The views of Scottish adult literacy learners regarding existing adult literacy education and ways of improving it were examined. Input was sought through 31 focus groups that were held in five Scottish regions and involved a total of 193 adult literacy learners. Selected findings of the study were as follows: (1) although individual negotiation…

Teaching styles reflect the beliefs and values that teachers hold about the learners' role in learning; learning styles provide insight into the ways learners perceive, interact with and respond to the environment in which learning occurs. Many teachers teach in the way they were taught which usually can be characterized as field independent…

A study analyzed the ideological messages about welfare recipients promoted in two welfare-to-work educational programs. Data were collected through interviews with students, teachers, and administrators at an adult literacy classroom serving unemployed women on welfare and an employment preparation program designed to increase job skills of women…

This book focuses on applying instructional design to development of classroom learning for adults. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the model and addresses concerns about use of instructional design in adult education. Chapter 2 deals with assessing and developing skills as an adult educator; a literature review on behavior, beliefs, knowledge,…

This guide provides information on nearly 500 adult-oriented colleges and universities, and includes descriptions of nontraditional programs such as guided study, distance learning, correspondence, and televised programs. Two introductory chapters provide information on going back to school and selecting a college. Chapter 1 discusses issues such…

Intended for those who work with adult learners in postsecondary institutions, this book discusses special learning needs adults may have and related issues, tools, and strategies. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the demographics and issues that adults with disabilities face as they seek opportunities to learn. Chapter 2 explores the diversity…

This final performance report provides project outcome information and data to the U.S. Department of Education for the federally-funded Library Literacy Program. The Knox County Literacy Program, Inc., a project of the Knox County Public Library (Vincennes, Indiana), involved recruitment, coalition building, public awareness, training, rural…

The characteristics and experience of mature students at the National University of Ireland (NUI) Maynooth were examined in a study in which data were collected from the following: detailed questionnaire mailed to all 298 mature students registered at NUI Maynooth and returned by 164 (55%) of them; semistructured interviews with a sample of 20…

Australia's National Reporting System (NRS) was developed as a mechanism for reporting the outcomes of adult English language, literacy, and numeracy provision in the country's vocational educational and training system, labor market programs, and the adult and community education sector. This document is intended to explain the NRS to potential…

This packet contains five issues of "GED Profiles" that examine various aspects of the characteristics and motivation of adults who take the General Educational Development (GED) tests and the effects of completion. These topics are explored: "GED Candidates in the Workforce: Employed and Employable" (Janet Baldwin, Henry…

This report examines the participation of older undergraduates, above age 24, in postsecondary education using data from the 1989-90 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:90) and the 1990-92 Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study (BPS:90/92). It profiles older undergraduates and compares them with younger undergraduates with…

Researchers used cross-sectional survey research to reexamine the problem of adult persistence within undergraduate degree programs. They identified a variable--perceived stress--that permitted a richer explanation of the process of student persistence. A model was presented that examined the attitudinal and behavioral impacts of unmet need,…

The Assessment Tools for Adult Education project was designed to provide training and support to staff of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) funded programs to help them use assessment tools and procedures to document the learning gains of the adult students they serve. The following candidate assessment…

"Contested Ground: Performance Accountability in Adult Basic Education" (ABE) is one of the most important books on adult literacy policy at the turn of the century. In it, Juliet Merrifield examines the critical issues of policy, practice, and theory with which the field is currently consumed. She and her colleagues maintain that the concept of…

This book offers approaches for teaching adult patrons how and where to find information in libraries and through information services. It includes 34 papers, organized in seven sections, expressing the views of faculty, adult students, and administrators as well as librarians on theories of educational psychology that explain how adults learn.…