A common outcome of entering post-compulsory education as a mature aged learner appears to be development and growth of the self. However, this is often only viewed as an outcome or considered an added benefit, rather than an integral part of the academic process itself. This paper explores the relationship between academic growth and personal…

Over the last 20 years, the percentage of older students on college campuses has increased dramatically. Because developmental needs, issues, and stressors for adults differ from those of younger students, the college environment must be reconsidered to respond to adult students. Adult learners tend to be achievement oriented, highly motivated,…

A study of affective development in the adult, nonresidential students of Empire State College, the college-without-walls, indicates that students experienced significant overall development during the testing period, unlike students in traditional settings. Differentiations in the results on the basis of such factors as age and sex are noted.…

One of the major challenges for community colleges in the 1980s will be to respond to the increasing diversification of the student population and the trend towards a greater proportion of older, part-time, and women students. This trend will have a significant impact on student services and will require the development of strategies and programs…

The process of change experienced by adult women reentering higher education is analyzed within the framework of one theory of adult development, and teaching and learning environments that support women's developmental growth are described. Topics addressed include providing adult students with positive feedback, counseling, promoting awareness…

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…