This report makes the case for a shift in emphasis in U.S. education and workforce development policy. Specifically, the report sets out a rationale for investing more in upgrading the foundational skill levels of the U.S. workforce. The report summarizes the results of studies that used data from the 1994 International Adult Literacy Survey…

This study aims to illuminate factors that explain changes in literacy skills across up to six years of adulthood, using data from two waves of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS; N = 4,359). More specifically, we gauge the relative importance of three groups of factors that previous research and theorizing have highlighted as…

Facial masks have become and may remain ubiquitous. Though important for preventing infection, they may also serve as a reminder of the risks of disease. Thus, they may either act as cues for threat, priming avoidance-related behavior, or as cues for a safe interaction, priming social approach. To distinguish between these possibilities, we…

This paper seeks to extend discussion on ICT and intergenerational learning by examining the experiences of unrelated older adults and immigrant youths participating in the community-based "ICT Guides" project in Gothenburg, Sweden. I claim that ICT-supported learning between unrelated older adults and immigrant youths eliminates…

This article explores cross-country patterns in how conditions relating to family background, education, and the labor market are related to literacy and numeracy skills. It seeks to assess whether these patterns are in agreement with models of skills formation as identified in the political economy literature. The novelty of this article resides…

This paper draws on both a theoretical understanding and a semi-autoethnographic approach of the lived experience of working class adult learners in higher education during the COVID-19 global pandemic. In particular, the paper warns of the doxic notion of current working class struggles being singularly attributed to COVID-19. Rather it is vital…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain insight into experiences of adults who expressed personal discomfort with singing, either alone or when others might hear them. Singing agency in music learning, one's belief in one's own capacity to sing aloud, served as the guiding lens for the study. Narrative analysis of interview data,…

With the turmoil and conflict that has been present in recent times, it is imperative that new methods of teaching are explored in order to produce emotionally secure and connected individuals. Social-emotional learning and whole learner education has emerged as a strategy to ensure that students are actively engaged in learning, the school, and…

Adult education is a field that needs teachers that exhibit social justice dispositions in their classrooms. As the students in these classrooms are predominantly people of color, the teachers who support them in the pursuit of their educational goals need to have a deeper understanding of their culture and backgrounds in order to enable trust and…

There are 44 million adults over the age of 24 who hold a high school diploma, and another 35 million adults who have some college credit, but have not earned their college degree. These numbers make adult learners a viable population to attract and matriculate at community colleges. Considering the impact adult learners would have on enrollment…

Online learning has grown substantially in recent years, and there has been an emphasis among administrators, instructors, and researchers alike to better understand what drives student success in their online courses. Success in online learning is also a concern for deaf students, who face unique challenges in online courses. This survey-based…

The number of college admissions for older adults has increased at less than expected rates, impacting older individuals by depriving them of educational benefits which promote successful aging, and by depriving society of the benefits of these individuals' wisdom and experience. According to successful aging theory, successful aging includes the…

This paper argues for conceptualizing the notion of personal learning environments in higher education from an explicit adult education perspective that emphasizes the realization, re-instrumentation, and integration of learning activity in the wider context of adult life. It discusses and re-interprets an existing proposal for modeling "the…

In this forum, Stephen Reder argues that adult literacy education needs to be repositioned within a new framework of lifelong and life-wide learning, a framework in which new policies are formulated, programs are designed and evaluated, and research is funded and carried out. To appreciate how much this suggested framework differs from the…

This article demonstrates that foreign-born adults in Europe tend to participate less in adult education activities compared to native-born adults living in the same country. However, this is mainly explained through the job-related nature of nonformal education. Foreign-born adults tend to participate more in formal adult education than…