Practices of adult learning principles and learning strategies of financial aid administrators in Oklahoma

Financial aid is a very complex profession. This is due to the complexity of the different types of aid programs as well as the complexity of the students being served. Financial aid is a profession that deals with constant change. To keep up with changes and to better serve their clients, financial aid administrators should be aware of adult learning principles and learning strategies. The purpose of this study was to describe the practices of adult learning principles that financial aid administrators possess and to describe their learning strategies. Data for the study were gathered using the Principles of Adult Learning Scale and Assessing the Learning Strategies of AdultS. The data were collected by administering the surveys to 110 financial aid personnel at Oklahoma colleges and universities.; Findings and conclusions. Participants in this study were predominately white female with a average age of 40. The were no differences in the demographic variable of this study compared to the population. According to the Assessing The Learning Strategies of AdultS (ATLAS) instrument, the financial aid administrators were equally distributed among the three learning strategies of Navigators, Problem Solvers, and Engagers. Chi-square analysis indicated that the financial aid administrators were about equal with the norm. Therefore, financial aid draws from the general population in terms of learning strategies of the people that are in the profession. According to Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS), the financial aid administrators were on the teacher-centered side. Although as a group, financial aid administrators tend to be teacher-centered, they are eclectic in recognizing the student needs, utilizing their experiences, and involving the learner in the process. Cluster analysis revealed that four distinct groups exist within the financial aid community based on their practices of adult learning principles. Conclusions and recommendations related to the implementation of adult learning principles in the financial aid setting, continuing professional education, and staffing utilizing the strengths of the various distinct groups of learners.