A study sought to identify and examine key factors that influence adult basic education (ABE) mathematics instruction in Massachusetts and to develop a detailed picture of the adult basic math learning environment. Phase I involved a survey by questionnaire directed at the entire Massachusetts population of instructors and program directors…

A portfolio is a folder assembled by the learner, containing samples of the learner's work collected over a period of time. The kinds of items reflect the nature of the course content. Each individual who decides to use a portfolio approach must develop unique expectations, guidelines for content, and assessment criteria suitable for the purpose…

Older, nontraditional students are appearing with increasing frequency in conventional basic communication classes, and the unique learning needs of this group present a challenge to instructors, who must take into consideration the following: (1) the challenge of the learning process itself, (2) basic problems or concerns of the adult within the…

The trait-state model, a framework for understanding adult literacy, draws heavily on the social psychological literature. Allport (1961) first proposed the notion of trait. The overriding characteristics of focus on trait is the individual's possession of language control. Cattell (1950, 1979) emphasized the notion of state in relation to trait…

Several factors to take into account when assessing the effectiveness of programs for teaching educational administration are reviewed in this paper. Three of these factors relate to those engaged in learning: their stages of individual development, their tendency toward initial dependence, and their needs to master and to belong. Three more…

In March 1959, Howard McClusky introduced his Power Load Margin (PLM) theory and proposed that it be used for studying the adult years and for developing and building realistic educational programs for adults. His formula, which states that the key components of adulthood are load (the demands made upon the individual by self and society) and…

This paper examines the viability of journal writing as a distance education teaching technique designed to provide deeper understanding and mastery of curriculum content in graduate level education courses. In creating optimal learning experiences, four different types of journal writing can be utilized in various types of distance learning…

Self-directed learning is more appropriate than teacher-directed learning for adult students in colleges and universities. In a self-directed learning environment, students collaborate with the teacher in determining the skills to be learned in the course and form teams needed to carry out work to learn the skills. One learner-oriented model is…

The vocational education program at California State University at Long Beach received a three-year grant to design and field-test a training curriculum in the area of curriculum-based vocational assessment for secondary school students with handicaps. A series of eight training modules was developed during the first project year (June 1986 to May…

Both the literature on adult learning and the literature on the composing process focus on students and their behaviors rather than on teachers and their methods or on curricular content and structure. The most productive teaching of nontraditional students and the most useful educational research about them begins with the students themselves,…

Goal setting is a dispositional trait that influences motivation to learn and to perform. Individuals with a Performing (or Proving) Goal Orientation are characterized by a desire to please authority figures, the belief that personal abilities are stable and unchanging, and a tendency to become frustrated and give up quickly when faced by…

The basic premise of the book, "Demographic Factors in Adult and Continuing Education," (on which this keynote address is based) is that adult and continuing education are irrelevant, immaterial, and inconsequential unless grounded in social reality. The book identifies more than 1 million demographic factors in the 8 Mountain Plains…

This document contains three papers on coaching and knowledge transfer. "The Role of the Learning Coach in Action Learning" (Judy O'Neil) reviews the literature on action learning and learning coaches, explores the role of learning coaches in action learning, and demonstrates the existence of external and internal influences that shape…

This document contains three papers on technology-enabled learning and human resource development. Among results found in "Current State of Technology-enabled Learning Programs in Select Federal Government Organizations: a Case Study of Ten Organizations" (Letitia A. Combs) are the following: the dominant delivery method is traditional…

This document contains 35 papers from the program development section of an international conference on vocational education and training (VET) for lifelong learning in the information era. The following are among the papers included: "Using Quality Indicators to Create World-Class Curricula: From Concept to Application" (Curtis Finch,…