The literature on the field of older adults in higher education is fairly new. Until 1975 almost all of it was normative or speculative. With the publication of the first volume of the journal "Educational Gerontology" in 1985, however, the amount of literature in the field increased dramatically. The literature on older adults in higher education…

Noncredit continuing education activities of the University of British Columbia are reported for 1985-1986. For various faculties, schools, and departments, information is provided on objectives of the sponsoring unit, progress toward achieving objectives, types of offerings and enrollments, and staff members. Information is presented on: the…

Attrition among students in adult basic and secondary education programs has been a perennial problem. Conducting research on this population is also problematic once they have dropped out of a program. A study surveyed 76 dropouts and 35 General Educational Development (GED) program completers from two large, multisite programs about factors…

At each age learning is a complex interaction of motivation, cognition, and development. In older adults, motivation is often related to a lifelong personality construct or personal meaning that an older individual will seek to play out when given the opportunity in late life. The needs of the older adult learner can be discussed in terms of…

Barriers faced by 42 nontraditional age women (age 35 or above) enrolled as freshman in four state institutions in Oregon were studied, based on a demographic survey and interviews. The following types of barriers were identified: (1) social barriers, constraints brought about through economics, age, family or community attitudes, or sex-role…

"Lifelong learning" often has the connotation of "lifelong schooling," an activity planned and organized by specialists for others. In contrast, "lifelong learning" can be understood as the description of a continuous life process, including not only formal and self-directed intentional learning, but also unintentional, but nevertheless important…

Developing literacy in adults who speak English as a second language (ESL) means more than rote memorization of letters and sounds, because literacy implies a familiarity with the language and culture sufficient for comfortable interaction and communication of ideas to others. Literacy can be defined as (1) a matter of language, (2) having many…

DISCOVER for Adult Learners (DISCOVER AL) and SIGI PLUS are recently developed computer-assisted guidance systems designed to assist individuals in making career decisions. This technical report highlights similarities and differences between the two computer-assisted guidance systems so that service providers may make informed choices concerning…

A study of predictors of reading comprehension in English as a second language had as subjects 33 adult students in full-time intensive English classes at the intermediate and advanced levels of reading. Each was tested with an oral and a written language inventory, and each response was recorded as syntagmatic or paradigmatic. Other tests…

This paper presents a history of Danish studies in reader response research, including the addition of questionnaires to the research. The paper describes nine studies in reader response research, including information on their stages, persons responsible, supporters, funding institutions, internal reports, and publications. Five additional…

Following a review of the literature on mature female students, this paper examines enrollment trends in a selection of colleges in Alberta (Canada) and presents the findings of a survey of returning women students at Red Deer College. The literature review highlights factors related to the personal and professional development of women graduates…

Despite the abundance of information available regarding enrollment trends in higher education, few institutions are adequately prepared to offer educational experiences tailored for the newest phenomenon on campus, the adult part-time student. This group is expected to make up almost half of the undergraduate student body by 1992. Many of these…

Writing is an important tool in teaching skills to adult basic education (ABE) students. To be a successful teacher of writing, teachers must be successful writers. They must be aware of the writing process and willing to use it daily in their own lives in order to convey its importance and its usefulness to their students. One method of teaching…

Enrollments of students over 18 years old in part-time education and training programs were studied in 1981, with special emphasis on adults studying the humanities. Information is provided on: the characteristics of adult students enrolled in humanities courses, the subjects that they studied, reasons adult students studied the humanities, the…

A beginning-level class in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) using the natural approach (NA) was conducted experimentally at the Institute of North American Studies in Barcelona, Spain from April through June, 1985. At the end of the ten-week term, the class of 17 students was given a communicative test and a structural test. A parallel…