Abstract
Adult learners in graduate education represent a population defined by deliberate, purposeful choice. Unlike traditional-age students, these individuals advance within higher education while managing careers, families, and complex life responsibilities. This conceptual paper explores the espoused and enacted vision for a meaningful life held by adult learners in graduate education, with particular attention to doctoral students in professional education programs. Evidence is drawn from national enrollment and attrition data, relevant scholarship, and nearly two decades of direct practitioner observation. The paper argues that adult graduate learners are animated by a vision of becoming: a generational, relational, and deeply purposeful understanding of what it means to live well. It further proposes the Becoming Framework, a three-pillar initiative designed to align program structures with that meaningful life vision.
Recommended Citation
Shollenberger, Tara
(2026)
"Becoming: Adult Learners in Graduate Education and the Pursuit of a Meaningful Life,"
Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership: Vol. 12:
Iss.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/joel/vol12/iss1/5
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons