While Jean Piaget's work as it relates to the development of childhood and adolescent cognition has long been explored, only recently has the usefulness of Piaget's theory in the study of adult cognition been studied. Recent research by educational psychologists has raised serious doubts about Piaget's theoretical position that the highest level…

Research has indicated that the elderly retain the ability to learn, and specifically to learn new languages. Furthermore, the increasingly greater proportion of old people in the population demands that their need for continued intellectual stimulation be met. In the absence of explicit motives for learning an ethnic language, Esperanto is a good…

THIS STUDY EXAMINED GROWTH MOTIVATION AS A DEVELOPING CONCEPT AND AS A THEORETICAL CONSTRUCT, AND THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS THEORY FOR ADULT EDUCATION THEORY AND PRACTICE. SPECIAL ATTENTION WAS GIVEN TO THE THEORETICAL CONSTRUCTS OF ABRAHAM MASLOW, TO THE NATURE OF GROWTH MOTIVATION CONCEPTS IN GENERAL, AND TO FORMS OF SELF UNDERSTANDING AND…

Understanding the connection between motivation and education is crucial for the achievement of adult educational goals. In social psychological terms, for each individual the learning process proceeds selectively in the context of motivational forces. With increasing age and ego development, basic motivational forces are socially defined,…

The paper presents results of a study to assess to what extent visiting a museum is an adult learning experience. Study population was 112 adult visitors to the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus during December 1976 and January and February 1977. Visitor behavior was observed and recorded and the visitors were then interviewed for their comments…

A study was designed to examine the relationship between certain measures of cognitive development and reading scores, particularly reading comprehension scores. Forty-one adult basic education students, ranging from 16 to 62 years of age (mean age of 25) and predominantly from lower socioeconomic groups, were administered the following three…

As a contribution to research on the reading behavior of adult beginning readers, two experiments were performed with adults reading on the first, second, and third grade levels. The experiments sought to determine whether the pattern of developing strategies in these adults differed from evolving patterns in children learning to read; differences…

Among the characteristics of training (such as cross-cultural training) that differentiate it from traditional classroom education are its attention to how adults learn, preference for the experiential approach, emphasis on "learning how to learn," and tailoring to meet individual needs. Seven issues are considered to be most important in current…

A summary of the first nine months of the study on "The Education of Adults in New York in the Last Quarter of the Twentieth Century," the report has further explored what public policies and programs might serve to increase the participation of adults in individualized learning activities by examining the issues of: (1) financing, (2)…

This study was designed to determine whether adults' memory for pictorial and word stimuli might be differentially affected by age. Twenty female secretaries, median age 22.1, and 20 female members of a senior citizens' center, median age 69.4, were asked to learn lists of pictorial and word stimuli under free recall conditions. Eight trials were…

A six-week course titled "You Too Can Return to College" at the University of California at Davis is designed to assist adult women reentering college. Returning women were found to be lacking in confidence, had low self-expectations, and needed specialized counseling. The reassessment course is offered through the Extension Division of…

A summary of literature concerned with the learning abilities of disadvantaged adults showed no definitive evidence to suggest that they have any less ability to learn than other adults. A paucity of research relating to this problem is noted. Recommendations for future research include the development of long-term, extended training studies to…

This workshop was undertaken to exchange, through face to face interaction, theoretical formulations on adult education and the social sciences; and to provide adult educators with opportunities to learn more about theory building principles and strategies. Papers for the first day discussed research dissemination and utilization, measurement of…

A research design was created to investigate if adults participating in noncredit courses have different preferences for control of inclass learning activities. Only the variables of "reason for participation" and "type of content" were researched as to whether they affected preference for control. The study provides evidence that different adults…

The development of learning environments especially for adults has been neglected and research in planning such environments is fragmented and minimal. There is general agreement that facilities for adults should have an aura of adulthood to contribute to an adult's feeling of ease, confidence, and capability; that they should be flexible in room…