Adult learners, who comprise over half of all students in higher education, are typically part-time students in transition and present special challenges to colleges and universities. These students are primarily seeking to improve their situation through education, and their commitment to self-improvement dictates a different set of aspirations…

For this paper, prepared as an input to an ongoing assessment called "Adult Literacy and the New Technologies: Tools for a Lifetime," the literature on the use of technology in educational programs was reviewed, and the use and instructional effectiveness of audio equipment, television, computers, and interactive media were examined. Special…

The 1993 report presents information from an annual survey of the states concerning enrollment of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in public elementary/secondary and adult education. It updates an enrollment database covering the school years 1985-86 through 1993-94. An introductory section describes and summarizes the study. Subsequent…

This publication is a guide for those planning and facilitating a "Helping Adults Learn" Workshop designed to assist higher education faculty and staff in promoting greater access and success for adult learners in higher education. An overview of the workshop describes the purpose, goals (to increase understanding of theory and research…

This special "theme" edition of a newsletter focuses on learning disabilities of adult participants in literacy programs. It is a collection of organization profiles, editorials, resources, and examples of collaborative efforts between learning disability and literacy organizations. An overview of this issue is followed by an annotated list of…

These instructor and student manuals contain the content for a course on getting a job for students of English as a Second Language. The course emphasizes the cultural values and nuances of U.S. culture that students may expect to encounter during the job search and job interviews. Topics covered include exploring cultural assumptions, culture…

Certain types of evaluation tools used in continuing education offerings limit the evaluation process and hence the value of the offering. Asking a yes/no question as an exclusive evaluation method for learners' achievement of objectives is inappropriate for certain types of offerings. Provision should be made for assessment of continuing…

A Massachusetts family literacy project, the Northampton Family Literacy Project, is described, in which adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners enrolled in a community educational center in order to learn English as their children enrolled in a child care program at the local library. Both groups were involved in language activities,…

Communication courses have a unique role to play in the education of the adult or nontraditional student in a community college. Because these classes are often one of the introductory courses and academic success may, to a large extent depend on the ability to use oral communication skills in the classroom. Communication courses provide an…

Although instructional systems design (ISD) has traditionally been used as a micro-level model to design instructional interventions, there has been in recent years a trend toward using the systems approach for more macro-level applications such as performance technology and educational systems design. This paper provides an overview of…

This document provides one-page abstracts of the 39 workplace literacy programs funded through the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education in 1990, and a resource guide for persons involved in such projects. The funded projects focus on basic literacy skills needed in the workplace and use reading and mathematics…

An ethnographic study examined ways in which the writing behaviors of adult literacy students in a classroom setting were either similar to or different from current theories of language acquisition. Three students were selected from an adult literacy class at the Fordham Library Center in the Bronx. The research plan had a three-pronged approach:…

Since attrition is often a problem in adult training programs, a study was conducted to investigate the relationship between locus of control and course completion of adults enrolled in a retraining program. Rotter's Social Learning Theory of Personality was used as a starting point for the study. The study population was a sample of 108…

Findings and recommendations of a University of Alberta task force study on the mature student are presented. Study objectives were as follows: to identify the characteristics of the mature student population at the university, to identify major concerns and needs of this population, to determine to what extent the university meets the needs of…

The effects of returning to the classroom on the self-perception of women who had been away for some time and on the perceptions of their families were studied. A self-report survey was completed by three groups of women in different educational settings: 9 graduates of a general educational development high school diploma program; 11 graduates of…