Motivational research identifies utility value, or the importance of a learning task to future goals, as central to motivation to learn. This study analyzed survey data (N = 86) collected from adult literacy learners to examine their utility value of writing improvement in grammar and spelling skills, word processing skills, and planning,…

The 6th Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE 6), to be published in 2026, aims to explore how adult learning and education can respond to and shape the rapid transformations occurring globally. By focusing on the key drivers of change -- such as digitalization, economic crises, environmental sustainability, conflict, and health…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess how needing to listen and remember information while walking affects speech perception, memory task performance, and gait in younger and middle-aged adults. Method: Four gait parameters (stride duration, step variability, whole-body center of mass acceleration, and mediolateral head acceleration)…

Objective: This study examines the validity of the ASRS-5 as a new screening tool for ADHD and evaluates its proposed screening cut-off in a general population context. Method: A nationally representative sample of 2,002 individuals aged 18 to 80 years was surveyed using the ASRS-5, with complete data obtained from 714 participants. Psychometric…

Older adults are a growing population. This article reviews the literature on older adults in "Adult Learning" from its inception in 1989 through 2020. Topics focus primarily on program reports, programmatic learning needs, personal reflections, and classroom methods. Key findings include that "older adult" is not well-defined…

Funded by the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) grant, this national study examines arts-based adult education organizations involved in dance, music, drama, and visual arts with a philosophical perspective aligned with a multiliteracies theoretical framework. Multiliteracies considers how cultural and linguistic diversity…

This paper examined the level of Environmental Civic Actions (ECA) using a modified version of the Environmental Action Scale (EAS) and Place Attachment Theory (PAT). The Environmental Action Scale measured the level of participation that would have a collective impact on environmental issues. The data was obtained "via" online…

Purpose: "Dynamic pitch," which is defined as the variation in fundamental frequency in speech, is one of the acoustic cues that affect speech recognition in noise. Built on the evidence that a symmetrical manipulation of dynamic pitch led to poorer speech recognition, the present study examined the effect of an asymmetrical manipulation…

High-level literacy skills are required for full participation in the democratic process through voting. Consequently, adults with low-level literacy skills are at a disadvantage. This work investigated the disparity between the readability of U.S. ballot propositions for year 2022 state elections and grade level reading estimates ([less than or…

Many critical educational philosophies assume that learners are naïve and unable to critically read their social reality. Critical educational gerontology (CEG) aims to emancipate learners from oppression, to which they are oblivious. This strand of older adult education charges teachers with the task of raising learners' naïve consciousness, by…

Using the data on 6.8 million individuals from the 1980, 1990, and 2000 decennial censuses and the 2010 and 2019 American Community Surveys, we document changes in living alone over the four decades across five ten-year age groups--twenty-five to thirty-four, thirty-five to forty-four, forty-five to fifty-four, fifty-five to sixty-four, and…

This longitudinal case study from a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) perspective touches upon an under-researched issue: L1 development over the lifespan. Levinson (1978) predicts three stages in adulthood: early, mid and late, with a decline in late adulthood. We examine Diane Larsen-Freeman's publications over a period of 50 years (from age…

English as an additional language (EAL) adult literacy learners have special needs and unique characteristics. The various challenges they face include decoding, comprehending, and developing basic skills for reading and writing. At the same time, it is extremely important to understand EAL adult literacy programming, as the right approaches for…

This study examined the associations between adult education and training (AET) participation, educational attainment, literacy skills, gender, and race/ethnicity among the U.S. adult population aged 25 to 65 years old (n = 5,450). Given the socioeconomic advancements of women and racial/ethnic minorities in the last few decades, including higher…

In response to recent shifts in the global economy, there has been a growing academic interest in adult education and training (AET), enabling adults to meet the ever-changing demands of the workforce. However, empirical findings offer nuanced evidence on the most influential factors among various aspects. This study aims to reexamine the…