An interview study examined the assumptions about adult learning held by 28 educational policy-makers, researchers, and staff developers. Fifteen assumptions were inferred from the interview data, each forming a dimension that describes learning as experienced by the participants: (1) Adult learning experiences are envisioned as similar for all…

This training manual was developed as a source of information about Competency-Based Adult Basic Education (CBABE) for administrators, counselors, and teachers involved in the implementation of a CBABE program. After section I provides an introduction to Brevard Community College's development of CBABE curricula, section II explains the purposes…

Acknowledging a recent increased interest in research about self-directed learning, this report analyzes and discusses two different forms of education: self-directed learning and distance education. Here, self-directed learning is identical with autodidactic learning, a form of education that cannot be included in organized adult education; the…

This curriculum guide contains materials written for teachers or group leaders of graduate students in educational psychology, psychology, sociology, and child and family studies and is designed to reflect the basic assumptions of educational equity, i.e., sex-fair and sex-affirmative facilitator attitudes, and counseling and teaching techniques.…

This document reports the proceedings of a 50-person resource group meeting that included leaders from business and industry, government, unions, universities, the media, foundations, and schools. The group explored the implications of a Carnegie Foundation-sponsored study reported in "Corporate Classrooms: The Learning Business," prepared by Dr.…

Part two of the final report on the adult independent learning program focuses on the following: (1) discussion of the 11 data collection categories developed to meet the information needs of specific groups--advisors working with adult learners, planners monitoring service performance, library policy decision makers responsible for determining…

This synthesis of selected manuscripts, submitted to the Bureau of Occupational and Adult Education to aid in developing position statements that reflected the Bureau's view of chief issues surrounding the concept of lifelong learning, presents an overview of adult education in the United States. The first section is a brief listing of the public…

This is the first number of a series devoted to the analysis of critical issues facing institutions, systems, and other organizations serving the learning needs of a variety of new learners by nontraditional methods and means. Four essays are included: assessing adult learning needs (I. Bruce Hamilton); synthesizing needs and resources (Patrick M.…

The purpose of this study was to assess self-concept, teaching behavior, and life-style changes in parents employed as paid paraprofessionals in the University of Florida Follow-Through Program during 1971-1972. Results indicate that such parents made statistically significant gains on the feelings-of-competence factor of the How I See Myself…

The book contains seven author contributed chapters on issues concerning inservice and staff development in special education. Major themes of the papers include the importance of participant involvement in the planning process, the importance of gaining support at the onset by district and building administrators, and the need for carefully…

What anticipated benefits motivate adults to continue a major learning effort? This study empirically tested a conceptual framework that emphasizes chains of linked benefits from learning. A diagram of this framework was given to 100 adults in Toronto. They were asked to imagine that their total motivation for one of their learning projects was 10…

Many of the great successes in the history of American education have been in the adult learning area. Some examples include the Americanization of immigrants, the public library movement, cooperative (agricultural) extension, continuing professional education, and distance education. Despite these achievements, adult education has enjoyed little…

Research and theoretical literature about adult development and adult learning are synthesized within a conceptual framework that has three basic domains: life phase, developmental stage, and learning style. The life phase includes theories that identify age-linked periods of stability and transition throughout adulthood. The development stage…

The College Board's Future Directions for a Learning Society (FDLS) program has increasingly focused on improving access and transition for adult learners. The "learning society" is a name for what is happening and for an ideal. The challenge is to build bridges from what is to what could be. Although over seventeen million adult…

This booklet was developed to provide a brief review of adult characteristics and teaching methods for the new teacher of adults. The first of eleven sections highlights adult education and how to use the booklet to improve instruction. Section 2 lists general and physical characteristics of adults and their implications on teaching. The third…