This document suggests ways in which principles of adult learning theory can help educators understand and facilitate the progress of the nontraditional, mature student. In addition, it examines the continuing education of the adult learner who is involved in teacher inservice education. After a preface and introduction, five sections make up the…

This packet is presented for use as a trainer's manual in offering technical assistance and teacher training to refugee English as a second language (ESL) programs. It is the result of a working session of experienced professionals that was convened by the Language and Orientation Resource Center (LORC), and it presumes some previous knowledge of…

A theory of adult cognitive development which includes two post-formal operational stages is described. The paper is divided into three sections. The first section provides background for discussion of the theory. A case study in which various employees in a hypothetical organization react to a problem is provided. Examples of pre-logical,…

This report discusses an interview study that examined the thinking about adult learning of major decision makers, staff development practitioners, and influencial researchers. Brief descriptions are presented of assumptions inferred from the interview data: (1) adult learning experiences are envisioned as potentially similar for all individuals;…

This manual provides labor education advisors with basic information on adult learners, specifically members of a union, and barriers to lifelong learning. Definitions of adult learners and lifelong learning are first provided. A background section reports that the number of adults representing the rank and file union membership enrolled in…

S(L)EA--Significant (Learning) Event Analysis--is a self-reflection and evaluation instrument, which has as its primary components critical incident analysis, Q sort, and optional systems of interpreting the data. It is a systematic, flexible approach to access learning, intended to be useful to adult education researchers in examining adult…

A computer-displayed 3-D tic-tac-toe game was used to investigate adult perceptual biases in dealing with diagonal line orientations. Also investigated was the interaction between prior spatial ability and the effects of explicit visual modeling and structured practice on performance. Results indicated a strong selective difficulty in dealing with…

Recent publications of longitudinal and sequential analyses of psychometric data have been cited as evidence for "the myth of intellectual decline" with age. This term "myth" has been interpreted by many gerontologists to mean that intellectual functioning does not decline even late in life (except shortly before death). Furthermore, this…

Revised version of paper presented at the annual meeting of the Adult Education Association (Philadelphia, Penn., November 1967).

This paper is designed for both experienced and novice educators who want to participate in lifelong learning programs. The various sections of the paper (1) explain the principles of communicative competence, (2) apply these principles to processes of lifelong learning, and (3) describe the benefits of effective communication for the teaching and…

This study investigated alternative instructional delivery modes in two different short courses for professional engineers and scientists. Two math-oriented courses were taught to 130 participants. Each course was taught twice, once using the blackboard exclusively and once using extensive view graph projections (20 to 40 transparencies per…

Designed for use in a 1968 study of why adults learn, this interview schedule contains situation-description and question sheets for use by the interviewer and subject for examining thirteen reasons why adults begin and why they continue a learning project. (The study, "Why Adults Learn: A Study of the Major Reasons for Beginning and Continuing a…

To determine what a theory of adult learning should encompass, three topics were considered: current status of adult learning theory, contributions of the developmentalists, and foundation for a total person model of adult learning theory. An overview of activity related to theory building in adult learning during the 1970s showed the emphasis…

The educational patterns of individuals who have used library resources in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania for independent learning projects on a continuing basis were studied. The tendency of respondents was to use a combination of all four major types of resources for information and planning: (1) self as resource; (2) non-human resources, such…

This study examined the sequence of prereading and group consensus as techniques facilitating learning in a structured laboratory. The basic hypothesis examined is that (1) the sequence of prereading and (2) the requirement of consensus in group decisions facilitate learning. To test the hypothesis a structured laboratory was run with 73 foremen…