A case study on the challenges of postgraduate TESL adult learners

In realizing the importance of human development and its significance to the k-economy, Malaysia initiates to enhance its workforce. For the academic profession, it means that practioners need to press on their educational accolade. Though achievable, adults face problems when they return to study after being employed for several years. A case study is carried out to investigate the challenges of adult learners as they pursue a master’s degree. Through the use of diaries and interviews, twenty varieties of challenges emerged from the data collected. The researchers identified and categorized those challenges as situational, attitudinal, structural and academic. Among the challenges are the lack of support, poor health, multiple-conflicting responsibilities, job commitments, the lack of time, financial constraint, guilt, travelling long distances, the lack of concentration, the lack of confidence, the lack of motivation, writing academic texts, understanding academic texts, assignment workload, and unclear and unacceptable method of evaluation.