Social environment theory was used to determine the relation of adult dropout behavior to the social ecology of the classroom. The Classroom Environment Scale was administered to 77 adults in General Educational Development classes. Dropouts expected a classroom environment characterized by less social involvement with other students. (Author/CH)

The hypothesis that the greater the proportion of adults in class the higher the aggregate average class performance was tested with 619 community college students and 2,175 university students. The hypothesis was supported by the community college sample as well as the university sample with the exception of university math classes. (SK)

The Adult Classroom Environment Scale measures seven dimensions of teacher behaviors or style: involvement, affiliation, teacher support, task orientation, personal goal attainment, organization and clarity, and student influence. Comparison of profiles of students' actual and ideal environments showed that students most wanted involvement,…

Hypothesizing that participation in course planning would result in higher achievement and satisfaction, researchers used a posttest-only control group design with continuing education students in two separate experiments. The control group completed the course as planned by the experimental group. No differences were found between the groups in…

Discusses the need for guidance and information services to help adults make educational and career choices, from an organizational and administrative perspective. Major innovations are needed in educational delivery systems for the adult public. Federal legislation can help. (JAC)

Adult male and female students' perceptions of classroom social environments were compared on the dimensions of affiliation and involvement as measured by the Adult Classroom Environment Scale. Data from 439 students in an urban community college were tested using the general linear model procedure. Women perceived more affiliation and a greater…

Data from an earlier study, a survey of 215 adults that identified six factors deterring participation in adult education, were reanalyzed. The resulting typology describes 5 types of nonparticipants: people deterred by personal problems, lack of confidence, educational costs, lack of interest in formal education, and lack of interest in available…

Explores likely directions for the future of adult learning research. Describes three research areas that will serve as a foundation for future efforts: (1) the teaching-learning transaction, (2) participation, and (3) self-directed learning. (CH)

This paper provides a synthesis of research and theory directly related to retention of adult students. In the first of five major sections, readers are provided with a brief discussion of the nature and significance of the dropout-retention problem. Section 2 reviews research findings relating to who drops out and why. Sociodemographic,…

A study was conducted to analyze the sociodemographic determinants of participation, satisfaction, and persistence in American adult education in order to formulate recommendations for public policy regarding access to lifelong learning opportunities. Data were collected from questionnaire responses by a sample of 79,631 adults. Of the total…

While recent research on why adults participate in continuing education programs does not provide educational planners with any easy prescriptions for programing success, it does suggest some broad directions for more effective program development, particularly in relation to needs assessment, the promotional aspect of marketing, and the design…