A study of 24 Open University students found that adult distance learners approach learning either as reformulation of, or challenge to, texts. Those who reformulate may display surface knowledge but little engagement with issues. Those who challenge may create their own knowledge but fail in terms of instructors' expectations. (SK)

Adults surveyed (n=177) identified the benefits of participation in arts and crafts classes, including skill development (some job related). Such classes contributed to the well-being of the community rather than to narrow economic outcomes. (SK)

Part of a comparative United Kingdom-Belgium study on adults in higher education, explored learning and teaching experiences of adult students and lecturers. Found that experiences are shaped by factors such as culture of the department, teaching styles of lecturers, and rigors of academic study. Adult students left the university with different…

When records of achievement were introduced in Hillingdon (England) Adult and Continuing Education Service, 78% of adult students used them and some were motivated to persist because of them. Tutors found the increased emphasis on learning outcomes and assessment made their teaching more systematic, although their workload was increased. (SK)

Responds to Paradis's (1990) argument that these authors misreported the facts presented by Berthier, Starkstein, Lylyk, and Leiguarda (1990) regarding the recovery by a bilingual patient of his second language earlier than his native tongue subsequent to injection of a narcotic drug. The article argues that Paradis is incorrect. (nine references)…

Discussion of educational methods appropriate for mature, non-standard entry students in an access course at the University of Luton (England) emphasizes the use of a "catalyst" to spark debate and critical thinking. The aim is to efficiently develop the basic skills required for higher education, thus enabling non-standard entry students to…

Feedback from 22 adults enrolled in evening language classes revealed a need for clear precourse information and advice, appropriate assessment and placement, and attention to group dynamics in order to retain learners in language classes. (SK)

The philosophy underlying assessment in a New Zealand adult education program rests on four assumptions: (1) assessment is integral to life and learning; (2) assessment involves power relations; (3) adult learning culture involves self-direction, critical reflection, and transformation; and (4) assessment should be valid, fair, and appropriate.…

Feedback about their learning experiences was obtained from part-time students at Hong Kong Polytechnic through videotaped focus groups. Video clips were used to develop an orientation program for new adult students and for staff development seminars on working with adult students. (SK)

Problems in research on participation in adult education include the following: (1) treatment of participants as voluntary, which ignores the growth of compulsory training in the workplace; (2) lack of knowledge about the choice to be a nonlearner; (3) individualistic focus; and (4) inadequate investigation of informal learning. (SK)

In the last decade there have been many attempts to mount online distance higher education programs on a global scale, led by the e-learning industry and university companies and consortia, some with government support: e.g. Universitas 21 Global, Cardean University, Fathom, NYUOnline and the UKe-University. A primary commercial objective has been…

This study first explores intermediate-level English learners' preferences for hypermedia annotations while they are engaged in reading a hypermedia text. Second, it examines whether multimedia annotations facilitate reading comprehension in the second language. The participants were 44 adult learners of English as a foreign language studying…

This study examined the way part-time students cope with fitting in study on top of other demands on their time. To measure the deployment of coping mechanisms, an instrument was developed based on previous qualitative work. The earlier work had identified three coping mechanisms--sacrifice, support, and negotiation of arrangements--operating in…

This study analyzed the relation between volunteer tutor training and reading instruction in 4 adult literacy programs. The data focus on tutors' choices of reading materials and strategies for assisting in the development of comprehension and word identification skills. Tutor training did not always transfer to practice, and it did not always…

What is the nature of an adult student identity? Based in social constructivist theory, this study explored coconstructed understandings of culturally and socially mediated student identities through a select group of adult undergraduates in intergenerational community college classroom contexts. Key findings elaborated the coconstruction of two…