This report presents the findings from a study to describe how Americans in transition study for college credit and to establish the extent of degree versus nondegree study. Introductory materials discuss why and how the study was made and the annual rate of adult credit study. Part I describes the demographic characteristics of the 1,000 adults…

Project Transition, an experimental program for adult learners, includes a curriculum based on the expressed needs of students. Areas covered in the seminars include the psychology of adulthood, valuing, the future, career development, midlife changes, and learning as adults. Seminars are divided into stages: engagement, sharing leadership,…

An interesting area of adult development is "gender shift": the transition from the traditional life patterns or ways of making meaning that are associated with stereotypically male or female roles. One may experience the wish to fulfill those parts of one's personality often associated with feminine or masculine constructs not yet explored.…

A study tried to determine if development can continue through middle age, if education can stimulate adult development, and, if so, what the contributing factors are. The subjects were 60 men and women who had begun doctoral studies between ages 37 and 48, half of whom had just finished and half of whom had just started. Half of the students were…

A study investigated the experience of midcareer adults in self-directed graduate programs. It explored two questions in the researcher's personal experience: as a learner, what caused the researcher's change in learning-orientation from goal- to learning-oriented and, as a teacher, could the researcher justify using both self- and…

In March 1959, Howard McClusky introduced his Power Load Margin (PLM) theory and proposed that it be used for studying the adult years and for developing and building realistic educational programs for adults. His formula, which states that the key components of adulthood are load (the demands made upon the individual by self and society) and…

Examining the changing patterns in adult growth which alter family, learning, and work behaviors, the presentations collected here were given at a conference in which scholars, teachers, counselors, industrialists, and therapists met to explore the linkages between education and work throughout the life span. The edited transcripts are organized…

These proceedings contain the texts of the following 44 papers: "Adult Development in Midlife, Childless Women" (Rita Keneipp); "Analysis of the Relationship between Cognitive Style (Field Dependence-Field Independence) and Level of Learning" (Eugene Tootle); "Reconceptualizing Adult Education Participation" (Peter Cookson); "Adulthood:…

This book discusses how spiritual development is informed by culture, how spirituality assists in meaning making, and how understanding the relationship between culture and spirituality can help adult educators make their students' educational experiences more transformative and culturally relevant. Particular attention is paid to spirituality's…

This document synthesizes the findings of an invitational policy consultation at which 27 invited participants from England, Wales, and Scotland examined the special career guidance needs of third-age adults (adults age 45 or older) and strategies for meeting those needs. First, the special career- and employment-related problems faced by…

This book, which incorporates information gathered through research in the United Kingdom and the United States, explores the nature and importance of learning throughout the human life cycle. The following are among the topics examined: (1) learning and third age education (the emergence of education for adults, third age education); (2) learning…