The issue of assessing adult learning prior to formal college level study is examined and presented in this handbook. The handbook offers guidelines for setting standards, provides a review of some of the proven techniques and practices that have been used to evaluate previous learning, addresses a series of issues relevant to particular subject…

A study examined the attitudes of older college students toward older college instructors. A total of 262 students (who were either previously or currently enrolled in college classes) between the ages of 26 and 80 were asked to complete a 25-item attitude scale. The scale was designed to reflect respondents' attitudes concerning older teachers,…

Many researchers have investigated the factors that keep adults from participating in continuing education or "lifelong learning." Most of the studies have identified factors--previous educational experience, race, ethnic group, and others--that make adults less likely to be participants in schooling. However, the barriers may actually be more…

Attitudes held by younger and older students in mixed-age college classes were surveyed, as were the attitudes of teachers toward the mixed-age classes. Seven campuses in the University of Wisconsin system participated in the survey. Findings for the faculty included the following: faculty preferred an age-mix in class; almost all faculty…

Cognitive structuring was implemented by showing 30 subjects a 10-minute videotape that presented Holland's (1985) model of the world of work before they used an interactive computer-assisted guidance system (DISCOVER). The effect of prior structuring was assessed in terms of a subject's representation of the world of work, occupational certainty,…

Disruptive behavior, which can range from tardiness to violence against classmates or staff members, is a growing problem in adult basic education (ABE). Many feel that this is because ABE programs have begun serving young adults below the age of 18 who are quite different from their more mature classmates both psychologically and emotionally.…

Teaching adults in the higher education context can be frustrating because higher education is often not flexible enough to provide an environment conducive to self-directed learning. Also, both faculty and students must adjust their learning and teaching preferences to an experiential, problem-exploring style that has often been contradicted by…

The locus of control orientations and value priorities of 289 adult learners (115 males and 174 females) engaged in professional continuing education programs within schools of business and education were assessed by means of the Rotter Internal-External Scale and the Rokeach Value Survey. Two-way analyses of variance indicated that males across…

This booklet is intended to assist persons interested in forming a student-centered adult basic education study group. The first section provides an overview of the skills taught in basic education programs. A section on approaches and attitudes emphasizes the importance of the following concepts to basic education groups: allowing students to…

Courses that address the needs of adult learners to better understand marketplace issues and options and to develop effective financial planning, management and decision-making skills are fairly common in community, technical, and junior colleges. A study was conducted to determine the status of such consumer-related studies, identify colleges…

The theory that a trajectory of adult student participation exists in college was tested in a multi-institution setting. The theory posits that the typical flow would begin with noncredit enrollment and culminate in matriculation. The study was conducted at a suburban community education center serving as the host site for credit courses from a…

Data from two studies of 30 year olds were compared on the importance ascribed to and satisfaction derived from 15 life components. The relative frequency with which Carter's (1983) research population of graduate students indicated that life components were important or were sources of satisfaction were compared through critical ratios with…

The study described in this report was conducted to assess the intellectual development of adult learners in a community college using William Perry's cognitive development framework. After introductory material provides a rationale for the investigation of the intellectual development of adult students, the purpose of the study is presented. The…

To identify and help alleviate the apprehensions of returning adult students at the University of Illinois at Chicago, 42 subjects were given the Miller and Daly Writing Apprehension Test (WAT) before and after a composition course, their grades were recorded, and their teachers completed questionnaires regarding student attitudes and performance.…

A study investigated the thinking processes of 14 Anglophone students of French performing challenging reading and summarizing tasks in their first and second languages. Individuals proved to use equivalent higher-order problem-solving strategies while writing and reading in both languages. Strategies varied with the individuals' levels of…