The Minnesota Department of Education's Office of Community and Adult Basic Education commissioned an evaluation the 18 adult refugee English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs funded in 1985-86 through the Minnesota Refugee Program Office of the Department of Human Services. The purpose of the evaluation was to identify effective practices and…

A discussion of second language teaching techniques that appeal to adult students looks at general principles of motivation and how they may apply in specific classroom activities. Theories of motivation and human needs are examined, and the role of language in meeting communication needs is considered. Communication activities for developing…

Drawing from a review of the literature, this paper explores the role of university and community college faculty in teaching the growing number of adult students and potential adult students. First, section I offers background on the growth in adult enrollments at Fullerton College (California). Next, section II profiles the adult college…

The ARIN Adult Learning Center in Indiana, Pennsylvania conducted a project to develop language arts and consumer mathematics curriculums for O-4 level adult basic education (ABE) students. Using the five knowledge areas of the adult performance levels as established by the University of Texas, (consumer economics, health, occupational knowledge,…

This paper, the introductory chapter to a forthcoming book ("Financing Recurrent Education"), discusses the political and economic dimensions of life-long learning (recurrent education) and suggests methods by which a recurrent education system might be constructed and financed. The decline in youthful labor force entrants and forecasted changes…

In response to a growing concern over how adult students' needs can be met effectively, Lansing Community College has produced two videotapes and accompanying materials for use with faculty development programs. These 3/4 inch color videocassettes are designed to be used in a workshop setting as well as on a cable or closed television system for…

This guide provides instructional materials and approaches for use by continuing educators, trainers, state units, area agencies on aging, or others responsible for staff development. Section I gives an overview of the mutual needs and responsibilities of adults with learning needs and those who assist them to meet those needs. Section II assists…

Developed for intermediate and low intermediate adult and young adult English language readers, this book describes selected aspects of art and paintings. Topics covered include how to: (1) understand art as part of the environment that can be seen and felt; (2) recognize illusions; (3) comprehend the language of paintings; (4) read a picture; and…

This document reports on the resettlement of Hmong refugees in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas: what their employment experiences have been, which resettlement efforts have been successful, and how current resettlement efforts could be altered to improve the Hmong's long-term adjustment. The report is part of a larger, national project on Hmong…

A study investigated the use of multidimensional scaling (MDS), a statistical technique, to examine the underlying structure of an ability test at the item level. Subjects were over 8,500 Egyptian students in the Department of Public Service at the American University in Cairo. The testing instrument used was a 36-item English language test based…

Cooperative planning, based upon a decade of reentry programs for adults, culminated in the establishment of a public service known as the Adult Resource Center at the University of Akron (Ohio). Located in a renovated building between the campus and the downtown community, the Adult Resource Center serves as a liaison with social service…

Do children and adults who are novices in their use of microcomputers differ in their approaches when learning a computer language? Ten fourth- and fifth-grade students and 10 graduate students were observed learning the language BASIC on microcomputers. All sessions were tape recorded and verbalizations subsequently coded. Verbalizations, the…

An 18-month study examined the way adults learn in rural settings, particularly those adults over the age of 25 who have not completed a high school education or its equivalency. The study was organized into three major phases. The first phase consisted of a survey interview of 93 adults living in a rural county in Vermont. The second phase…

Adults learn from many sources, such as volunteer work, community services, homemaking, jobs, and other activities, and they increasingly want this learning to be recognized so that they can reenter the job market, get a promotion, or return to college. Therefore, scientific methods have been developed to help adults document their experiential…

A collection of studies of second language acquisition in Swedish, Dutch, Spanish, French, German, and English is presented using a cross-linguistic perspective. The following topics are covered: (1) cross-linguistic first language perspectives on second language acquisition research; (2) use of typological markedness conditions in Swedish as…