Compared 106 middle-aged student (outwardly oriented) and nonstudent (home oriented) women on attitudes toward age, perceived happiness and satisfaction, perceived physical health, number and severity of depressing symptoms, self-esteem, and autonomy. The student group reported better health, fewer and less severe depressive symptoms, and higher…

Reviews research literature to determine implications for educational programs for elderly persons. Showed that, in general, researchers fall far short of providing useful information to practitioners in this field. Suggested that laboratory research on cognition and learning must be followed by research conducted in the actual educational…

Reports a study which took an experimental look at two psychological areas of inquiry which have a bearing upon adult learning: retention and transfer of learning. Two kinds of instruction were adapted for use with adults: programmed learning and guided discovery learning. (WL)

Techniques are offered to help the trainer resolve the problems caused by the presence of experienced employees with new employees in one classroom. Ego protection is the key for dealing with both types of trainees. Systems that get feedback from all the students encourage cooperation toward a common goal. (Author/AJ)

The need for mastery of question forms by the English language learner is discussed. A system of techniques for use with a group of intermediate young adult learners familiar with question patterns but lacking oral practice is suggested. (RM)

Teaching reading is a complex undertaking, especially when the learner is an adult. Unlike children, adult learners cannot spend several hours in a classroom every day. Given the complexity of the task, what methods should educators use to help adult learners make substantial gains in their reading skills? This booklet summarizes the emerging…

The purpose of this qualitative study done in 2003 was to determine which factors motivated the adult learners who were employed full time to pursue and complete a college degree at a Southern California university complex. Using a structured survey which included Q-Sort and Likert Scale methodologies followed by in-depth interviews, the study's…

This narrative tells the story of a nontraditional student who completed her education to become a college teacher when returning to school was quite unusual. Twenty years after high school graduation, the teacher received a bachelors degree and began a 14-year career teaching mathematics and physical sciences in a public high school. In that…

Student development theories and student-support programs should be designed to meet the special needs of culturally diverse populations. Specifically, those responsible for teaching and helping black students must create models of human and student development that take into account the unique needs and experiences that black students bring to…

As the instructional shortcomings of Focus on FormS and Focus on Meaning have surfaced, Focus on Form (i.e., drawing brief attention to linguistic forms while learners engage primarily in meaning) has slowly but steadily gained the attention of researchers and teachers. The research question underlying this study was whether Focus on Form could be…

The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, as part of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, requires programs to use standardized assessments to report learning gains for students in adult education programs. In addition, local and state agencies need an accountability tool for students who are difficult to assess adequately with a…

Selecting appropriate teaching strategies to optimize learning of a particular body of knowledge presents a challenge to adult educators. There has been little emphasis, however, on the role that subject matter plays in the learning process. From a literature review, a model that relates teaching methods to subject matter and learner dependence…

This study investigated differences between college faculty members' and students' perceptions of teaching styles and the extent to which faculty employed different teaching styles for traditional and nontraditional students. The study also examined (1) the relationship between instructors' teaching styles and such instructor demographic variables…

This study was an attempt to provide information about the growing number of adult students who leave postsecondary education without a degree. Little has been done to improve the success rate of adult students, largely because so little information is available about why these students do not persist to graduation. The study looked at 295…

The purpose of this study was to identify demographic and other relevant distinctions between students at the College of Professional and Liberal Studies (PALS) at Nova Southeastern University's Farquhar Center for Undergraduate Studies and the University's College of Career Development (Career). PALS serves traditional undergraduate students,…