Three studies were conducted to determine the validity of the idea that adult literacy students have greater reading potential (and thus can learn in much shorter periods of time) than school children who score at comparable levels to the adults on standardized reading tests, and that adults are more efficient learners than such children. The…

A study was conducted to discover what adult literacy students in Northern Ireland felt about a series of booklets that had been developed especially for such students and to find out the students' levels of comprehension of the materials--specifically to determine if comprehension depended on the subject's reading age. Twenty-one male students…

A study examined the effect of the presence of older students in the college classroom on the attitudes and performance of college freshmen. Using a pretest-treatment-posttest format, researchers examined two sections of a second-semester freshman English class. One section was an intergenerational class composed of 14 college freshmen and 10…

The goals, services, and administration of North Shore Community College's (NSCC) Center for Alternative Studies (CAS) were the subject of the workshop described in this report, which was conducted by the National Council of Community Services and Continuing Education. After the workshop's agenda is presented, the text is provided of CAS Director…

A study was conducted to compare adult learning experiences within formal educational programs in rural areas with those in urban areas, predominantly at the postsecondary level. It focused on the phenomenon of adult learning in rural settings by analyzing participation rates, needs assessment data, interest inventories, program evaluations, and…

This paper provides a synthesis of research and theory directly related to retention of adult students. In the first of five major sections, readers are provided with a brief discussion of the nature and significance of the dropout-retention problem. Section 2 reviews research findings relating to who drops out and why. Sociodemographic,…

A study was conducted to identify older graduate student applicants and the graduate school selection process. Older students were operationally defined as over age 30 or those who received their baccalaureate degree eight or more years ago. Information about the characteristics of older graduate students was obtained from the Graduate Record…

The effects of career counseling on subsequent job satisfaction in mature women returning to college was investigated. Subjects, women 25 years or older upon graduation, were drawn from two populations--one that had been involved in career counseling through an established counseling program for mature women, and one that had not. While career…

THIS ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY REFERS TO MATERIALS PARTICULARLY USEFUL TO TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS FOR ADULT BASIC EDUCATION AND LITERACY SITUATIONS. INCLUDED ARE PROFESSIONAL AND PRACTICAL REFERENCES TO ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION, ARITHMETIC AND MATHEMATICS, CITIZENSHIP, AND PERSONAL ADJUSTMENT.…

A statewide survey was commissioned by the California Community Colleges during Fall 1979 to assess public attitudes toward the colleges and to determine the need for vocational education among the California adult public. A stratified random sample of adult residents within each of California's seven community college regions was selected for a…

Faculty attitudes toward older learners were studied using an adaptation of Kogan's (1951) attitude scale and methodology. Forty-nine faculty members from various colleges and universities in Ohio and Indiana were subdivided into two groups: those who had taught in a structured higher education experience aimed at people over 60 years of age and…

Motivation is vital to all learning with the possible exception of incidental learning. Home study may adapt motivational learning theory to its goals by considering basic concepts with related examples. First, the more advance reasons an individual has to believe in the value of home study, the more likely will be the success of educational…

GRADED AND NONGRADED CURRICULUMS ARE REVIEWED, AND COMPARED, AT THE FLORIDA STATE PRISON. DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM A LITERATURE REVIEW, INTELLIGENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT TESTS, PUPIL INTEREST INVENTORIES, STUDENT RECORDS, OBSERVATIONS, CONFERENCES, AND CASE STUDIES. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE GRADED CURRICULUM HAD WEAKNESSES IN THE LANGUAGE ARTS SUBJECTS,…

Mature students undertake studies at colleges of education, vocational institutions, and long term residential colleges, usually as a sequel to interests and studies cultivated in adult classes. Increased demands in teaching, social services, and management, as well as demands for upgrading of technical skills have increased educational…

The document presents a literature review, providing a summary of existing research findings relevant to all types of schooling interruptions. The section on the noncollege interruptee examines primary and secondary schooling: the types of programs available, characteristics of returnees, probabilities of program completion, and effect of…