Provides a typology of Internet uses in distance education: type 1--traditional distance learning supplemented with Internet activities; type 2--computer conferencing; and type 3--virtual courses and institutions. Suggests that Internet institutions need a broad range of academic and administrative supports to sustain adult learning. (SK)

Views adult learner resistance through the perspectives of three feminist poststructuralist pedagogies: (1) pedagogy of the unconscious (learners refusing to acknowledge systematic oppression); (2) pedagogy of the unthought (the notion that identity is not innate or fixed); and (3) pedagogy for critical literacy (deconstruction and reconstruction…

Using data from the General Social Surveys, this study compares the effects of different income variables on financial satisfaction among people age 65 and above in the United States. Results suggest that simply using household income as a variable without any adjustment does not capture the real effect of income on financial satisfaction. Income…

In this paper we consider that, to a great degree, educational quality is insured through successful educational and social-relationship strategies developed among educators and their older adult students. Proposals to improve educational quality should be considered within the unique context of each university's mission and goals. Otherwise, the…

Using Foucault's conceptualisation of power and Bahktin's theory of dialogism, the research data presented in this article show how three "successful" learners and their instructor in one computerised GED programme that relied on standardised curriculum materials co-constructed the learning context. The nature of interaction between the…

The self-directed learning (SDL) in all of its characteristics measured in students and in various learning contexts continues to have a very important role in educational research and requires new explorations. Contemporary research indicates that there is a direct positive relationship between the level of student self-directed learning…

The purpose of the provincial ESL (English as a second language) articulation process is to maintain high standards of quality in ESL programming at the public post-secondary institutions of British Columbia, as well as to facilitate access to programs at other public institutions for students wishing to transfer. This ninth edition of the ESL…

This study investigated the following: (1) What are college students' perceptions of in-class activities or the way face-to-face class contact time is used? and (2) Do students' perceptions of the above differ based on amount of teaching experience they have had? Examined were the value or helpfulness of specific class activities in terms of…

Adult English language learners in the United States approach the learning of English pronunciation from a wide variety of native language backgrounds. They may speak languages with sound systems that vary a great deal from that of English. The pronunciation goals and needs of adult English language learners are diverse. These goals and needs…

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of a word study literacy approach on the spelling ability and self-efficacy of adults in a county jail. Forty-four inmates participated in the word study intervention that provided them with hands-on learning. The word study intervention was conducted in four separate sessions (September,…

The American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC) Plus 50 Initiative (2008-2011), funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies, was created to build the capacity of community colleges nationwide to develop programming that engages the plus 50 learner. The Initiative supported a pilot group of 13 two-year institutions to develop or expand college…

Without appropriate education, American workers are hampered in their ability to have the requisite technical skills needed to participate fully and effectively in the modern workforce. Higher education as a system must develop programs and infrastructures that ensure adult learners receive postsecondary education, including at the baccalaureate…

This issue of ETS Policy Notes briefly summarizes the results of the Adult Education Program Survey (AEPS) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and conducted by ETS. The results provide a comprehensive picture of federally supported adult education activities in the United States. This picture includes a description of adult education…

The use of RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) in higher education to assess RPL candidates for admission into programmes of study met with a lot of criticism from faculty academics. Lecturers viewed the possibility of admitting large numbers of under-qualified adult learners, as a threat to the institution's reputation, or an erosion of academic…

The profile of students is changing, with an increase in first-generation and adult students. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in college perceptions between first-generation and continuing-generation adult undergraduates while controlling for demographic variables. The study and hypotheses are grounded in the Model of College…