Offers an overview of the concerns and barriers that many adult students face before enrolling in college. Reviews literature on adult students' academic concerns, social and psychological needs, and financial problems. (DMM)

Describes how adult students can learn to analyze fiction by writing, sharing, and rewriting stories. Suggests several activities to facilitate this analytical approach, such as rewriting a published story, examining metaphorical language in poetry, and responding to poems and short stories. (MM)

Describes the use of life histories as a means for making sense of personal events and their application to education. Distinguishes three models for the use of life histories in education: the biographical model, the autobiographical model, and the dialectical model. (22 citations) (MAB)

Discussion of the role of language and dialogue in adult learning looks at dialogue as epistemology and at talk as learning. It is proposed that the challenge in teaching and retaining adult learners is to create dialogue-rich classrooms, including many external speech opportunities, small-group discussion, and group projects. (MSE)

Describes a study that was conducted to monitor the eye movement behaviors of microcomputer users working with an instructional game under varying color conditions. Eye movement is discussed; the computer software is explained; and implications of the results for further research and for courseware designers are suggested. (21 references) (LRW)

All societies have official knowledge. Life of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, 17th-century nun and literary genius, illustrates who discovers knowledge is more important than what knowledge is promulgated. Real issue was not what Sor Juana wrote but whether nun or woman should engage in producing and publishing knowledge. Her efforts have inspired…

Two classroom studies assessed the introduction of innovative instructional techniques, based on adult learning principles, in optometric education. The first involved group projects and related student presentations, and the second introduced active learning methods in place of lectures. (Author/MSE)

An urban Louisiana school system successfully graduated 23 adult dropouts, awarding them real high school diplomas, thanks to the collaborative efforts of various social service agencies, intensive staff development, and sensitivity to students' economic and affective needs. Although schools cannot solve all the personal problems confronting the…

To create a more supportive and collegial learning environment, many educational administration preparation programs are using cohort groups of students. This article traces the development of cohort groups by describing the organizational features and instructional delivery systems used to foster collegial learning and then links these practices…

A social sciences professor at a northwest Georgia college describes her efforts to institute democratic practices in her classroom of mostly older women students. Faculty is advised to listen carefully to students, read what they write, ask open-ended questions and listen to multiple responses, trust students' world-knowledge, make students' work…

Describes a study that determined the effect of two types of instructional media--interactive video and print--and learner gender on attitudes toward instruction. The use of role models with unemployed adults in an employment skills program is discussed; and the use of the Instructional Materials Motivation Scale is described. (32 references) (LRW)

Presents a bibliography of materials published in English, French, Spanish, and German on literacy in developing countries. Highlights include orality and literacy; literacy and development; conceptual approaches to literacy; learners and dropouts; the role of primary education in literacy; and operational issues in implementing literacy programs.…

Reviews research conducted on adult populations dealing with correlates or predictors of proficiency in a second language. Four classes of individual difference variables are considered, including (1) attitudes and motivation; (2) language aptitude and intelligence; (3) language learning strategies; and (4) personality variables. (83 references)…

Reviews professional literature on developments in art education for older adults since 1980. Describes programs at the national, state, and local levels that emphasize either the crafts or fine arts approach to art education. Recommends programs that promote creative thinking and self-expression. (CFR)

Reviews the research on nontraditional (adult) college students. Discusses the recent growth of this student population, adult student characteristics and life situations, learning motivation and achievement of adult students, adult students' preferences in the classroom, and principles of andragogy. Contains 61 references. (SV)