An adult learner task force at a small liberal arts college conducted a telephone survey of a random stratified sample of approximately 40 recent graduates from 3 college programs to identify factors perceived as contributing to the graduates' academic success. Additionally, a focus group was convened to assess faculty perceptions of institutional…

Although andragogy became an article of faith among many adult educators in the 25 years since Knowles first popularized the concept, relatively few studies have attempted to compare andragogy and pedagogy experimentally. Eighteen studies that attempted to do so included 15 dissertations and 3 journal articles. The studies were organized by…

Colleges are still designed for 18 to 22 year old students, even though that category includes only about 20% of the total population seeking degrees. Because of this fact, the term "andragogy," or how to teach adults, should become a more recognizable concept in education. A study was conducted in which 25 first-year adult women at…

A study examined adults' experiences regarding participation, guidance, and progression in various formal educational settings across Scotland. In-depth interviews were conducted with 50 adult returners to the different parts of the education system (higher, further, and community education and local schools). Data from the interviews were…

This report is based mainly on two studies that sought to describe the prevalence and extent of student support services in further education (FE) colleges in England. Information for the studies was gathered from a 1991-92 survey of 80 colleges and 5 regional workshops on the development of learner services in FE colleges. Additional insights…

This study looked at the current and future role of a University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) women's center through surveys of university administrators at several institutions and of current students at UMKC. Sixteen urban, public universities were surveyed by telephone regarding the existence of women's centers, types of programs and…

This book examines the ideas of two radical heroes of adult education: Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) and Paulo Freire (1921-1997). The book is organized into six chapters. Chapter 1 introduces both men and their influences on adult education. Chapter 2 examines Gramsci's educative concept of politics, focusing on his concepts of hegemony and the…

This digest presents reasons for using World Wide Web activities in adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction. It addresses the issue of preparing learners to use the Web and suggests activities that focus on authentic learning experiences to enhance skills. Discussion is centered in skills developed through the World Wide Web,…

A comparative study of higher education for older adults was conducted using data from two surveys in the United States and one in Japan. The U.S. surveys, one of 200 higher education institutions in the country (69 percent response) in 1986 and a 1990 survey of all 308 higher education institutions in California (50 percent response) had the…

On September 27, 1991, a seminar was held by faculty, administrators, and other higher education practitioners to discuss financial aid issues related to the almost 11 million nontraditional students in the nation's colleges and universities. This monograph describes those issues and presents four papers that formed the background to seminar…

A curriculum designed by the Maury, Tennessee, Literacy Council to address deficiencies in English-language skills is presented. Maury County, Tennessee, is a rural area south of Nashville whose automotive industries and ethnic restaurants have immigrant populations in need of English instruction. A state 353 teacher training grant was obtained to…

The project investigated and developed assessment tools and instructional methods and materials appropriate for adults with learning disabilities who are students of English as a Second Language (ESL). The report summarizes the project's goals and results in four areas: assessment of learning disabilities; methods and materials for teaching ESL to…

Returning adult students enrolled in graduate programs at the University of Wisconsin's School of Education and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences were studied. The sample of 25 male and 48 female students were 25 years of age and older, U.S. citizens, and had been out of school for 3 years. Students completed a biographical assessment,…

This descriptive state-of-the-art report presents a survey of recent distance learning developments in Britain, mainly by local colleges in the public education sector, and discusses the motivation and experience of adult learners. Distance learning in general is examined, and current models of provision and the audiences served by these programs…

The effectiveness of three teaching techniques used by native speakers with students of English as a second language was studied. The three techniques were presenting a word in isolation, in combination with a picture, and in a sentence. The study included a 24-hour interval between teaching and testing to determine which method was more effective…