A project developed a model Master of Science in Education curriculum for health professionals that was based on principles of adult learning. The completed curriculum included course content, instructional alternatives, an implementation plan, and an evaluation plan. The following methods were used: a review of literature on adult education and…

Britain's National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are work qualifications that measure what an employee or potential employee can do as well as how much he or she knows and understands about a particular job. Used as written proof of usable workplace skills that can be put to profitable use by an employer, NVQs range from basic Level 1, for…

A study examined patterns of self-directed learning among disabled adults and their adult caregivers in Lancaster, England. Data were gathered from the following sources: 117 completed semistructured questionnaires that had been distributed through carer organizations in Lancaster and Blackpool (England) and the surrounding area; semistructured…

This paper is a description of a union-sponsored workplace literacy program conducted in a large metropolitan hospital. The section following the introduction presents the research methodology, including data collection and data analysis procedures. The section entitled "The Making of a Workplace Literacy Program" looks at the planning stages of…

The appreciative inquiry process was used to identify conditions enhancing self-directed learning. Participants in the project did the following: (1) used the five-step process to identify factors/conditions/forces that seemed to cause self-directed learning to occur; (2) created a matrix by combining the factors/conditions/forces with six…

These proceedings contain presentations and other materials from a conference that focused on the past, present, and future of graduate study in adult education. They begin with the first General Session, a dialogue consisting of reflections on the genesis of graduate study in adult education in North America by Cyril Houle, Malcolm Knowles, and…

This report presents a framework for considering general and work-related adult cognitive performance that is drawn from current theory and research on life-span developmental and cognitive psychology. The first section considers the concept of basic skills and the classical distinction between achievement and aptitude. By drawing linkages between…

The 1993-94 PASSAGE newsletter was established to create a customized educational/career-development/work-related informational publication for Pennsylvania's adult learners and educators. The project's main objective was to provide timely workplace and job skills information to Pennsylvania's adult learners, unemployed/underemployed individuals,…

This Teaching Adult Learners Kit (TALKit) is an inservice "cafeteria" that offers many choices to the workshop planner/facilitator. The core of the kit is a series of structured workshop activities designed to help teachers build a teaching foundation--a working philosophy for adult education. Activities focus on three areas: the philosophy of…

An Israeli study determined what happens when persons with low-literacy levels read news accounts that presuppose general knowledge that the writer expects them to have, but that they may not necessarily possess. The study sample consisted of about 600 students, mostly women, in 30 literacy centers throughout the country. In each class, adult…

This book describes the framework for an individualistic approach to learning--critical self-directed learning (SDL). A preface explains what is meant by "critical practice of SDL," describes educational streams that have fed into the concept, and situates the context within which the ideas about critical SDL developed. The order of the chapters…

The purpose of this book is to equip trainers to perform with excellence. Chapter 1 focuses on how adults learn and interact, examines the impact instructors have on learning, and introduces the instructor performance system. Chapter 2 details the requirements of the instructor's job. Chapter 3 outlines the system that enables training managers to…

This guide outlines a practical six-step procedure to plan education for adult learners. The first chapter outlines the instructional planning procedure, which integrates existing knowledge about how adults learn and the principles of designing instruction and examines the principles of adult learning. The next six chapters describe the following…

All state directors of adult education in the United States were asked to complete a questionnaire requiring them to consider health within the context of learning and offer priority ratings for health from the various standpoints. An 88% response rate was achieved. On a 5-point scale, the state directors' mean ratings of health from selected…

Designed to help adult learners realize the importance and necessity of implementing continuous quality improvement (CQI) in a rapidly changing, competitive, and modern world of work, this document presents a comprehensive explanation of CQI. The following topics are discussed in the book's introduction and seven chapters: importance of quality in…