Within the context of second language (L2) writing, learner engagement with feedback has elicited significant theoretical and empirical interest (e.g., Zhang & Hyland, 2018; Zheng & Yu, 2018). Research has highlighted the dynamic nature of learner engagement with written corrective feedback (WCF), but the ways in which learner and…

The focus of this article is on the question of language and its relation to adult learning in what Peter Leyland describes as 'a post-modern way'. In other words, it is a pastiche or a multiplicity of ideas that he has been meeting with over a year working with adult students who are learning about different areas of poetry in his Worker's…

The article sets out to compare national adult education policies on a global level and explores patterns of difference and similarity by presenting empirical findings of a lexicometric analysis. The data bases are national reports published in the context of the UNESCO-conference CONFINTEA VI. They were analysed on the background of the question,…

This paper draws on a national lifelong learning (LLL) strategy document to argue that not all EU member states are ready to give up on a more broadened social and community-oriented form of LLL, at least in their policy document discourse. They can appeal, in their policy interpretations, to the 'democratic imaginary' whereby learning, including…

This chapter explores discrepancies between Mandatory Continuing Education (MCE) for adults and Dewey's philosophy in which learners are motivated by their own purposes.

What does it mean to be an American? Legal permanent residents (LPRs) in the United States have had to seriously contemplate this question as the immigration debate has proven one of the most divisive issues of the past two years. Many have begun actively pursuing American citizenship, which includes studying 100 questions about American history,…

This paper considers the position of Further Education (FE) in the light of the analysis undertaken by Geoff Mason (this issue). It argues that despite great optimism as to the potential of FE to raise productivity and enhance social mobility this has not been achieved due to underfunding and the current system of governance. Without bold moves in…

I teach the beginning level English as a Second Language classes at the Don Bosco School for Adults in Kansas City, Missouri. We service refugees and immigrants from all over the world. In the beginning level classroom, many refugee students require guidance and instruction when they use writing utensils. They do not know how to draw basic shapes,…

Background: While open-cohort blended education programmes allow for accessible and flexible study trajectories, they may present social challenges to learners. Social presence is a possible a way of enhancing adult learners' success. It can lead to an increased perception of community, which may result in lower rates of dropping out. Purpose:…

Transition research tends to consider the experiences of typically developing pupils and often focuses on the primary to secondary school transition. Accounts that specifically focus on the views of autistic pupils also tend to rely heavily on the accounts of parents and staff. This study explored the transition experiences of four young autistic…

This article -- the first part of a two-part contribution -- considers the current and past state of research on the history of adult education in Britain. Although there has been a broadening of interest among historians of adult education, the field remains to an extent in the shadow of the "Great Tradition" of liberal education…

The guiding principles of the education of older adults have been stated in three landmark publications. In their statements of principles, the authors of those publications affiliated themselves with one of two older-adult learning philosophies: a humanist or a critical one. Thirty years since the first statement, the field of educational…

This article explores the policy reasons behind Adult ESOL Citizenship Education in the United Kingdom and then examines whether Adult ESOL Citizenship Education adequately prepares migrants for active citizenship in T.H. McLaughlin's "'maximal' sense": involving active political participation premised upon a shared concept of democratic…

Learning is not static but dynamic and it is not restricted to an externally imposed direction of learning. Thus, helping an individual to actualize self-direction in learning is a potential model for enhancing information literacy skills and learning outcomes. This study, therefore, employed the theoretical framework of self-directed learning…

Critical thinking is a metacognitive process that, through purposeful, self-regulatory reflective judgment; skills of analysis, evaluation and inference; and a disposition towards thinking, increases the chances of producing a logical conclusion to an argument or solution to a problem. Critical thinking is vital for not only educational…