Confidence has an important role to play in encouraging people to engage in activities, step out into new territories and take risks in living, especially in relation to learning. But how can changes in confidence be captured and the outcomes of learning be recorded? With financial help from the Department for Education and Skills, these authors…

This paper is developed from a recently HEA-funded study that seeks to identify key aspects of learning partnerships (LPs) and produce guidelines on best practice for educational providers working with under-represented adult learning groups. The theory and practice of social capital is highlighted as central to this task. In particular, the work…

The success of policies to attract adults back to the learning of mathematics, at various levels, is often linked to questions of motivation. However, motivations depend on relevant beliefs, attitudes and emotions about mathematics--which themselves reflect, together with experiences with maths in school and in the home, wider cultural discourses…

This first book in the new OECD Insights Series examines the increasing economic and social importance of human capital--our education, skills, competencies, and knowledge. As economies in developed countries shift away from manufacturing, economic success for individuals and national economies is increasingly reliant on the quality of human…

This occasional paper introduces the methods of research synthesis and meta-analysis to researchers and consumers of research in the field of adult learning and literacy. To begin, the first section of the paper defines key terms and offers a brief history of how the methodologies developed. The second section provides a conceptualization of…

This book addresses the "warrior" who rises to the challenge of teaching the adult learner. The discussion is designed as a catalyst for dialogue about the adult learner and to uncover the complexities of teaching this rare and riveting species. This book is organized around three interlocking themes: some things we know about the adult learner;…

Discussion boards have the unique capacity to support higher-order constructivist learning and the development of a learning community, This chapter provides ten conditions that support the effective use of an online discussion.

This article features Crisis Skylight, a learning and activity centre, which opened in Spitalfields, East London, in 2002. Crisis Skylight was developed by Crisis, a national charity for single homeless people. It gives homeless people a chance to learn alongside other, non-homeless, members of their communities. Skylight's remit was…

In this article, the author discusses a project that turns residents of some of South Leeds' most deprived neighbourhoods into community researchers and is giving people an opportunity to make concrete, positive changes to their communities. Armed with homemade tools, some coloured pens, and masses of post-it notes, the "Community…

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to highlight the results of the online Delphi research project; in particular the procedures used to establish an online and innovative process of content validation and obtaining "rich" and descriptive information using the internet and current e-learning technologies. The online Delphi was proven to be an…

Objective: To explore and evaluate the use of two methods (1) experiential learning workshops and (2) reflective practice within post-graduate health promotion education, with a view to providing a foundation in professional practice based on health promotion principles and critical thinking. Design: This is an empirical study exploring the…

The field of adult literacy in England has a long history, but has particularly developed during the last three decades. Along with the rest of post-school education and training, it has been substantially reshaped by national policy initiatives since the 1970s. During this period it has struggled to assert itself as a legitimate area of policy…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to first, outline the features of the contemporary apprenticeship system, and its performance in terms of the numbers starting and completing programmes and second, to report the findings of empirical research which sought to identify the characteristics of effective apprenticeship.…

Offering tutor support to adult learners at the local level has been regarded as a positive recruitment feature of a postgraduate certificate in medical education delivered by distance learning. This paper reports on the efforts of the academic department in question to compare the expectations and perceptions of tutoring practice of key…

From 1980 to 1995, the University of Western Sydney at Hawkesbury (formerly Hawkesbury Agricultural College) in Richmond, New South Wales, Australia, pioneered an innovative undergraduate degree in Systems Agriculture based on experiential education, systems thinking, and adult learning theory. Today this program is in trouble and has reverted…