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…

An experimental program at the University of Colorado, Boulder shows that when senior citizens become students, everyone involved can benefit. (Editor)

This study examined the selflearning and educational patterns of selected respondents in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania who have used library resources on a continuing basis. The content of learning projects emerged from real-life negotiations and ranged across the transactional environment. Episodes--consulting people, reading, browsing,…

A brief review of recent demands and trends in adult education for nontraditional students is followed by a discussion of the design and purpose of audiocassette programs offering full and transferable college credit toward a degree. The development of audio courses is traced from the Ohio School of the Air, presented on radio in 1929, to the…

A transcript of a dialogue on independent, self-directed learning is presented. The three presenters, Ron Gross, Tom Hebert, and Allen Tough, and audience members discuss learning, schooling, discovery, motivation, public policy, and how all of these affect values and the quality of life. Nonformal, nonaffiliated learning--which takes place at…

Lifelong learning and community education are described in this report as concepts reflective of two rapidly evolving worldwide movements. Although the community is advocated as an important element in lifelong learning, and lifelong learning is seen as an integral part of community education endeavors, it is said that proponents of each movement…

This paper describes a directed-study seminar course in the craft of poetry using Malcolm Knowles' andragogical principles of teaching (related to the educational process of adults as contrasted with pedagogy, the educational process of children). The background and significance of the course are discussed and procedures for administering it,…

THIS STUDY IS CONCERNED WITH THE DEGREE TO WHICH OLDER AND YOUNGER ADULTS ARE SUBJECT TO THE INTERFERING EFFECTS OF PAST HABITS. TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH HYPOTHESES BASED ON ASSUMPTIONS OF CONTEMPORARY INTERFERENCE THEORY HOLD FOR THE OLDER ADULT POPULATION, THESE HYPOTHESES WERE TESTED IN A NEGATIVE TRANSFER TASK, WHERE INCOMPATIBLE…

Curriculum development for adult basic education requires the formulation of functional and meaningful educational objectives, the selection and organization of appropriate learning experiences, and the evaluation of educational outcomes. The statement of an objective should identify the learner, the content area, and the desired behavior change,…