Six principles of critical practice in adult education are derived from the conceptualization of adult education advanced in this article. They concern voluntary participation, respect for self worth, adult education as collaboration, praxis, critical reflection, and the nurturing of self-directed adults. (CT)

This study sought to describe the personality characteristics of self-directed continuing learners, develop an instrument to identify such learners, and conduct empirical investigations to validate the instrument. Results suggest the instrument is a valid tool for identifying self-directed continuing learners when used in its entirety. (Author/CT)