Adults may seek out learning at different times in their lives, for different reasons, and for vastly different purposes. Some of the reasons are to achieve pre-determined goals; to fill education gaps; to explore options and make choices; to develop personally; to perform a job or role better; or to enhance employment prospects. Learning itself…

This book presents practical solutions for teaching foreign language learners self instruction, ranging from needs analysis to resourcing, strategy training and monitoring tools. Special emphasis is placed on different ways in which learners can be supported by learning how to analyze their own needs and set their own goals, how to choose the most…

The relationship between adults' self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) and selected variables was examined in a study of 25 Hong Kong Chinese Baptist Churches. A Chinese version of the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) was administered to a stratified sample of 820 adult learners and 210 youth learners, and a modified version of the…

This booklet is compiled from all the Adult Learning Australia (ALA) Commentaries produced in 2000. Emailed to ALA members each week, ALA Commentaries are written by people in the field of adult learning in the broadest sense, usually in Australia, sometimes overseas, and designed to stimulate discussion. ALA hosts an online discussion forum about…

This proceedings document presents summaries of selected presentations of the Society for the Advancement of Gifted Education, an Alberta (Canada) organization for gifted education. The conference focused on "state-of-the-art" knowledge regarding integrated curriculum in the content areas, social-emotional development, parenting issues,…

This study compared the effectiveness of distance education versus on-campus education, as measured by pre- and post-tests, differences in final exam scores and final course grades, age, and preferred learning styles. Learning style preferences were determined by the Canfield Learning Styles Inventory. Participants included 47 undergraduate…

This document is intended to assist adult educators in helping their students develop the confidence and test-taking skills required to overcome test anxiety. Section 1 contains the following items: an instrument designed to help students privately assess their standing on the anxiety scale; a play which explores flashing back to earlier negative…

The determinants of self-directed learning (SDL) among professionals of high attainment were examined through open-ended, semidirected interviews with a purposeful sample of eight professional men and women who have acquired identifiable, high-level professional knowledge/skills typically taught in postsecondary learning institutions without ever…

Discusses the impact of computer networking on foreign language teaching and focuses on the competing claims made regarding the value of network-based language learning activity. A description of how internet-based activities operate in the classroom is included. (24 references) (Author/CK)

Discusses the need to polish the foreign language skills of second-language teachers during their professional training. This training should concentrate primarily on the improvement of confidence in spontaneous target language use and grammatical accuracy and should also emphasize pedagogical development and reflection. (one reference) (CK)

A faculty development program that encourages faculty from different disciplines to engage in research on student cognition, motivation, and self-regulated learning in their own classrooms teaches theory as well as practice. The program has been well received by faculty and has also produced useful results for academic departments and the…

The design, implementation, and evaluation of a self-paced course in first-year college French are described, focusing on student choice in deciding which of four language skills (listening/speaking, writing, reading, or culture) they would concentrate on. Considered are course organization, use of assistants and student tutors, and course…

Describes the "number 2 arithmetic challenge," an activity in which students score points by creating examples using the number 2 that satisfy an unknown rule. Computers are utilized to verify and record examples. Conflicts with computer responses create situations to explore negative numbers, fractions, mixed numbers, the order of…

A tutorial program in English as a Second Language, in which the tutors were prospective teachers, is described and evaluated for general procedure, scheduling, teacher-student contact, use of instructional materials, oral practice, error correction strategy, and student attitudes and performance. (MSE)

The experience of King's College (Pennsylvania) in integrating resource-based learning and information literacy into its curriculum shows that such an effort is an evolutionary process. Lessons learned about faculty interest, use of staff time, the need for ongoing change, technological change, and assessment may help other institutions. (MSE)