The purpose of this quantitative post measure only experimental study was to determine if, or to what extent, the use of emojis by a chatbot pedagogical agent in a threaded conversation is effective in eliciting social presence, human-like, and engaging perceptions by adult learners living in North America. Social presence theory provided the…

Since 2008, the Taiwan Ministry of Education has been encouraging government agencies and private organizations to establish Active aging learning centers (AALCs). This has led to the engagement of AALCs across communities in Taiwan. We explored AALC organizers' experiences with negotiations during program planning. Semi-structured interviews were…

Recent studies have demonstrated that people living with dementia, contrary to common believes, are capable of novel learning without structured interventions. Opportunities for learning throughout an individual's lifespan have been acknowledged as important factors in facilitating social participation and promoting wellbeing. However, little is…

The purpose of this study was to examine an interfaith dialogue group to understand how adults learn through such an environment. In this qualitative case study, I worked with a group of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim adults located in the southeastern United States. In investigating adult learning through interfaith dialogue, I found that members…

The topic of dialogue, especially as it pertains to interpersonal communication and conflict resolution, is an important issue as we continue to see increasing human conflicts occurring at all levels of society. As globalization continues to create greater complexity and increased global tensions, educators are increasingly being called upon to…

This doctoral research study examined how nontraditional students from different generations experience returning to college to gain insight into their media and technology usage habits and determine how those differences might influence enrollment marketing practices. The study was designed and administered using relationship marketing as a…

Adult learners are taking advantage of the availability and convenience of online education. Mature learners in online higher education classrooms bring a wealth of experience filtered through cultural, generational, and socioeconomical differences. The purpose of this research was to explore community building in an online graduate course by…

Based on 62 hours of videotaped adult English as a second language classroom interaction, this conversation analysis (CA) study details how engaging life outside the classroom is accomplished in the micro-moments of teacher-student interaction and how such engagement becomes a resource for learning vocabulary and doing conversation. By showing how…

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and the subsequent shutdown of all of the schools in the United States thrust teachers into distance learning environments with little or no preparation. This mixed methods exploratory study of teachers' perceptions of the role of professional learning in reducing transactional distance in a virtual environment…

In the past 20 years there has been a dramatic increase in adults desiring to change careers, and a great number of these adults are transitioning to careers in teaching. To meet the needs of these adult learners, there is an increasing desire and need for online learning, particularly for the adult learner who continues to work full time while…

This review aims to understand everyday learning of older adults using mobile devices. Specifically, for both academic and practical implications, we wanted to know what theoretical perspectives researchers adopted and how mobile devices play a role in older adults' informal learning. We analyzed 28 empirical studies (15 qualitative, 10…

This study investigated how adult second language (L2) speakers of French with near-native proficiency realize verbal negation, a well-known sociolinguistic variable in contemporary spoken French. Data included 10 spontaneous informal conversations between near-native speakers of French and native speakers (NSs) closely acquainted with them.…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of motivation in the persistence of adults enrolled in online higher education. Since the 1990s, online courses and programs have proliferated across higher education, with adults (ages 25 and over) currently making up the largest portion of online enrollments. Online courses, however, suffer…

Working adults planning to pursue higher education programs to advance their careers often face conflicting demands. Colleges and universities are challenged to offer non-traditional programs with more scheduling flexibility, allowing adult learners to manage multiple work, family, and other obligations while attending school (Dana, 2013;…

This article examines the kind of space formed by philosophical discussion of education with lower-income, adult learners making their way back to structured education amidst work and life responsibilities. It explores two new social contexts that define this experience of return to education. The first is the sociability of philosophical…