Academic barriers occur because many potential adult learners, while having the necessary entry qualification, may have not used their academic skills for many years with the result that their skills may have declined (Lowe, 2001). For example, results from the International Adult Literacy Survey and the Adult Life and Life Skills Survey (Statistics Canada, 2005) indicate that the literacy level of many adults is well below the level predicted by their educational attainment.
Potter and Ferguson (2003) indicate that essential academic skills include:
While adult learners who have some academic skills can find learning opportunities to refresh these skills, those who have very poor literacy skills or who have difficulty communicating in the language of instruction may not be able to gain easy access to related programs. Since these adults often come from low income families, the number of courses and programs open to them is limited. The courses that are available are often offered through not-for-profit and community agencies and are poorly articulated with formal learning opportunities in educational institutions.
Academic skills are affected by an individual's state of physical and mental health. Cusack, Thompson and Rogers (2003) studied the impact of learning on health. They found that programs that encourage participants to learn academic skills such as goal setting, critical thinking, creativity, improving memory and speaking in public, also promote mental health. Like physical fitness, mental fitness has a positive impact of learning. Research studies conducted with older adults indicate that good physical health is positively correlated with social skills, self-esteem, memory, lifelong learning, and physical energy (Dench & Regan, 2000; Fraser, 2002).
The ERIC Clearinghouse summary on learning disabilities indicates that academic skills not mastered early in life remain difficult in adulthood. Childhood deficiencies in reading, language, memory, attention, visual perception and social-emotional adjustment tend to persist into adulthood (Gotteson, 1994). Learning disabilities do not disappear when an individual leaves school but create new problems in relation to work, self-esteem, social interactions and independent living (ERIC Clearinghouse, 2000).
Two additional sets of barriers were identified in the literature: pedagogical barriers related to teaching and facilitating educational activities and employment training barriers in the workplace.