Information obtained from 275 responses to the Adult Attitudes toward Continuing Education Scale was factor analyzed to identify dimensions of attitude: enjoyment of learning, importance of adult education, and intrinsic value of adult education. Cluster analysis delineated 5 types of adults, a typology that can enhance understanding of the…

A study developed a valid and reliable measure to assess adult attitudes to continuing education. It determined the relationship between attitudes and participation in adult education and identified differences between the attitudes of subgroups of the adult population. A total of 275 adults from the central New Jersey area completed the Adults'…

Discusses a study that explored the underlying structure of the reasons adults give for not participating in continuing education. Concluded that conceptually meaningful deterrent factors can be identified, that the construct of deterrents is multidimensional, and that results provide empirical support for incorporating the deterrent construct in…

Summarizes and synthesizes the state of knowledge about hard-to-reach adult learners and nonparticipants in education. Discusses theoretical and practical implications. (SK)

A new form of the Deterrents to Participation Scale was sent to a random sample of households. Data from the 215 respondents yielded six deterrence factors--lack of confidence, lack of course relevance, time constraints, low personal priority, cost, and personal problems--that are useful in building future adult education programs. (SK)

Data from an earlier study, a survey of 215 adults that identified six factors deterring participation in adult education, were reanalyzed. The resulting typology describes 5 types of nonparticipants: people deterred by personal problems, lack of confidence, educational costs, lack of interest in formal education, and lack of interest in available…

Explores likely directions for the future of adult learning research. Describes three research areas that will serve as a foundation for future efforts: (1) the teaching-learning transaction, (2) participation, and (3) self-directed learning. (CH)

A study was conducted to analyze the sociodemographic determinants of participation, satisfaction, and persistence in American adult education in order to formulate recommendations for public policy regarding access to lifelong learning opportunities. Data were collected from questionnaire responses by a sample of 79,631 adults. Of the total…

While recent research on why adults participate in continuing education programs does not provide educational planners with any easy prescriptions for programing success, it does suggest some broad directions for more effective program development, particularly in relation to needs assessment, the promotional aspect of marketing, and the design…