Devastations, transitions, crises, and challenges can trigger what are sometimes referred to, particularly in the field of adult education, as "disorienting dilemmas." Jack Mezirow, an adult educator and social activist, maintained that a disorienting dilemma occurs when an individual encounters a life challenge that cannot be resolved…

Despite a vocal commitment to fairness, the British Government has, according to these authors, wholeheartedly failed to live up to this pledge when it comes to skills and adult training. A report on adult learning released in December by Demos found a system rife with inequality and contradictions. As the jobs market becomes increasingly…

The ageing of society is one of the biggest policy challenges of this time. Growing life expectancy and low birth rates mean that, for the fist time in human history, most people, and certainly the more prosperous social groups, will be spending a third of their lives in "retirement". This has profound social, cultural and economic…

Each year, 200 novice teachers arrive at the schools in a large district in Reno, Nevada. The district's challenge is to create a comprehensive system of support for these teachers. For eight years, the district has provided a site-mentor for each of the novice teachers and required attendance in a two-year program of study as part of the New…

This chapter describes social capital theory as a framework for exploring women's networking and social capital resources. It presents the foundational assumptions of the theory, the benefits and risks of social capital engagement, a feminist critique of social capital, and the role of social capital in adult learning.

Humans are social beings endowed with intrinsic and extrinsic capabilities and a desire to seek and receive social support from one another. The extent to which this action takes place varies as people move farther away from their familiar environment to new locations. Many immigrant women have traveled far and wide in search of "better…

Developing online learning communities is a promising pedagogical approach in online learning contexts for adult tertiary learners, but it is no easy task. Understanding how learning communities are formed and evaluating their efficacy in supporting learning involves a complex set of issues that have a bearing on the design and facilitation of…

A major challenge for practitioners in adult mathematics education is to achieve effective learning outcomes in the face of prevailing negative attitudes in their students, often present as a consequence of unsatisfactory early mathematics learning experience and flowing from the wellestablished connection between adult innumeracy and mathematics…

In this study I examine the noticing of verbs with stem vowel changes by beginning adult learners of L2 German who have not been formally introduced to this linguistic feature. Two research questions (RQs) guided the experimental design and the empirical analyses in this study: (1) Do adult beginning learners of German who are unfamiliar with…

Teaching and learning have been a focus of professional development for community college faculty, yet little is known about the impact of professional development on the instructional practices of part-time community college faculty. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the impact of sustained professional development on the…

ALADIN, the Adult Learning Documentation and Information Network, is a well-developed, well-defined and lasting follow-up initiative of CONFINTEA V (Fifth International Conference on Adult Education), which was held in 1997. This global network was brought to life by UIL and the efforts of many adult learning documentation and information centres.…

The "Programme for Government" is the Welsh Government's plan of action for this term of the Assembly. At the forefront of the programme is growth and sustainable jobs. As a small economy, still recovering from the decline of manufacturing and the coal industry, Wales' economic and social outcomes are inextricably linked. Certainly, the…

This study investigated the notions of washback and classroom-based assessment within the context of the "First Certificate of English (FCE)" examination and the students at the British Institute of Florence (BIF). A review of the literature examining classroom-based assessment revealed several limitations in previous research. This…

A new Labour government was elected in May 1997 and wasted no time in signalling its enthusiasm for the education of adults. Secretary of State for Education and Employment David Blunkett gave his first speech in office at the launch of Adult Learners' Week 1997 and announced the creation of a National Advisory Group for Continuing Education and…

The Maine Center for Workforce Research and Information's website reports a 36% loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector from 2000 to 2010 (over 28,500 jobs). Increasingly, employers are requiring a more educated workforce. With only 25% of Maine's population holding a bachelor's degree, Maine lags behind the rest of New England (at 35%),…