The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are differences between different age and gender groups of adult learners when they are compared simultaneously on the number of messages they post, self-efficacy improvement and academic performance in an online learning environment. A two-way MANOVA revealed significant main and…

The limited research that exists in the area of prior learning assessment (PLA) has tended to be descriptive and conceptual in nature. Where empirical studies have been done, they have focussed mainly on PLA as a means of credentialing rather than as a learning experience. Furthermore, there has been very little empirical research into the…

Open online courses (OOC) with a massive number of students have represented an important development for online education in the past years. A course on artificial intelligence, CS221, at the University of Stanford was offered in the fall of 2011 free and online which attracted 160,000 registered students. It was one of three offered as an…

This investigation was undertaken to investigate the threshold levels of literacy and language proficiency necessary for adult learners to use the Internet for independent learning. The report is triangulated around learning from large-scale surveys, learning from the literature, and learning from the field. Reported findings include: (1)…

This study investigated the factor structure of motivational constructs as expressed by older adult learners and examined how these constructs correlated with selected socio-demographic characteristics at the National Open University of Taiwan (NOUT). Results were based on the responses of 371 elders to the 32-item Reasons for Participation Scale…

This article is a report on research conducted to support the development of a multilingual literacy learning software programme for adult learners in rural Limpopo Province, South Africa. The topic of inquiry for the research was literacy learning in a multilingual environment, with special attention paid to attitudinal and metacognitive aspects.…

This article examines a longitudinal case study exploring the experience of a cohort of part-time, adult, work-based learners, mostly experiencing higher education for the first time. A wide range of instruments, including diaries and interviews, were used to collect data to explore, in some depth, the nature of the learning experience. Data…

Although it may be so subtle that it is not noticed or sudden and life altering, adult development occurs in a cycle of four inherent processes: transaction, transition, transformation, and transcendence. These processes exist in a cycle characterized by growth and development. The processes can be defined as follows: (1) transaction--personal,…

This book contains a collection of 76 original essays produced by students at a model adult literacy program run by Literacy Volunteers of America-Chippewa Valley (Wisconsin). The essays were produced by the students with the encouragement of their tutors. The essays are grouped into the following topic categories: life's lessons, citizenship,…

The act of reading directions and being able to carry out those directions precisely is very different from reading prose--such a specific skill needs to be taught to adult students. Being able to follow directions is an important workplace competency, as well as being crucial for completing tests required of job applicants. Mountains of forms, in…

Publicity techniques for reaching commuter students are presented in this article. Following a discussion of the special problems associated with reaching commuter students with information, the difference between promotion, advertising, and publicity is explained. Publicity strategies are then provided for: (1) reaching adult students; (2)…

This paper reviews the literature on the habits and preferences of American adults in four areas: reading, library use, television viewing, and adult learning. Within these areas, research results are reported for: (1) the demographic characteristics of readers and nonreaders, the reasons given for reading, time spent reading, the places where…

A nominal group procedure for ascertaining adult students, needs in educational programs is explained, with examples from the American Pie Forum provided. (LH)

After decades of neglect adult literacy and numeracy (ALN) learning in Scotland has been accorded the prominence that it has always merited but seldom received. Understandings of the concept of literacies and what it means to be literate have similarly undergone significant change in the last few decades. This shift has entailed a recognition of…

This study was conducted to construct a normalized table which described the typical personality profile of nontraditional female undergraduate full-time students at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It was hypothesized that the nontraditional female undergraduate at MTSU would differ from both traditional female…