This investigation examined whether the professional trainers could benefit from a needs analysis course in which real cases from various organizations were used and all the learning activities and materials were geared closely to the learning expectations and preferences of adults. Specifically, this study attempted to find out whether the use of…

This report describes the third annual National Adult Student Priorities Study (ASPS), an attempt to determine the areas of highest importance to students aged 25 and older. The 2002 ASPS represents data from 78 colleges and universities representing four-year public, four-year private, and two-year community, junior, and technical institutions.…

This study examined the effects of full-time employment, marriage, and parenthood on the re-enrollment in college of individuals who stopped attending college before completing a degree. Data were obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS-72), focusing on the initial 7 years of the tracking period, from…

This pamphlet discusses the pivotal role that feedback can play in the instruction of adult learners with learning disabilities and provides strategies to enable teachers to constructively design and present effective feedback. The paper begins by describing and instructional techniques that can be used to create interest and provide feedback…

A follow-up study was undertaken of the prisoner-students who were participants in a prison university liberal arts education program in Canada during the years 1973-1993. The objective of the study was to test the claim that the program had been effective in reducing the rate of recidivism of its students. Finding early on in the research that…

This survey analyzes the characteristics of students who dropped all of their classes at City College of San Francisco (CCSF) before the college's census date. The survey finds that students who drop all of their classes are similar to students who remain enrolled, yet tend to be older, to hold a college-level degree, and to hold at least one…

This document contains 51 poems, essays, and short stories that were authored by adult student writers throughout Ohio. The works were selected from 130 pieces of writing submitted by the students of 51 adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) teachers who encouraged their submission for presentation at the first Ohio Literacy Resource…

Interviews with 20 adult returning students investigated their library needs. Seventeen female and three male undergraduates aged 23 years and older at colleges in three cities in North Carolina participated. Many adult students have needs that differ from those of traditional undergraduates, especially in dealing with technology. The time…

This study examined the perspectives of eight adult college students who developed experiential learning portfolios based on their experiences in the workplace. Individual interviews were conducted to obtain participants' opinions and attitudes on the development of the experiential learning portfolio. Three major themes emerged from the data.…

Women in institutions of higher education who deserve special attention in advising situations include those with multiple responsibilities, those in under-represented fields, and reentry women. Factors that can help women be successful in an institutional setting are a supportive family and informal peer support groups. Stressors for women seem…

This book consists of 15 papers addressing issues and conceptions of self-directed learning. The following are included: "Self-Directed Learning as a Political Idea" (Stephen D. Brookfield); "Social Influences on Individual Commitment to Self-Directed Learning at Work" (Alan J. Brown); "Goals of Self-Learning" (Rosemary S. Caffarella); "From…

This study explored how adult students define success in college and their perceptions of factors that either support or hinder achievement of this success. Thirteen returning adult students at two institutions were interviewed using a grounded theory approach. Data were analyzed inductively and iteratively to identify persistent themes. Students…

In preparation for the next National Household Education Survey (NHES), the conceptual frameworks of participatory behavior and methods used by other researchers to study factors promoting or inhibiting participation were examined. The following items were reviewed: the adult education (AE) barriers questions included on the 1991 and 1995 editions…

This discussion paper focuses on nontraditional female students in a developmental writing class at a small two-year college in Georgia. Through interviews, focus groups, and observation, the study discovered that women are entering college in greater numbers than ever, and the colleges, at times, have difficulty in building support systems and…

Although research indicates that adults with low literacy skills need 100 to 150 hours of instruction to advance one grade level, adults in literacy programs participate in instruction for an average of only 70 hours per year. The Wallace Foundation launched the Literacy in Libraries Across America (LILAA) initiative in 1996 to help library-based…