In Pakistan, adult literacy programs are offered to enable learners to function effectively to attain individual, family, and social sustainability, but these programs are continuously reporting low participation. This study aimed to explore the reasons behind low participation, employing a descriptive phenomenological design to examine the…

The Workers' Educational Association (WEA) has supported adult learning for over 120 years. Participating in adult learning brings a range of benefits for individuals and communities. These go much wider than solely education benefits and include better health, increased participation in community activities, and increased confidence and critical…

Although there has been much research on second language learning, minimal literature reports how language learners learn multiple foreign languages through immersion. Further, a majority of these previous studies have been conducted using exclusively quantitative methods. In response to these empirical and methodological gaps, the current study…

Online courses are particularly attractive in continuing education because they offer a high degree of autonomy and flexibility, although this requires learners to take greater responsibility for self-regulating their learning. That can be challenging for adult learners as they need to handle other obligations in addition to learning. Thus,…

Since 2008, the Taiwan Ministry of Education has been encouraging government agencies and private organizations to establish Active aging learning centers (AALCs). This has led to the engagement of AALCs across communities in Taiwan. We explored AALC organizers' experiences with negotiations during program planning. Semi-structured interviews were…

The research in this volume takes account of the context of policy promoting Chinese as a second language (CSL) in several countries and regions, (Australia, East Asia and South-East Asia), and the wider social context of multilingual and multicultural societies. Furthermore, this book reports results of two research studies which investigated how…

The 6th Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE 6), to be published in 2026, aims to explore how adult learning and education can respond to and shape the rapid transformations occurring globally. By focusing on the key drivers of change -- such as digitalization, economic crises, environmental sustainability, conflict, and health…

This paper presents an enhanced evaluation framework for teacher professional development programmes, which is based on one originally proposed by Huber in 2011. This paper draws on a study on the Professional Up-skilling of English Language Teachers (ProELT) programme in Sabah (Borneo), Malaysia. The study adopted a mixed methods exploratory…

Older women find fewer opportunities for learning offered in communities in Mississippi, yet these women are still active cognitively and physically. This gap can be filled by quilting guilds, groups that satisfy the older woman's need to challenge her mind and create camaraderie with other older women who have a common interest. Quilting allows…

Transformational learning theory is a cornerstone within the field of adult education. However, are all learners ready for their disorienting dilemma which instigates transformational learning? To answer this question, this autoethnographic paper unpacks an adult learner's personal journey on a research expedition to Antarctica. Using Antarctica…

This exploratory study, in which the participants portrayed a critical role, aimed to discover the perceptions of professional development in changing educator practice at the secondary level with middle school teachers in an urban school district. The data collection process included semi-structured interviews with nine secondary teachers via…

This research examines the impact of online help-seeking strategies--both adaptive and peer-based--on promoting self-regulated and collaborative learning skills, as well as language learning outcomes, among Chinese EFL learners in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) environments. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study triangulates…

As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms higher education, faculty are increasingly expected to integrate AI tools into curriculum design, assessment, and instruction, often without adequate preparation. This article examines how Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs) can effectively support faculty adopting AI technologies through…

Adult literacy in the U.S. remains a persistent challenge. Alarmingly, half of adults demonstrated literacy skills at or below basic proficiency levels. This deficiency significantly impacts the daily functioning, workplace success, health outcomes, and socioeconomic disparities. Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) serve as a promising solution for…

"Everyday Muse" is an online professional learning community for artists and creative entrepreneurs working in the Creative Industries, specifically targeted at people working in the visual arts, creative writing, film and media. Underpinned by a holistic approach to creative and business development, the program focuses on supporting…