This paper discusses the stage of second language acquisition known as attrition and what learners and teachers can do to prevent attrition and promote retention. Attrition is the stage at which a learner's attained proficiency declines due to a reduction of contact with the second language, whether from lack of contact with other speakers of the…

English language learners' nonparticipation and reticence in adult literacy classes are often presented problematically from a deficit lens of student "resistance" and "disengagement." This article draws from an ethnographic case study of Generation 1 learners, who are defined as adult-arrival immigrant learners, transitioning…

Few researchers have examined the mental health needs of nontraditional student clients (age 25 and older) using a multisite counseling center sample. This study (N = 4,499) included 630 nontraditional students (age 25 and older) who sought counseling services across one state university system. Compared with traditional-age student clients,…

Initial instruction emphasizing large grain units (i.e., words) showed distinct advantages over small grain instruction for English-speaking adults learning to read an artificial orthography (Brennan and Booth in Read Writ 28(7):917-938, 2015. 10.1007/s11145-015-9555-2). The current study extends this research by training 34 English-speaking…

Adult learners represent a growing population of students in higher education who need various types of support to successfully embark on the transition to college. One popular type of support is a transition program, which aims to promote successful entrance to higher education. This study's findings imply that, while adult learners who have…

The aim of the study was to identify the factors that contribute to speaking anxiety in Thai adult EFL learners working in an online media company and enrolled in an English course provided by the company, as well as to discover the anxiety reduction techniques used by these learners. The results showed that significant contributors to speaking…

The purpose of this study is to see the role of using multimodal texts based on Indonesian local cultural content to improve the literacy skills of BIPA (Indonesian for Foreign Speakers) learners. The focus of literacy skills in this study is the learner's ability to communicate using the communication culture of Indonesian society as a result of…

This study aimed to explore the language difficulties faced by English diploma students and provide solutions to overcome them. The data collected in the form of a questionnaire administered to 39 female students were compared in percentages for closed-ended questions and thematically for open-ended ones. Results showed that diploma students…

Affordability is considered a key predictor of college enrollment and academic success, yet higher education costs continue to rise. Over the past three decades, textbooks and course materials alone have increased almost three times the rate of inflation (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016). To identify the extent to which course material costs…

This article discusses a Transition Programme to support the inclusion of mature students in Higher Education. The Transition Programme was designed and it is currently provided by a Higher Education institution in Surrey, South-East of England. An outcome of innovative educational leadership, the Transition Programme' successfully solved the…

This study examined Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' perceptions and use of politeness strategies in oral classroom discourse. In so doing, 29 EFL teachers were selected, and their classroom conversations with their students were audio-taped and observed. Further, ten teachers were interviewed to provide a deeper insight into…

Community colleges are not immune to the challenges faced by the education sector as they try to continue providing quality learning experiences during the ongoing pandemic. Some might argue that COVID-19 exposed vulnerabilities that have long needed attention, such as the 16-week semester model, a heavy reliance on in-person learning, a lack of…

Demographics on university campuses have become increasingly diverse with a significant increase in the number of students ages 50 and older. Many arrive on campus with two or more years of college experience over several terms but with no degree. Higher education leaders' understanding of why these older adults enroll in postsecondary courses and…

The author graduated with an associate degree in liberal arts from Northern Essex Community College (NECC) in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Although he was one of over a thousand students to graduate that day, his situation was a little different than those of his peers. The author is a full-time faculty member at NECC with a Ph.D. in organic…

This study examines levels of library anxiety in 30 adult learners before and after completing a two-credit hybrid information literacy course. A modified version of the Multidimensional Library Anxiety Scale was administered at the beginning and end of the course to compare levels of library anxiety. An analysis of the data revealed that the…