The present trend in developing and using semi-direct speaking tests has been supported by test developers and researchers' claim of their increased practicality, higher reliability and concurrent validity with test scores in direct oral proficiency interviews. However, it is universally agreed within the language testing and assessment community…

This study examined the effects of organisational learning initiatives on employee motivation. Four initiatives consistent with theories of organisational learning were a priori ranked in terms of concepts that underpin intrinsic-motivation theory. Eighteen employees in a UK petrochemical company were interviewed to ascertain their experiences of…

A class project undertaken in an English-as-a-Second-Language class is described and presented. Students participating in the project were union employees in a Manhattan electronics factory, and most were native Spanish speakers. The project's objective was to produce an illustrated book and tapes to document work and union experience in the…

With the increase in workplace English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy education programs, there is a need to assess whether the attention given to improving basic skills and English language proficiency has made a change in the participant and in the workplace. Such evaluations often use both qualitative and quantitative measures of program…

Use of ethnographic methods to assess learning and staff development needs for workplace adult education programs is discussed, focusing on the teacher's role as ethnographic researcher. Four stages of ethnographic research are identified: (1) open-ended, inductive study; (2) structured observation; (3) analysis; and (4) speculation and sharing of…

This study was concerned with the present and future status of company training for clerical workers among firms in the Greater Boston area, descriptions of formal training programs that these companies provide for their clerical workers and ones conducted by out-of-company agencies. Questionnaires were used to secure information about present and…

This document reports a study of the aims, scope, and character of employee education and training activities among corporations with 500 or more employees, a segment of industry that accounts for about one-half of total private employment in the United States. Most data are projected from responses by 610 companies to a lengthy Conference Board…

A national survey of electronic data processing (EDP) skills and training needs involved 16 representative firms that employed EDP staff. Separate semi-structured interview schedules were used to interview 266 job holders and 63 managers with responsibility for EDP staff and computing systems. Findings indicated 67 percent of EDP staff had not…

The writings included in this student-produced publication are those of students in the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union's (ILGWU's) Worker-Family Education Program technical and English-as-a-Second-Language classes at a Bronx (New York) local unit. The collection of writings consists of personal narratives, interviews, dialogues,…

This report is an evaluation of an adult workplace literacy and English-as-a-Second-Language program for Napa Valley (California) vineyard workers of limited English proficiency. Many of the classes were held at the worksite. The first section of the report details the project's stated objectives and measures of accomplishment, anecdotal success…

This case study reports results of research on the extent of nonformal education in Guyana; comparison of commitment in private and public enterprises; and financial support, program organization and management, learners' background and objectives, content and methodology, and evaluation strategy. The first two chapters describe the study's…

TO DETERMINE THE PATTERNS OF PRE-SERVICE (VESTIBULE) TRAINING, JOB ORIENTATION, ON THE JOB TRAINING, INDENTURED APPRENTICESHIPS, AND AFTER-HOURS TECHNICAL AND GENERAL STUDY IN THE PREPARATION OF WORKERS IN SKILLED, SEMI-SKILLED, AND TECHNICAL OCCUPATIONS OF MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, THE LITERATURE ON TRAINING MANAGEMENT WAS EXAMINED. AN INTERVIEW…

A project was initiated (1) to improve internal communications among various vocational education providers within the River Hills Region (Indiana), (2) to improve external communication among providers and users of products of vocational education, and (3) to incorporate vocational education information into regional planning efforts. Local…

In this report, learning conditions in Norwegian workplaces were examined to identify ways of making workplaces more conducive to learning. Data were collected through interviews in 11 firms and a questionnaire survey of 1,300 private sector and 200 public sector employees. Opportunities to learn through work varied widely. Older women with little…