A study explored the nature of adult learners' social networks by interviewing six adult learners at a suburban northeast Ohio adult education site. Five of the subjects were working to pass the General Education Development Test and one was a student of English as a Second Language. The study found that several of the subjects had social networks…

To learn more about the motivational factors of adult learners, data were collected regarding the instructional motivation perceptions of adults in a variety of learning environments. Subjects in the first phase of the study were a mixture of 183 graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in credit and noncredit education courses of 4…

A study was conducted to determine whether deaf and hearing students generated different quantities of errors on word processing documents in a mainstreamed class. It also examined whether these students measured up to job-ready work quality standards. A literature review focused on the following topics: (1) needs assessment for deaf adult…

This paper analyzes the accreditation candidacy of New Mexico's Southwestern College (SC) and sees it as a transformational process for the institution. SC is a private, non-profit, special-purpose, graduate level institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico which offers masters programs in counseling and art therapy. The school achieved candidacy for…

This edited transcription of a presentation by Susan Imel and Judy Wagner, of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, discusses the use of the Internet in adult education and family literacy programs. Issues discussed include models of technology instruction, adult learning characteristics, and World Wide Web sites of…

Test anxiety is exceedingly common among learners in adult basic education. Any one or more of the following can cause individuals to experience test anxiety: learned behavior resulting from the expectations of parents, teachers, or significant others; associations that students have built between grades or test performance and personal worth;…

This guide, based on a project to improve services to adult learners at the California State University (CSU) Hayward campus, is designed to help faculty become more aware of the needs of adult learners and to promote the changes that will help institutions in the CSU system to meet those needs. The guide serves as a summary overview of key issues…

A 3-year study described older-than-average full-time students at the University of North Dakota and compared them to traditional-age students on that campus and to their older-than-average counterparts nationally. From a sample of 100 students in each of 6 categories (young adult, adult, undergraduate, graduate, and professional), 69% responded.…

Students and teachers in adult literacy programs in Columbus, Ohio, and London, England, were interviewed using structured questions relating to past educational history, perceptions of encouragers and barriers to participation in education, support systems, the nature of success, and future expectations. Those interviewed were selected by…

The Self-Knowledge Inventory of Lifelong Learning Strategies (SKILLS) was developed to measure adult learning strategies in real-life learning situations. SKILLS consists of a series of 12 scenarios from real-world situations that reflect Shirk's (1990) nine general categories of learning for real-life situations and that necessitate various types…

This guide was developed in Great Britain to help colleges develop programs for assessment of prior learning (APL) for adult students. (APL involves careers and educational guidance, access to particular courses despite possible lack of traditional certification, accreditation, formal credit toward a particular qualification, and exemption from…

The University of Glamorgan (Wales) conducted a research project to determine the counseling and guidance needs of its mature students. The project's long-term objective was to develop a new institutional policy for a coordinated guidance and counseling system reflecting the different needs, perceptions, and situations of students and staff, and…

A 353 demonstration project was conducted in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, area to provide adult literacy students with information concerning voting in local, state, and national elections. The project had two components: (1) development and presentation of a series of three learner voting workshops; and (2) creation and presentation of a hands-on…

A project was conducted to instruct adult education teachers on communications and counseling issues. A series of four workshops were held to provide instructional and support personnel with practical skills that will make them work more effectively with their students. Attendance at all four workshops was excellent, with 20-30 practitioners at…

The Further Education Unit's (FEU's) current quality projects in Great Britain include Trialling TQM [total quality management], Maintaining Quality During Curriculum Change, and value-added work. The FEU value-added project consisted of a survey of 125 technical colleges to discover the extent of value-added activity and a short-term working…