This article provides an overview of adult learning theory, focusing on the theories covered in this issue of New Directions in Adult and Continuing Education. In offering a brief synopsis of each article and reflecting on the ways adult learning theories have evolved since the first update was published in 1993, this article explains several…

The aim of this study is to explore the possibility of introducing the general notions of function and inverse function through a mathematical activity on linear functions, focusing on the quantitative meaning associated to the connection between a relation and its inverse. We present a genetic decomposition, that is, a viable cognitive path for…

The purpose of this study was to replicate Reeve et al., (2023) by applying the newly proposed tripartite model of self-determination theory (SDT to the context of higher education. The study also investigated the validity of the "Three State Questionnaire" (TSQ) as a measurement tool in higher education. The study consisted of 521 first…

Goals are central to understanding how students learn a second language. Much of the existing research on goals in the field of language learning has focused exclusively on achievement goals, particularly mastery and performance goals. However, exclusively focusing on achievement goals precludes language researchers from exploring other important…

This study focuses on developing an innovative teaching model that integrates situational and collaborative learning for third-grade Chinese language classes. Its goals are to enhance students' reading comprehension and social skills, re-define teachers' roles, account for individual differences, and improve overall teaching quality. The study…

This study investigates the efficacy of artificial intelligence in facilitating networked learning that aids educators in creating inclusive and academically responsible learning environments in Indian English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classrooms. Designed as a qualitative case study, the intervention involves twenty participants from an…

Many educational philosophers have criticized the shift from lifelong education to lifelong learning. Gert Biesta, in particular, claims that learning individualistically promotes 'learnification', that is, a pernicious politics at the expense of relational educational experiences. While I endorse many of his critical points, I have argued that…

Connectivism is the thesis that knowledge is constituted of the sets of connections between entities, such that a change in one entity may result in a change in the other entity, and that learning is the growth, development, modification or strengthening of those connections. This paper presents an overview of connectivism, offering a connectivist…

In the context of globalization changes in educational systems, it is important to modify approaches to the educational process and introduce learning technologies that allow for maximum involvement in learning. One such technology is the technology of active learning, which engages learners through participation in the cognitive process and…

Successful teacher professional development (TPD) programs involve teachers in learning activities which are similar to the ones teachers will use with their students. If professional development is considered a learning process that teachers have to carry out, then their attempts to fulfill their professional needs through improving their…

In the first year of life, infants' speech perception becomes attuned to the sounds of their native language. This process of early phonetic learning has traditionally been framed as phonetic category acquisition. However, recent studies have hypothesized that the attunement may instead reflect a perceptual space learning process that does not…

Children learn words in a social environment, facilitated in part by social cues from caregivers, such as eye-gaze and gesture. A common assumption is that social cues convey either perceptual or social information, depending on the age of the child. In this review of research on word learning and social cues during early childhood, we propose…

Learning progressions have become increasingly prevalent in mathematics education as they offer a fine-grain map of possible learning pathways a child may take within a particular domain. However, there is an opportunity to build upon this research in ways that consider learning from multiple perspectives. Many current forms of learning…

This book provides an overview and analysis of the role that classroom interaction plays in instructed second language acquisition. The authors synthesise current state-of-the-art research on how classroom interaction benefits L2 learning through the lens of three theoretical perspectives: cognitive-interactionist (with a focus on how…

Career and Technical Education (CTE) is vital in students' secondary education, vocational skills, and college, career, and military readiness. To determine how CTE affects students' success, Texas CTE teachers were asked about their perceptions of CTE elements to determine how secondary education students are experiencing fundamental knowledge…