This book is the second edition of a work drawn from a series of lectures given by a distinguished scholar and teacher in the field of adult learning at the University of Wisconsin in 1960. The subject of the lectures was adult continuing education--who continues to learn and why. Research was conducted through a series of 2-hour interviews with…

A study examined how a stratified nonrandom sample of 112 female retirees cognitively structure their knowledge about retirement. The women, who were selected from two rural communities in two Mid-Atlantic states, were asked to complete brief questionnaires about their background and satisfaction with retirement and to sort 13 cards imprinted with…

Adults have specific and unique motivational needs in instructional settings. As a result, motivating instruction for adult learners should be designed with special considerations. This paper uses an adult motivational instructional design model to demonstrate the application of prescribed strategies into instructional software designed to teach…

Second language learning in adults is compared to a child's acquisition of its native language in that learning is said to be governed by universal learning strategies rather than imitation. The strategy of simplification is discussed with examples from Indonesian/Malay. (Author/RM)

A community based study of 268 randomly selected subjects over the age of 65 provided information concerning major limitations that prevent older adults from taking advantage of existing or future educational programs. The three most prevalent were poor vision, home responsibilities, and lack of transportation. (Author)

Gibbons et al. (1980) reported 14 principles in "teaching for self-education." Four of these principles illustrate some of the challenges involved in applying the principles to classroom learning: (1) in self-education, the locus of control is in the self-educator, whereas, in formal education, the locus of control is in institutions, their…

This guide deals with issues that should be considered by individuals involved in the education and training of adults. In particular, this document stresses the importance of processes of curricular design and recognition of a core of skills as a basis for learning. The first section discusses recent developments by the Further Education Unit's…

The question of how important place is to learning is one that has fallen in and out of vogue during the past 40 years. Despite frequent statements of its importance, there has been a continual lack of attention to the physical environment of adult education. Under the leadership of John Becker, an architect from Cincinnati, the Adult Education…

A recent wave of linguistic research has attempted to demonstrate empirically that in learning the syntax of a second language, adults re-access their universal grammar (UG). However, the conspicuous lack of success of second language learners has caused researchers to seek evidence in experimental data. The most expedient source of this data is…

Drawing from a literature review of books, periodicals, and documents published since 1971, this paper provides the necessary background for a business/industrial trainer to reach trainees more effectively by identifying students' learning styles and matching styles with appropriate strategies for teaching/learning. Part A provides a summary of…

Only eight recent studies clearly fit the parameters of qualitative research on self-directed learning. Four of the studies appear to fit the more traditional notion of what the qualitative paradigm is all about, in that they are exploratory in nature. The remaining four studies focus more on the expansion of earlier ideas that had been generated…

Not been much research has been done on the characteristics of adult learners of mathematics per se. In most cases, however, it appears that adult learners of mathematics share the characteristics of other adult learners. Adults are often good problem solvers, but they often need to be convinced that these methods are acceptable and applicable to…

In one of his latest works, Piaget (1980) describes the course of development as alternating between periods of relative equilibrium, in which thinking is deductive and discursive, and periods of equilibration, in which thinking is dialectical and constructive. Progressive change depends on these dialectical periods, during which the construction…

Guidelines for teaching early childhood teachers and other adults about computers and their use are offered. Discussion focuses on how attitudes of the adult learner can impede learning, how the trainer can encourage teachers and other school personnel to learn about computers, and the trainers'"invisible agenda" of educational goals…

Major life developmental tasks are identified, along with the learning outcomes necessary to fulfill those tasks for adults from age 17 to retirement. Attention is directed to the important connection between life cycle change and adult learning as well as seven assumptions underlying life cycle theory. Developmental tasks and learning needs are…