Learners' views on their progress and achievement in literacy and numeracy were examined in a study during which practitioners from eight further education colleges in England interviewed 70 adults (ages 16 to over 60 years) enrolled in literacy, numeracy, or English-for-speakers-of-other-languages programs. The metaphor of traveling on a learning…

This document contains six papers exploring emerging viewpoints, issues, and trends related to mentoring and adult learning. "Mentoring: From Athena to the 21st Century" (Catherine A. Hansman) traces the definitions of the term "mentor" and mentoring practices that have evolved since antiquity. "Emerging Perspectives on…

This book contains 22 papers that are designed to situate research and practice in adults learning mathematics within the wider field of lifelong learning and lifelong education. The following papers are included: "Introduction" (Diana Coben, Gail E. FitzSimons, John O'Donoghue); "Review of Research on Adults Learning…

A comparative study of the impact of violence on immigrant women's learning was conducted among immigrant women of two communities in the Toronto area: the Spanish-speaking community and the Kurds. The two authors of the study each worked with one of the communities in which they had knowledge of the language. An in-depth, non-structured,…

Robert Kegan's constructive-development theory of adult growth postulates three different ways of knowing (instrumental, socializing, and self-authoring) and suggests that, although individuals develop differently, individual development can never be separated from culture. The potential of the constructive-development perspective on adult…

This document cites theoretical works and actual cases to examine the notion of community as the web of learning. The first half of the document explores the different perspectives about the concept of community and traces the evolved nature of community through an overview of how humans have banded together to form communities from the early days…

This document presents a case study for an innovative session exploring the nature of learning and the relationship between action learning within academic programs in adult education/human resource development (HRD) and the higher education institutions that house them. The first two sections discuss the dilemmas confronting higher education and…

This document contains three papers on informal learning and human resource development. "Workplace Learning Reviewed: Confronting the Rhetoric with Empirical Research" (Rob F. Poell, Ferd J. Van der Krogt) discusses the considerable discrepancy between theory on workplace learning and actual workplace learning-related developments in…

Increasingly, adult educators are using narrative and stories for many reasons, including their deep appeal, satisfaction, and cultural transcendence. As a fundamental structure of human meaning making narrative is a valuable classroom tool in that it can enable students to understand life events, personal actions, and solidify identity formation.…

This booklet, which was produced as a follow-up to the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education, examines communication among minorities and nonminorities in adult education programs. The booklet begins with a sketch of the situation of minority group members around the world and a list of 10 ways education policy and legislation can…

This booklet, which was produced as a follow-up to the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education, presents examples of key areas where research is currently being conducted by various public and nongovernmental agencies and recommends ways to enhance communication among researchers. The first 75% of the booklet reviews recent research on…

This collection of 38 papers has as its focus adult learners, and covers a wide range of topics including: electronic peer networks; workplace training (in Australia); health professional accreditation; students with disabilities; vertically integrated courses; balancing instructional modes through journal writing and student collaboration;…

Education has traditionally been seen as a pedagogic relationship between teacher and learner. Although andragogy has provided many useful approaches for improving educational methodology and has been accepted almost universally, it still has connotations of a teacher-learner relationship. Some have argued that the rapid rate of change in society…

This book examines how the Japanese learn to work by exploring the following topics: common assumptions about vocational education and training (VET) that Japan brings into question; Japan's general education system and the moral quality and prestige status of the teaching and learning process; screening processes within Japan's education system…

The methods used by Australian farm managers to obtain the skills and knowledge needed to manage their businesses were examined. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 85 farm owners/managers from South Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania, and New South Wales. The farmers interviewed identified a wide range of…