When an adult migrant begins to acquire a second language, it is often presumed that the learner is already equipped with first language literacy and can therefore transfer these same literacy skills during their acquisition of the new, second language. However, many adult second language (L2) learners lack the opportunity to develop first…

Adult learning is not a tidy business: adults fit learning into the spaces left by the other demands on complex lives, and into the spaces left in administrative structures overwhelmingly designed for other people. No simple metric can capture adults' diverse purposes and achievements, and no single programme can capture the full range of things…

In the past, English as Second Language (ESL) teachers in Australia have been given a strong professional role in classroom assessment. This role still exists but has changed in ways that are causing some tensions for teachers in their day-to-day practice. In schools, educational reform has been accompanied by mother-tongue/English-learner-based…

This book offers a new and promising way to support adults in Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) programs specifically, and learners in adult education, in general. Applying renowned Harvard University psychologist Robert Kegan's constructive-development theory, Drago-Severson depicts an in-depth…

Because of the high and rising numbers of adult students of English as a Second Language (ESL), the need for qualified teachers is strong. Instructors need to know how to work with a learner population that is diverse in race, culture, native language, economic status, motivation, and educational background. They also need to know how adults learn…

As articulated by President Reagan, the Adult Literacy Initiative has two goals: to raise all adults in the country to a functional reading level and to focus on promoting literacy among adults--not "stamping out" or "attacking" illiteracy. Professionals at the National Adult Literacy Project and Conference considered the…

The current and future role of educational technology in adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction in the United States is examined, drawing on practice, literature, and the experiences of an Arlington, Virginia program. Throughout, policy implications are drawn from the discussion. First, the ESL service delivery system is examined and…

The research agenda for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teaching and learning summarizes issues identified for further study by ESL professionals over the period of 1996-1998. The document is designed to provide funding agencies with clear priorities for research suggested by leaders in the field, provide researchers with support for proposing…

In adult education, the term "accelerated learning" (AL) is usually associated with programs designed to meet the needs of adult learners whose many commitments prevent them from participating in traditional programs. Within the field of training and development, however, AL identifies an approach to learning that is multidimensional in…

This document contains 15 papers from the information technology (IT) in vocational education and training (VET) section of an international conference on VET for lifelong learning in the information era. The following papers are included: "Adapting the System of Continuing Vocational Education for the 3rd Industrial Revolution--Experiences…

This document contains 123 papers from an international conference on vocational education and training (VET) for lifelong learning in the information era. The papers focus on the following themes: (1) societal and ethical issues; (2) human resource development and personnel training; (3) international issues; (4) information technology in VET;…