults.

Time pressure

Most of adults are under time pressure in regards to their work, family or other free time activities.

National aspect

For most of European states the adult education is not priority but stands on the second place behind the children education. The Departments of Education do not press enough to emphasise the huge importance of Language Adult Education and thus contribute to its promotion.

Physical aspect of a location and groups

Downsides are badly equipped classroom (lack of light, uncomfortable chairs etc.) and big study groups where a teacher does not give sufficient attention to individual students. These aspects are strongly demotivational for students.

Solutions can be easy; e.g. from a change of classroom’s wall colour to the language course overall structure. In this chapter you will learn about concrete instructions how to avoid early leaving of students from a course.

The main problem with a whole range of educational courses for adults is the need for integration of many other requirements, the lack of time or resources, with a given course. Even those students who are the most motivated ones meet unexpected problems during a course which interfere into their ability to finish a course. Language schools constantly face this problem and the incompletion rate is disproportionably high. These high rates of abandoning courses are for language courses on the one hand very costly and on the other very demanding for their management while planning courses and obtaining sources. Students and also lecturers themselves suffer from a course incompletion; and that from a financial, educational, social and psychological side. The analysis and quantitative assessment of individual negative aspects following the adult education is the part of this chapter.

First of all let us define general criteria for the assessment of lecturer’s successful work and summarize associated phenomena of the adult education.

The criteria for the assessment of successful work of an adult lecturer:

• The lecturer’s personality
• Motivational skills of a lecturer
• The lecturer’s preparation
• The general overview of a lecturer
• The lucidity of his/her instruction
• The division of the instruction in individual lessons
• Clearness – examples, comparison ... etc.
• Visualization
• Briefness
• Summary of the language matter
• Feedbacks – questionnaires, test, a control of applicant’s knowledge

Permanent associated phenomenon of adult education must be:

• Certainty that an applicant manages the language matter
• Positive climate from lecturer’s communication and a participant
• The experience of success – progress in learning