Practitioner research is a topic of growing interest and scholarly writing in the field of education in general and adult education in particular. This article describes a particular form of practitioner research that rests on a participatory worldview and draws heavily from theory and practice in adult learning and action research.…

This article was written, but never published, by Dr. Valerie Hall, who died in 2002. Its existence was brought to my attention by Professor Ron Glatter at the memorial event for her held at the University of Bristol. It was presented at a seminar in Milton Keynes in 1998 as part of an ESRC series on "Redefining Educational…

Widening participation initiatives have had a noticeable effect on universities: student support services, especially at the post 1992 universities, are at a level undreamed of in the past. This has opened up the benefits of a university education to students previously excluded by social class, disability or ethnic group. One aspect of key…

In adult education, there can sometimes be a dilemma between notions of learner self-direction and learning that is important for public safety. The dilemma posed is one not well resolved by education theory. Although a few theorists have broadly recognised the tension, they tend to offer little in the way of guidance towards its resolution,…

This paper explores how literature circles work in the context of L2 instruction through a close scrutiny of classroom interactions in an adult ESL class where nine ESL learners read fictional works and discussed the readings. The paper examines the characteristics of student interactions with the literary text and with other group members,…

A federal initiative to expand learning services to adult basic learners via distance learning is proposed. The California experience can prove useful to states and programs wishing to adopt distance learning interventions. This article describes how California adult schools' serve adult learners via distance learning. Over 38,000 unduplicated…

Continuing education offers one of the most convenient and accessible ways to bring people from diverse backgrounds together for the purpose of learning. Ironically, courses that directly address cross-cultural exchange are not easily found among program offerings. Recent world and local events have made it increasingly important for Canadians to…

This study focuses on the discourse of an intercontinental on-line Master's programme in adult learning, using English as the lingua franca of the programme and involving four collaborating universities in Sweden, South Africa, Canada and Australia. The programme is highly interactive, emphasising communication between students. Taking the…

Principal preparation programs are designed to create and prepare effective school leaders. These programs pursue many pathways to achieve this goal. This study highlighted the significance of framing this pursuit around the Educational Leadership Council Standards (ELCC; Wilmore, 2002) and Malcolm Knowles' (1970) adult learning theory. In…

Purpose: This paper seeks to provide an empirical insight into the facilitation dilemmas for conversational learning in a project team environment. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is an outcome of a participative action research process into the dynamics of situated learning activity in a case study project team. As part of their…

For some years now, teachers in the post compulsory sector have been lambasted in educational circles for what some perceive as the poor quality of teaching and learning in classrooms. Such criticisms have tended to emanate from those responsible for inspecting the sector's provision. In fact, when Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) and…

The part played by tacit skills and knowledge in work performance is well recognised but not well understood. These implicit or hidden dimensions of knowledge and skill are key elements of "mastery," which experienced workers draw upon in everyday activities and continuously expand in tackling new or unexpected situations. This paper,…

Societal and organizational change requires people to change their professional identity continuously. Starting from two theoretical traditions that address identity and learning, the authors analysed the learning narratives of two sets of learners--participants in a two-year experiential learning programme and student interns, both in the domain…

The aim of this article is to orient those interested in adult community college student research to a wide array of discourses and theoretical tools that can help us understand the underlying complexity of the problems faced by this often-marginalized group. Reviewed are categories of theory about student involvement and engagement, student…

Despite the transition requirements of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and a growing body of research in support of effective transition planning for learners with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), many adults on the spectrum remain without employment in large numbers. Even for those generally regarded as most capable, they…