THE AUTHOR DISCUSSES (1) THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES THAT PREOCCUPY DIFFERENT, ADULT AGE GROUPS AND (2) THE AGE-STATUS SYSTEM AS IT IS CHANGING IN AMERICAN SOCIETY. THE RELATIONS OF THE INDIVIDUAL TO THE SOCIAL GROUPS OF WHICH HE IS A MEMBER, THE WAYS OF ABSORBING AND USING NEW IDEAS, AND THE OBSTACLES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE INDIVIDUAL RECOGNIZES…

TWO TYPES OF LEARNING, EXTRINSIC AND INTRINSIC, ARE DESCRIBED. INTRINSIC LEARNING INVOLVES THOSE PROCESSES WHICH CAN HELP PEOPLE BECOME ALL THAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF BECOMING. INTRINSIC LEARNING IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF ALL EDUCATION, INCLUDING ADULT EDUCATION, AND IS ALSO THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF COUNSELING. SELF-ACTUALIZING PEOPLE LEARN THROUGH THE…

In much research, learners' perspectives tend to be considered in light of a program's expectations or U.S. society's definitions of learner needs, rather than considering how learners would define and make sense of their own experiences, hopes, and needs. In contrast, this study considers learners' meanings as the fundamental starting point for…

The authors carefully followed for a year or more the inner experiences of learning and change of 41 ABE/ESOL (Adult Basic Education/English for Speakers of Other Languages) learners from all over the world. They were enrolled in three distinct U.S. programs (a community college, a family literacy site, and a workplace site), each oriented to…

How do ABE/ESOL (Adult Basic Education/English for Speakers of Other Languages) programs shape adult learners, and how do adult learners, in turn, shape their programs? Beyond the acquisition of important skills (such as greater fluency in the English language) what are the bigger internal meanings for adults of participating in ABE/ESOL…