Transformational learning as presented by Jack Mezirow has been critiqued for its Western, rational, and cognitive orientation. This qualitative study was conducted in the African nation of Botswana and examines how that culture shaped the process. In-depth interviews were held with 12 adults who acknowledged having an experience that had…

This article offers a critical analysis of discourses and power structures and the ways they operate in two instructors' adult education and ESOL classrooms. The instructors defined learner experience in specific ways and subsequently used those definitions and drew on their learners' experiences to define their curricula and pedagogy. They…

In England more is spent on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for adults than is spent on literacy and numeracy put together, an estimated 323 million pounds for 2007-2008. This may well be the biggest investment in Europe for national language learning for adults. It is argued that ESOL is central to several social policy streams.…

Through About Us service, the Sussex County Council is providing more innovative and more creative ways of engaging and supporting adults with learning disabilities. About Us provides nationally accredited life-skill and vocational training in a wide range of subjects using an innovative approach involving pictorial worksheets, witness statements,…

This paper describes the process of designing and administering a sufficiently valid and reliable assessment instrument to measure the progress in attainment of adult learners studying numeracy, and discusses some of the inherent difficulties that were involved. The fieldwork took place during 2003-2005 and involved a sample of 34 teachers and 412…

Beulah Heights University, a predominately African-American institution, specializes in reaching the adult student of average age 38. Most of these students have 9-to-5 jobs as well as family and church responsibilities. Seated in the classroom, there are pastors, teachers, church administrators, health care workers, salespersons, bank tellers,…

Photonovels look like comic books but contain photographs instead of drawings. Because photonovels combine pictures and everyday language, adult ESL learners can use them to communicate their thoughts and ideas. Photonovels can also be an aid in learning spoken and written English. This article describes a photonovel project that one of the…

The paper examines the development of expertise and the multidimensional forces at work in the process. A qualitative study involving 12 participants at four museums found that expertise development is a cyclical and fluid process and impacted by content, context, and audience. Two areas comprised the focus of this research: (1) the process of…

This report and the companion backgrounder "Supporting Persons with Disabilities in Post-Secondary Education" represent the work of the Foundational Learning and Diversity sub-committee. Within the larger context and framework of A Learning Alberta, the sub-committee focused on identifying priorities for community learning opportunities…

The author states that agencies must switch from pedagogical methodology to an andragogically based training operation. This switch will require a major re-education of training staff, but he argues that it is only through adult learning techniques that key personnel will become involved in development programs. (Author/CH)

Research in gerontology as it has contributed to further research on and expanded library services to the aged is discussed. Significant research efforts eminating from the library and gerontology community are highlighted. (30 references) (KE)

Addresses the questions of terminology, definition, and identification in an effort to contribute to the theory of distance education. Suggests that "distance education" is the most satisfactory solution to the problem of terminology. (Available: School of External Studies, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, 167 Franklin Street,…

Addresses aspects of group process that affect learning in groups: maintenance and task functions, group cohesion, the facilitator's role, group formation, and power and conflict issues. Suggests that the relationship between group process theory and learning theory needs further exploration. (SK)

A contemporary method of group learning in the workplace is the concept of the learning organization. Learning organizations feature dialogue as a process for generative, creative, collective, and transformative learning. (Author/SK)

Themes from the special issue on group learning are highlighted: perceptions of learning, process versus content, the facilitator's role, power relations, and learning communities. (SK)