A study examined the attrition and persistence of students enrolled in adult basic education literacy programs. The study population consisted of 1,407 adult learners who had completed intake interviews and/or been enrolled in learning programs at the Technology for Literacy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, during a two-year period. The dependent variable for the study was attrition/persistence. The independent variables consisted of six categories of variables relating to personal and demographic characteristics, initial goals at intake, educational history and achievement, current employment status, attitudes toward working with computers, and program of study. The 36 variables studied accounted for only 7.8 percent of the variance in attrition/persistence, and 22 variables accounted for less than 5 percent of the variance between program completers and leavers. The study findings were consistent with other research in that students who were unemployed but available for work were more likely to drop out than were other students and that obtaining a General Educational Development certificate is positively correlated with persistence. (Appendixes include the intake questionnaire and information release and information on the frequency distribution of independent study variables.) (MN)