Discusses the Graded Objectives for Adults Learning (GOLF) Russian program. The aim of the GOLF program is to have four levels, with Level Four being considered equivalent to a good GCSE pass, at which stage students will have a good working knowledge of the language and a wide vocabulary. (CK)

Reports on a study that examined the response of adult learners, 11 undergraduates, to instructional content presented as hypermedia. Most learners adapted comfortably to the medium, both by imposing "old" learning techniques on it and using new "situated" ones suggested on the tutorial. Their self-evaluation assessed both…

A British college-university partnership provides access courses for Asian adults that include continuing consultation among faculty, assessment of student needs and satisfaction, and attention to the concerns of speakers of English as a Second Language. The program emphasizes curriculum relevance and cultural perspective. (SK)

Discusses a study conducted to assess the effect of computer-based instruction on academic achievement of adult learners and student attitudes surrounding this type of teaching. Results showed statistically greater gains for students in a computer-based, rather than a traditional, class, as well as positive student attitudes toward using computers…

Describes a study of returning adult women students enrolled in distance education programs. Results of focus groups showed five general categories of needs: communication with the instructor; interactions with other students; technical assistance; campus support services; and personal needs, including the support of family and employers.…

Describes an 11-week course given at a nursing home to nursing home aides that focused on abnormal psychology and behavior intervention skills. Discusses the course goals, class composition, and course description. Addresses the problems and issues encountered with teaching this course to a nontraditional population in an unconventional setting.…

Interviews with 55 of 260 adults who completed Access courses and progressed to British universities revealed areas in which they felt the courses left them underprepared: conducting library research, using information technology and the Internet, writing essays, and practicing for exams. They would have preferred a grading system similar to that…

Examines the extent to which a highly motivated older adult can acquire a new language by focusing on a case study of a 57-year-old woman's endeavor to learn Spanish in an immersion setting. The learner's experiences, as recorded in diary entries, are examined in relation to the literature on cognitive aging. (Author/VWL)

Throughout its history, adult literacy education has been defined, researched, and controlled by external entities. Action research is now enabling literacy practitioners and learners to gain a voice through production of their own knowledge. The applicability, benefits, and inherent risks of practitioner action research are discussed. Contains 53…

Presents an interview with Dr. Martha Maxwell, author of five books on student learning skills, regarding the field of developmental education. Discusses how developmental education began and where Dr. Maxwell sees it going. Describes her feelings about the recent attempts at privatization; the chronic funding problems; and the ongoing question of…

The Federation of Worker Writers and Community Publishers was set up in 1976 by a number of independent writing and publishing groups to support and develop the writing of working class and other marginalized people. Focusing on the development of individuals within a collective organization over the previous three decades provides important…

This paper explores the ways in which the adult learner has been governed in recent years and whether the techniques for doing this have changed over the last 50 years. The focus is first on which adult subject (adult learner) is constructed in the material analysed. What kinds of subjects are governed? This is followed by an analysis of what…

Academic debate about education and ageing issues has hitherto been based largely on provider and practitioner concerns. Here, the first stage of a two-year research project that aimed to move the focus to older learners themselves is discussed. The aim in this initial stage was to construct a conceptual model of life course influences on older…

The signals had been there for years. Task force reports and researchers all predicted it. Then, in the late 1990s, the economic collapse in this blue-collar region of central Maine began. First, the Cascade Co. closed its textile mill. Then the C.F. Hathaway Co. shut down, and Dumont Industries followed suit soon after. Several stores and other…

This article presents my views and reflections on working with adult ESL learners at a community-based adult literacy program in the Southwest. In this article, I share my experience working with adult learners learning English as a second language and critically address and discuss issues significant to the learners in their language and…