This paper explores the learning that goes on when adults with learning disabilities are involved in inclusive (participatory or emancipatory) research. Applying thematic and narrative re-analysis of data from a series of focus groups involving inclusive researchers talking about their research work indicates inclusive research is a rich site for…

The Commission on International Adult Education (CIAE) of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) provides a forum for the discussion of international issues related to adult education in general, as well as adult education in various countries around the globe. These papers are from the CIAE 2020 Virtual International…

This study took place in the online 3D virtual world Second Life[R], a recreational environment designed for world-building and socializing, and intended for individuals 18 years old and older. It described learning from the perspective of Second Life[R] Residents and focused on their world-building activities. As a virtual ethnographer, my avatar…

This book addresses the "warrior" who rises to the challenge of teaching the adult learner. The discussion is designed as a catalyst for dialogue about the adult learner and to uncover the complexities of teaching this rare and riveting species. This book is organized around three interlocking themes: some things we know about the adult learner;…

The research investigated relational and analytic cognitive styles among 11 adult learners. Thirteen hypotheses were formulated and an instrument was developed to collect data on both styles. Predictions about learning environment preference were given reasonable support. (Author/EC)

Research methodologies are "word-specific," that is, they assume frames of reference which do not include all of reality. They are like the "sets" in mathematics in which axioms apply only within certain realities. (Parallel lines do converge, for example, on the horizon; the geometric postulate that says they do not holds only for the set of a…

Examines the perceptions of adults related to piano study, their musical and nonmusical interests, and home influences on music. Presents the results in detail. Explains that the results of this study have implications for encouraging lifelong enjoyment of piano study. Includes references. (CMK)

A qualitative analysis of adults' descriptions of their learning activities was conducted to determine those factors that organize nonformal learning but which apparently lie beyond the consciousness of the learner. It was hypothesized that the organizing circumstance (organizing factors external to the learner), rather than preplanning by the…

While Jean Piaget's work as it relates to the development of childhood and adolescent cognition has long been explored, only recently has the usefulness of Piaget's theory in the study of adult cognition been studied. Recent research by educational psychologists has raised serious doubts about Piaget's theoretical position that the highest level…

A research design was created to investigate if adults participating in noncredit courses have different preferences for control of inclass learning activities. Only the variables of "reason for participation" and "type of content" were researched as to whether they affected preference for control. The study provides evidence that different adults…

Questions the narrow definition of learning used in lifelong learning discourses. Uses evidence from a study of patterns of participation in adult learning in South Wales from 1900 to argue that if informal learning continues to be ignored, the result may be an exclusiveness in defining a learning society. (CMK)

This study examined writings of Canadian adult educators for the purpose of describing their field of inquiry. The study described the field by its four basic areas of inquiry--learner, learning, process, and environment--and by the components of each area. The methodology was divided into three phases: creation of a glossary of descriptive adult…

The need for a better understanding and better treatment of learning disabilities (LD) in adult learners of English as a second language (ESL) is discussed. Such an effort should draw on both existing knowledge of LD in the first-language context and new research on LD and second language learning. The ethical implications of teaching ESL to…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between academic achievement, rote learning, learning for understanding, cognitive style, and the medium of presentation (print versus television) for adult students in lifelong learning situations. A content learning package was prepared for presentation in the two media and…

The paper examines the methodological issues involved in the relationship of adult education to adult development. The practice of adult education during the past 25 years has been built upon a series of assumptions derived from theoretical fragments regarding lifelong development. Considering the theoretical base of adult development, however,…