This information sheet provides a summary of general observations regarding adult learners. Adults from different walks of life may seek out learning at different times in their lives, for different reasons, and for vastly different purposes. Adult learning groups may include students of different ages, cultures, and educational and socioeconomic…

This report reviews a study to identify individual factors that affect adult learners' success and persistence in college programs. Part 1, a historical analysis, uses past records of students to analyze patterns of persistence and success. It examines how demographic variables relate to continuing enrollment, grade point average (GPA), and degree…

More adults are attending college in Finland, so that now approximately one-third of university students, including one-fourth of undergraduates are aged 30 years or over. A study using national data and adult history accounts found these three reasons connected with the change of the age structure in universities: studying for a second university…

This document contains 22 papers presented at a conference on practices in adult higher education. Representative papers include the following: "The Classroom as a Model of Social Justice" (Keith B. Armstrong, Susan A. Timm); "Adult Students with Learning Disorders and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders" (Richard…

Services of community-based agencies, besides information and referral, are described. Their assessment, counseling, advocacy, and outreach services are designed to aid adult learners. Three case examples are discussed: the Community Based Educational Counseling for Adults (CBECA) program in Wisconsin, Boston's WINNERS program, and two…

Reveals that literacy training in small, rural, and primitive communities can affect demonstrable changes in the feelings, attitudes, and well-being of its participants. Utilized interviews, discussions, and observations at two sites in Zambia to highlight the outcomes of literacy training. Discusses the program's weaknesses as well as strengths.…

Christchurch College of Education (New Zealand) offers a distance teacher education course to a rural Maori community experiencing a teacher shortage. Program success is attributed to local initiative in establishing the program, significant local input into program development, attention to the student profile in course design and delivery,…

Identifies barriers to the improved effectiveness of adjunct faculty teaching of adult learners. Addresses three categories of skills and attributes essential for the adult educator: interpersonal skills, instructional planning skills, and teaching and learning transaction skills. Considers on-the-job training, in-service training, and graduate…

Compared performance of low-aptitude remedial adults learning to solve mathematics word problems. Participants worked either alone or as collaborative dyads and received instruction/practice using either the Word Problem-Solving Environment (WPSE), an exploratory system over which learners exercise control, or Solver, a structured and directive…

Motivation for returning to higher education was assessed for 117 adult female college graduates with children and 118 students who had withdrawn before graduation. Motivation was found related to previous education, age, marital status, life cycle stage, employment satisfaction, family support. Interrupters and persisters were generally similar;…

Lists resources for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers working with students seeking employment. The resources also address the changing economy, coping with unemployment, barriers to employment, human rights, self-assessment, and exploring options. Classroom print materials and audiovisual resources are included. (Author/CK)

The article addresses the issue of "learning to elearn" in borderless programs in a globalised learning landscape and the associated problems of scaffolding the journey across the digital divide. The authors argue that the assumption underlying such courses is that cross-cultural programs are viable because they are conceived and…

Lifelong learning has become an important goal of education over the last decade. According to the United States Department of Education (2001), nearly 3 million students over age 17 (excluding those institutionalized) enrolled in adult basic education, adult secondary education, or English as a second language classes in the United States.…

Increasingly, less educated Americans are struggling with self-sufficiency. Low-end jobs are diminishing, and adults who left high school with education adequate to support themselves now find their marketable skills limited. Recent welfare reforms restrict assistance, leaving struggling workers with dwindling aid. Changing family structures…

Purpose--To investigate how the adult learner is valued in e-learning corporate settings. Design/methodology/approach--Case study methodology was used for this research. Four Fortune 500 companies that had active e-learning initiatives for a minimum of four years were selected. Data for the development of the four cases were collected via…