The continuing challenge of engaging adult learners in the process of positive social change has summoned adult educators to a new understanding of their role as change agents in an increasingly complex world. Despite all obstacles presented by our contemporary culture, the nature of adult development continues to offer opportunities for adult…

A study was conducted of all Christian theological seminaries and divinity schools in the United States and Canada. The search was for Christian higher education courses, programs, and degrees offered by these graduate schools. Only a few schools offer courses per se in Christian higher education. Eight schools offered courses of instruction…

In this article life history data from the U.S. National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), and the Dutch survey on Older Adults' Living Arrangements and Social Networks (NESTOR-LSN) are used to shed light on the various pathways leading to and associated with childlessness, and the proportions of men and women who have followed a…

Survey responses from 268 of 444 doctoral programs in adult development/aging and 81 of 145 in clinical psychology show a slight decline in the former. There are fewer teaching assitantships and more internships and practicums; 8% of clinical psychology programs offer a specialization in clinical geropsychology. (SK)

The purpose of this study was to assess relations between adult intimacy, quality of life, and psychological adjustment. Data were collected in the United States from a sample of 64 college students. The measuring instruments used were Personal Information Sheet, Adult version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire (Adult PAQ), Intimate…

Several national trends are converging to impact adult education today. First, the increasing presence of adults in higher education is accentuated by the expansive Baby Boom generation who are demanding greater access to the higher education system in the United States. Second, regarding workforce and economic development in the 21st century,…

Discusses the need to consider those adults in America with less than high school diplomas as a national priority. Notes statistics and information on educational finance and adult educational attainment. Suggests national objectives that focus on these individuals' unalienable rights, and provides a 1- or 5-year plan for reaching these…

The Piagetian perspective of adult cognitive development and adult education could have implications for how work and formal reasoning can be related to adult education programs and policy. During adolescence and adulthood, many individuals enter the cognitive period of formal operations (the last of three stages in Piaget's conceptual framework…

This paper explores the ideas of six adult educators from the 1920s to determine the relevance of their thinking to modern adult educators. Three were chose from Britain: Albert Mansbridge, Basil Yeaxlee, and Richard Tawney. From the United States, three influential theorists in the area were Edward Thorndike, John Dewey, and Eduard Lindeman.…

In this article, we address the topic of death from historic and contemporary perspectives. In the first section, we describe the changes in life expectancy, personal experience, and public awareness of death that have occurred over the past century. In the next section, we examine the impact these changes have had on the mastery of the two…

This synthesis of selected manuscripts, submitted to the Bureau of Occupational and Adult Education to aid in developing position statements that reflected the Bureau's view of chief issues surrounding the concept of lifelong learning, presents an overview of adult education in the United States. The first section is a brief listing of the public…

Investigated similarities and differences in developmental task achievement between college students in the United States and Puerto Rico. Freshmen and senior students in Puerto Rico and the United States were administered the Student Developmental Task Inventory. Results suggested that developmental growth patterns are transcultural. (RC)

Compares interview results to identify moral stages of United States and Japanese adults. Includes findings of postconventional reasoners to substantiate evidence of postconventional stages as adult stages. Reports major cultural differences in the approach to the fundamental value of human life. Suggests a need for examination of the conception…

This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of empirical knowledge about adult development and learning. It is addressed to practitioners in the helping professions who help adults adapt, learn, and grow. The handbook begins with an examination of the concept of adult development and a discussion of persons (practitioners) who facilitate adult…

Career planning is the most critical ingredient in developing a nation's primary resource, its workers. A 1988 Gallup Poll showed that 62 percent of U.S. workers had no career goal when they began their first job, and more than 50 percent felt they were in the wrong job. The same results probably could be applied to Canada. Career planning skills…