Purpose: This paper analyzes critically four selected learning theories and their role in online instruction for adults. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review was conducted to analyze the theories. Findings: The theory comparison revealed that no single theory encompasses the entirety of online instruction for adult learning; each…

A 19-question online survey was administered to all 115 directors of Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs) across the United States to explore the extent to which research is being conducted and for what purposes. A response rate of 87% was attained. Findings revealed that most research focused on issues such as course and instructor…

For the "Baby Boomer" generation, there exists inequality and injustice in education, both in dollars spent on education/programs and in amount of study devoted to their learning needs. "When the first baby boomers turned 65 in 2011, there were just under 77 million baby boomers in the population" (Colby & Ortman, 2014).…

This report considers the science of adult literacy acquisition, with the goal of identifying principles that may improve the effectiveness of adult literacy programs. We define literacy as a continuum, from emerging literacy, through improving literacy, to fluent literacy and we outline the factors that influence how far along that continuum an…

Few adult second language (L2) learners successfully attain high-level proficiency. Although decades of research on beginning to intermediate stages of L2 learning have identified a number of predictors of the rate of acquisition, little research has examined factors relevant to predicting very high levels of L2 proficiency. The current study,…

A study was conducted utilizing Cross' (1981) barriers to adult learning as a framework to better understand how adults successfully complete their graduate studies. Participants in the study were solicited via Facebook and LinkedIn. Three female adult learners who persisted in their graduate studies while balancing demands outside academics…

There is intense interest in computer games. A total of 65 percent of all American households play computer games, and sales of such games increased 22.9 percent last year. The average amount of game playing time was found to be 13.2 hours per week. The popularity and market success of games is evident from both the increased earnings from games,…

With 6 billion British pounds of public spending reductions already on the table, and far deeper cuts inevitable, what are the prospects for adult learning in the new Parliament? Some of the regular contributors of this journal were asked what they expected and what they would like to see. Ewart Keep warns that the coalition parties' commitments…

These proceedings contain 58 papers. Selected brief titles are: "Teaching Reading in Advanced English to Adult Chinese Students" (Bao); "Analyzing the Training of Trainers and Adult Educators" (Boshier); "Knowledge Utilization in Social Work Practice" (Baskett); "Adult Education in the U.K." (Bright); "Developing Media Literacy in Adults"…

Adult students in higher education comprise a sizeable and expanding group of college and university students. While Sissel, Hansman, and Kasworm (2001) note the dearth of scholarship on adult learners in higher education, this same group of scholars and some of their colleagues have certainly produced a solid foundation of scholarly work on the…

To strengthen the research in adult education, tools and expertise from other disciplines should be utilized, research results disseminated, and research priorities set. Problems directly related to adult learning needs should be investigated on a priority basis. (EM)

The existing body of learning style (LS) research was reviewed from the standpoint of its applicability to adult populations. It was discovered that most existing LS research has been conducted on populations of school- and college-age students in classroom settings and does not consider self-directed, informal, or incidental learning. The…

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…

A study used the Educational Resources and Information Center (ERIC) database as a resource for journal articles on adult education and women since 1971 to examine the recent effort at including inquiry on women and gender in the adult education literature. Once the ERIC database was searched and analyzed for possible trends, a random sample of…

This document presents the national plan for research and development (R&D) in adult education and literacy that was developed by the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL). The document begins by explaining the process used to develop the plan, which included conducting a literature review, obtaining input from a national steering group, and…