Adult learners and female students report higher levels of mathematics anxiety than their peers, suggesting that female adult learners may be particularly vulnerable. This study used Bandura's triarchic reciprocal causality model as a foundation and interviewed five highly mathematics anxious female adult learners to understand their perceptions…

When adult ESL (English as a Second Language) learners enter our classrooms with little or no first language literacy, their instructors teach them to read for the first time in an unfamiliar language. It is a tremendous task, and the context for teaching "adult emergent readers" is complex. This complexity is coupled with a growing, but still…

This article addresses the myriad of pedagogical and andragogical issues facing university educators in the student learning process. It briefly explores the proliferation of learning theories in an attempt to develop awareness among faculty who teach at the university/college levels that not all theories of learning apply to the adult learner. In…

Faculty and administrators of higher education today face a challenge with their student populations, many of whom are part of what is known as the net generation. As students become more technologically advanced, faculty must be technologically ready to meet the needs of students. Many college faculty and administrators are from earlier…

With so much of the student population in the adult learner category, by virtue of age alone, the "mainstream of students" is nearly indeterminable: yet, at many institutions, the "mainstream" of classroom teaching style is not adapted to the adult learner. First, there are the common logistical constraints for adult learners…

A study of relationship between teaching style (measured by Principles of Adult Learning Scale) and student achievement based on teacher assessment involved teachers and students in an adult basic education (ABE) program. Though teaching style and achievement are linked, approach in ABE and English as a second language settings differs from more…

A sample of 1,060 adult community college students and 72 adult instructors completed educational orientation questionnaires. No significant differences between teachers and students were found in terms of orientation to the constructs of andragogy and pedagogy. Age, sex, and program type did not influence student orientation, whereas academic…

This 15-chapter book provides practical advice on teaching adult learners. The introductory chapter discusses the demand for continual learning, information paralysis, and information technology. The second chapter consists of two exercises designed to show adult educators that they know more about teaching adults than they think. Strategies for…

These four papers are from a symposium on human resource development (HRD) in the United Kingdom. "HRD and Psychological Contracts: A Case Study of Lifelong Learning" (Graeme Martin, Judy Pate, Jim McGoldrick) explores the influence of a lifelong learning program on employee perceptions of their psychological contracts in a longitudinal…

A guide to help instructors and program planners understand the educational needs and characteristics of older learners is presented. Social, economic, and educational consequences of increasing longevity are identified. A brief history of education for older people is presented, and research and experience on adult and continuing education are…

Teaching styles reflect the beliefs and values that teachers hold about the learners' role in learning; learning styles provide insight into the ways learners perceive, interact with and respond to the environment in which learning occurs. Many teachers teach in the way they were taught which usually can be characterized as field independent…

This document is designed to help adult educators implement the Teach with Style model of teaching adults. The introduction discusses how adults learn and the best way to teach them. Chapter 1 explains the tenets of the Teach with Style model, which is based on four distinct instructor styles. Chapters 2-5 detail the strategies and activities…

Cultural differences, including the personal cultures of learners and educators and the culture of the larger social-political environment, are relevant to adult learning. Culture includes those values, beliefs, and practices shared by a group of people. Cultures tend to vary along a number of dimensions, and the following dimensions are among…

This book contains 21 papers devoted to understanding and facilitating adult learning. After "Foreword to the Second Edition" (Malcolm S. Knowles) and other introductory materials, the papers are: "Becoming an Effective Teacher of Adults" (Michael W. Galbraith); "Understanding Adult Learners" (Huey B. Long); "Identifying Your Philosophical…