The effectiveness of Extension work is highly dependent on the preparedness and professional competencies of Extension practitioners. One area of training that is of importance to Extension practitioners is adult learning. According to Malcolm Knowles, andragogy is the art and science of adult learning. This study looked at the principles of adult…

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore if the modified listening group method that originated in Canada can enhance learning and sharing amongst farmers in a group learning setup. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study, participated in by 111 rice farmers, was conducted in Farmer Field School sites of PhilRice in the provinces of Agusan Del…

This paper draws upon a case study of a campus-community partnership program in Ontario that delivers tuition-free college courses to low-income adult learners in community hub locations. By co-locating college classrooms in existing neighbourhood gathering places (i.e., a community centre and a public library), our research explores whether…

Livelihood adaptation in refugee camps is often fragile and inherently problematic owing to their physical characteristics and policy restrictions. The Uganda refugee policy applauded as progressive exhibits internal contradictions which influence livelihoods. The purpose of this study is to explore the significant role of adult education in…

This article inspires critical and creative thinking about the promotion of citizenship development through programmes of study designed primarily to enhance adults' vocational skills. It does so through presenting an empirical case study of an important adult education programme delivered by the Department of University Extension at the…

With contributions from leading experts across disciplinary fields, this book explores best practices from the field's most notable researchers, as well as important historically based and politically focused challenges to a field whose impact has reached an important crossroads. The comprehensive and powerfully critical analysis considers the…

This article discusses three innovative projects with a focus on education for sustainable development which were kick-started by the previous government's Transformation Fund for informal adult learning. The projects each illustrate how powerful and transformational sustainability education can be when it uses people's lived experience as a basis…

A prospective, controlled, randomized, crossover design was used to examine a nutrition education curriculum's effects on knowledge and behavior of 463 limited-resource older adults in 13 counties. Counties were randomized to begin with the treatment or control curriculum and then the remaining curriculum. Participants completed a pre-test…

We live today in a "knowledge society", but "knowledge transfer" is no longer the dominant extension education paradigm. The principle of "learning to learn" and the concepts of self-directed, collaborative and action learning are more crucial today then ever. The key principles are to stimulate knowledge discovery…

In March 2006, Premier Wen Jiabao acknowledged that the situation in the Chinese countryside is desperate and claimed new resources would be devoted to healthcare and education. This announcement should have pleased architects of the Chinese "learning initiative" who are building learning cities and villages. The authors describe why…

Community-based agencies (extension, women's association, public health department) initiated a health promotion project using adult learning approaches (experiential learning, storytelling, and networking) to enable participants to examine their experiences of health and factors affecting health in their communities. Assessment tools were…

An agricultural extension workshop on nitrogen use was evaluated by 75% of Australian farmers participating. Use of action learning and adult learning principles helped make the issues presented meaningful and influenced 67% of the respondents' fertilizer decisions. (SK)

Basic adult education principles should be applied in the change agent-farmer relationship in extension education in Sierra Leone. They include active learners, lifelong learning, teacher knowledge as nonabsolute, and the farming community as the center of problem generation. (SK)

A university extension project designed to help communities provide a setting for lifelong learning opportunities and for community improvement planning was begun in New Zealand in 1975 and continues through 1977. Procedures, programs, needs, and evaluation are presented and future activities are touched on. (MF)

Identifies the distance education learner, examines the approaches and teaching models of various educational theorists to the satisfaction of learners' needs, and relates these approaches particularly to the field of distance education. An extensive bibliography is provided. (EAO)