While research on functional decline in later life has expanded knowledge on aging, theories of functional transitions are needed. Proposes a conceptual model that views change as mobility between states. Exploring the analogy between geographic migration and functional change suggests several migration concepts that might be borrowed by aging…

The most important job description for educators is discovering and providing conditions fostering off-the-chart learning curves for children and adults. At-risk students and educators are those with little possibility of continued learning. Only when schools become communities for adult development, will they become hospitable to student…

Describes an online course in which graduate students collaboratively investigated and shared personal experiences with respect to adult development. Topics include naturalistic inquiry that was used to identify issues that characterized course dynamics; adult education; flexibility of course; co-construction of meaning; and the expression of…

The article discusses learning as embedded processes of development and aging, and as social activity over the life course. The concept of life-span learning is proposed and outlined to discuss these processes as aspects of and propositions in life-span development and aging theory. Life-span learning processes arise and continuously develop in a…

The impact of early life events that take place under specific historical and societal circumstances on adult development have rarely been investigated in old age. We examined whether having started a family in young adulthood was related to the contents of possible selves generated by women aged 85 to 100+ in the Berlin Aging Study (N = 129; M…

Why do some teachers demonstrate great cultural sensitivity in their work with children while others seem mired in stereotypes, perpetuating a view of diversity as exotic or denying that race is an issue in their classrooms? Why is it so difficult to change these dispositions of teachers? And what can we do in teacher education to further the…

Several national trends are converging to impact adult education today. First, the increasing presence of adults in higher education is accentuated by the expansive Baby Boom generation who are demanding greater access to the higher education system in the United States. Second, regarding workforce and economic development in the 21st century,…

The authors argue that unlike their younger counterparts, who experience their young adult development within a dual-identity or bicultural framework, older, African American, gay men experience their development through 3 distinct cultural perspectives. Using a constructivist framework, the authors explore this tricultural development and make…

Gerontological counseling as a counseling specialty spans only 20 years. This text incorporates into its framework the 16 Minimum Essential Competencies of gerontological counseling that have been developed over the past two decades. These competencies focus on the knowledge and skills required to be an effective counselor for older persons and…

Because of the economic and cultural changes that are currently taking place in society and the workplace, many adults who had their career and personal lives planned to retirement are finding those plans no longer viable and are recognizing the need to readjust their career expectations. Many adults who had always viewed life as a linear,…

This paper examines higher education faculty vitality from the perspective of the individual faculty member by taking a closer look at the individual differences among faculty which might be related to faculty vitality and by linking issues of adult development to the continuing professional development of faculty. First the paper uses data from…

Female aging, compared to male aging, is associated with a greater decline in status and attractiveness. To investigate whether sex differences in the perception of aging function at both the cognitive and affective levels, 76 college students (38 male, 38 female), with a mean age of 22.8, viewed slides of a male and female adult. Subjects were…

While most lifespan developmental theories of personality predict age-related changes in coping, little direct evidence exists for determining whether age differences in coping style are due to intrinsic developmental processes or to age differences in the kinds of stresses encountered. To evaluate age differences in coping strategies and whether…

This booklet is intended to be a discussion document for teachers who are concerned with the specialized interests of the aging. The seven chapters are: (1) Aging: What's the Fuss All About?; (2) What Do the Young Know of Aging?; (3) Can Aging be Taught?; (4) Are the Schools Too Busy?; (5) Aging: What is There to Learn and Teach?; (6) What Has…

This paper explores the psychological shadow--the disowned self--as one of the hidden, unconscious elements in adult and continuing education, often underlying those inexplicable emotional reactions that transpire in instructor/learner interactions. Drawing on the literature related to the psychological shadow, teaching/learning, and adult…