A review of research in self-assessment techniques for foreign language skills is based on a survey of the literature and the results of a survey of teachers, researchers, and administrators in adult education centers in many areas of the world. Two late 1970s surveys of self-assessment research and pilot experiments concerning the general…

Changes in the working and personal lives of adults as a result of completing a bachelor's degree as a mature-age student were studied in Australia. Also considered were students' progress through the degree, patterns of employment while enrolled, and additional formal higher education after completing (or withdrawing from) the program. The study…

A study examined the re-entry female student as a composite of the various roles she plays, and also traced the changes that occurred during her first semester in college, specifically in composition class. Internal and external factors, both positive and negative; the writing process itself; and the mode and focus of instruction during that…

A study, investigating the patterns in which Chinese learners of English as a second language (ESL) learn English interrogative structures, focused on four major classes of English questions (yes/no, wh-, alternative, and embedded) categorized into seven structural types. Data came from a test requiring rapid translation of 55 Chinese questions.…

This report presents the findings from a study to describe how Americans in transition study for college credit and to establish the extent of degree versus nondegree study. Introductory materials discuss why and how the study was made and the annual rate of adult credit study. Part I describes the demographic characteristics of the 1,000 adults…

This fact sheet offers guidelines to consider when developing educational programs for adults. Characteristics of adults which affect learning are discussed under the following headings: adult life cycle; time orientation geared toward immediacy; broad base of experience; independent self-concept; and social roles. The importance of allowing…

Hospitals venturing into educational programming for older adults may do so with some trepidation, since older adults have a documentable poor record of participation. Therefore, this study examined the relative importance of previously identified motivational factors when an institution has no proven record in gerontological programming.…

Interviews with 19 adults participating in adult basic education or literacy programs were conducted to ascertain the strategies they used to compensate for reading and writing difficulties. Although the project intended to secure this information from adults diagnosed as learning disabled, it had to rely on self-reports and educational history to…

The results of a national survey concerning the enrollment of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in elementary, secondary, adult basic, and adult secondary education are presented and summarized. Data are drawn from information provided by chief state school officers, federal agencies, and individual respondents to the survey. The study is…

Instructional designs are described that respond to the personal needs of adult learners, the general education needed for employees in contemporary, complex organizations, and the need for effective instruction models for use with adult students. Following a discussion of the changing expectations in the work environment that result in a need for…

The responsiveness of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to its adult undergraduates is measured as part of an examination of the American higher education system's response to this type of student. One purpose of the study is to adapt to this university the Commission on Higher Education and the Adult Learner's "Postsecondary…

This analytical bibliography describes a group of selected documents that examine the current status and extent of development of adult education in Latin America. Documents were selected for inclusion based upon their focus on and concern for international and national goals and needs of adult education programs and for distribution to countries…

The population of college students contains an increasing number of students who are over 25 years old. Therefore, more adult-focused courses in communication are needed because adults tend to be interested in communication problems rather than communication subjects and value learning that makes use of their experiences. One model that fulfills…

A study examined the ways in which adult educators increase learner load. The primary objective of the study, which was conceived within the context of Howard McClusky's concept of margin, i.e., the ratio between the burdens on adult bears and the strengths he/she has to bear them, was to identify the specific instructor characteristics that…

In order to capitalize on the learning experience which adults bring to the classroom, it is necessary to identify some of the components of the self-initiated learning cycle. A study of 12 adult graduate students' learning experiences in an adult learning class was used to identify a common pattern of experience. The pattern of the learning…