Miguel A.

Llovera Da Corte Professor May Psychology the Adult Learner September 15, 2012

ANNOTTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY: ADULT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN THE 21ST CENTURY Cornelius, S., Gordon, C., & Ackland, A. (2011). Towards flexible learning for adult learners in professional contexts: an activity-focused course design. Interactive Learning Environments, 19(4), 381-393. doi:10.1080/10494820903298258 Abstract: This article argues for a flexible model of learning for adults which allows them to make choices and contextualize their learning in a manner appropriate to their own professional practice whilst also developing as a member of a learning community. It presents a design based around online 'learning activities' which draws on ideas of constructivism, collaborative learning and reflective practice. The model was developed for adult learning in Higher Education, and has been adapted and extended to a number of different programmes. Implementation of the model for the Teaching Qualification (Further Education) has been the subject of an interpretative evaluation using a multiple methods approach. Learners' experiences of this programme together with issues associated with the application of the model to other programmes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] The Constructivist Learning Theory bases its approach on the fact that humans learn by actively collaborating or interacting with other individuals with whom they share the same interests and motivation. Given the advances in technology, many educational institutions have used online classrooms as a strategy to allow adult learners to gain knowledge by themselves. A substantial proliferation in the number of online programs designed for working adults has forced many institutions to make the curriculum of their programs more flexible/accessible to satisfy the demands of adult learners.

Duay, D. L., & Bryan, V. C. (2008). Learning in Later Life: What Seniors Want in a Learning Experience. Educational Gerontology, 34(12), 1070-1086. doi:10.1080/03601270802290177 Abstract: By designing effective learning opportunities for older adults, educators can make a positive contribution to the problem of a graying America. Because older adults themselves may offer important insights on what helps and hinders their learning, this qualitative study explored the perceptions of 36 older learners on effective and ineffective learning experiences. The following are the main findings that emerged from the data: (a) effective learning experiences are involving, (b) the instructor is a key component in the classroom, and (c) familiar or relevant topics are interesting. Recommendations for designing, marketing, and delivering quality learning experiences for older adults are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Faculty and classroom facilitators are seen as students first resources. They are considered to be a resource as they can provide adult learners with a sense of direction when students attempt to maximize their learning success. Working with a graying America can be a rewarding experience as long as teachers help this population see relationships between previously acquired knowledge and new information, break information into parts, and apply different levels of thinking to respond to the exigencies of a constantly evolving world.

Dzubinski, L., Hentz, B., Davis, K. L., & Nicolaides, A. (2012). Envisioning an Adult Learning Graduate Program for the Early 21st Century: A Developmental Action Inquiry Study. Adult Learning, 23(3), 103-110. doi:10.1177/1045159512452844 Abstract: The rapid pace of social and technological change in the early 21st century leaves many adults scrambling to meet the complexities that characterize their daily lives. Adult learners are faced with multiple, often competing, demands from work, education, family, and leisure, which requires adult education graduate programs to carefully consider how best to meet these changing needs of today's students. Using a developmental action inquiry approach, the authors collected data using multiple rounds of mutual inquiry from diverse groups of stakeholders in adult education. We asked each group to explore the question, "How does adult education as a profession, field, and practice help adults, organizations, and society meet the demands of 21st century life?" The combined results indicate that responsive, dynamic graduate programs in adult education for the 21st century should support the cultivation of critical and timely reflection, create online learning environments predicated on intentional community and mutuality, and foreground the relationship between adult learning and developmental capacity to prepare

adult education facilitators who stand confidently in the face of complexity and ambiguity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Many students attending colleges and universities are working adults that combine their family responsibilities with those of an educational setting. Some of these students come from impoverished backgrounds with little educational support. Instructors that facilitate learning in educational settings need to be mindful that students are in the process of meshing their personal and educational lives when responding to classroom policies and procedures. Classroom policies and procedures in higher academia are necessary for establishing and maintaining order and structure. However, in certain instances students require classroom facilitators to be flexible in their actions and thinking.

Githens, R. P. (2007). OLDER ADULTS AND E-LEARNING: Opportunities and Barriers. Quarterly Review Of Distance Education, 8(4), 329-338. Abstract: E-learning and distance education can play a role in helping older adults become integrated with the rest of society. As demographic and cultural changes affect the place of older adults in society, online learning programs become increasingly appealing to older adults. In this aticle, I discuss (1) the changing notion of work and learning in older adulthood, (2) the myths about older adults' use of technology, (3) the types of e-learning programs for older adults (i.e., programs for personal growth and social change, workforce development, and workplace learning), and (4) the barriers to older adults' full participation in e-learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] The projected changes in the higher educational environment for the 21st century can be explained by a continuous shift in demographics, a new pattern of expectations established by instructors and students, and the existence of new delivery systems that make education accessible for those that need to respond to the needs of todays global era. Online programs have raised skepticism among traditional classroom facilitators as they are perceived as very superficial and too marginal in content.

Gravani, M. N. (2012). Adult learning principles in designing learning activities for teacher development. International Journal Of Lifelong Education, 31(4), 419-432. doi:10.1080/02601370.2012.663804 Abstract: The research reported in this paper is an investigation of the application of adult learning principles in designing learning activities for teachers life-long development. The exploration is illustrated by qualitative data from a case study of adult educators and adult learners insights and experiences of a teacher development course organized by a Greek university. Analysis focuses on the andragogical notion of design, i.e. selecting the combination of learning units and learning formats that most effectively accomplish the objectives of a programme. Findings of the study are somehow optimistic in that they do indicate, however imperfectly, that adult learning principles might be further applied in designing learning activities for teacher development, and make some tentative recommendations for Greece and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This research project has provided European policymakers and classrooms facilitators with a better understanding of how the process of Andragogy works. Europes population consists primarily of older adults. These adults pursue further education as a means of remaining competitive in a highly secluded job market. Educational institutions have realized that in order to promote sound human development in terms of adult education, learning opportunities outside a traditional classroom settings need to be offered.

Gregg, N. (2012). Increasing Access to Learning for the Adult Basic Education Learner With Learning Disabilities: Evidence-Based Accommodation Research. Journal Of Learning Disabilities, 45(1), 47-63. doi:10.1177/0022219411426855 Abstract: Accommodating adult basic education (ABE) learners with learning disabilities (LD) is common practice across many instructional, testing, and work settings. However, the results from this literature search indicate that very few empirically based studies are available to support or reject the effectiveness of a great deal of accommodation implementation. In addition, in light of the profound changes to literacy taking place in todays digital, networked, and multimodal world, technology is redefining traditional concepts of accessibility and accommodation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Colleges and universities are gearing towards the practice of universal design. Universal design practices provide a more welcoming educational environment that facilitates inclusion/access to learning opportunities. Academic accommodations are still being provided to students; however, they are built into the core curriculum of undergraduate educational programs. It is pertinent to assert that the use of technology has aided this process of universal design by making assistive technology tools available to students.

Henschke, J. A. (2011). Considerations Regarding the Future of Andragogy. Adult Learning, 22(1), 34-37. Abstract: The article highlights several considerations concerning the future of andragogy, the art and science of helping adults learn in the U.S. It notes that andragogy has a long history that has shaped understanding of adult learning and the theory of andragogy reaches a worldwide audience of practitioners striving to improve learning. It mentions the efforts of multiple researchers and scholars in the country and abroad to establish andragogy as a method for teaching adults. The future of Andragogy as a science will prevail as long as experts in the field of Educational Psychology and classroom facilitators ensure voluntary participation of adult learners, establish classroom objectives based on the learners previous experiences, measure adults proficiency based on how well they apply knowledge to reality, and provide learners with a learning environment that is nurturing and reasonably challenging.

Jackson, L. D. (2009). Revisiting Adult Learning Theory through the Lens of an Adult Learner. Adult Learning, 20(3/4), 20-22. Abstract: The article discusses adult learning theories in the perspective of an adult learner in the U.S. The author compares the behaviorist learning theory to the famous Pavlov dog experiment where the environment helps shape the learning processes of an individual. The humanist theory of learning claims that an individual has the potential to grow and has the desire to grow while the cognitive theory of learning believes that the learner

finds meaning in what is being taught and applies this information to examine previous experiences. Social cognitive theory, on the other hand, believes that one can learn by observing others while constructivist theory believes that an individual can learn by making meaning of the learning environment. The study conducted by Jackson on Adult Learning serves as an overview of the different learning theories and how they relate to the concept of Andragogy. The author of this research project places emphasis on the Cognitive and Developmental Theory. Regarding the Cognitive Theory, instructors should be able to facilitate learning by allowing students to make connections between new information and previously acquired knowledge. On the other hand, when using the Developmental Theory as the basis of instructions, classroom facilitators should allow students to conduct research on topics of interests that relate to the subject being studied.

Klein-Collins, R. (2011). Strategies for Becoming Adult-Learning- Focused Institutions. Peer Review, 13(1), 4-7. Abstract: The article presents an analysis on the need for colleges and universities to implement some or all of what the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) has come to call the principles of effectiveness for serving adult learners to become an adult learning focused institutions (ALFIs). These principles include life and career planning, assessment of learning outcomes, and the institution's engagement in strategic partnerships with employers and other organizations. It mentions the development of the ALFI toolkit which aimed at helping institutions assess their effectiveness in serving adults. It contends that if institutions find ways to remove barriers facing adult learners, they could help more of the adult learner population achieve higher levels of educational attainment. At present colleges and universities are invited to encourage student-faculty contact, foster cooperation and active participation among students, encourage active learning (provide students with service learning opportunities), and provide students with prompt and timely feedback as a means of monitoring academic progress.

Marschall, S., & Davis, C. (2012). A Conceptual Framework for Teaching Critical Reading to Adult College Students. Adult Learning, 23(2), 63-68. doi:10.1177/1045159512444265 Abstract: The proliferation of postsecondary programs for working adults is not surprising, given the importance of a bachelor's degree to employment and higher earnings. However, the demographics of adult learners have changed significantly over the past 30 years, when degrees for adults targeted a middleclass population. Adults now return to college after years away from school, and many are first-generation college students whose families may be unable to advise or support them in their educational endeavors. Nevertheless, adults bring deep experiential and workplace-related learning to the classroom, which should be validated in educational settings. Increasingly, advanced reading skills are essential to college success, particularly in online courses, which, although convenient for working adults, are heavily text based. This article offers a conceptual framework for incorporating experiential learning into the teaching of critical reading skills to adult college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] The advances in technology have forced many institutions to develop distance-learning programs. Online and weekend programs (fast-track programs) have been designed to teach individuals leadership and decision-making theories, rather than the philosophical, pedagogical, and foundational aspects of adult learning. To fulfill the requirements of traditional and nontraditional classroom settings, classrooms facilitators are including in their curriculum the teaching of reading strategies as a means of assuring classroom success. It is believed that when adult students return to school, they exhibit (minimal) deficiencies in their reading and English writing skills. That explains why developmental courses are becoming popular at the community college level.

Martin, L. G. (2004). Adult education in the urban context. New Directions For Adult & Continuing Education, (101), 3-16. Abstract: Context is vitally important for urban adult education because it tends to create physical, psychological, and sociocultural distance between and among learners and various providers of adult and continuing education programs, thereby creating barriers and the differential provision of adult learning opportunities for some urban populations.

Although context can be seen as a barrier for many adult learners in urban education, it provides learners with an opportunity to practice and apply what they have learned to relevant problems that affect individuals and society in general. To minimize the negative effects context can have on individuals, the goal of instruction should embrace a classroom environment where students feel safe and respected, and in which diverse talents and ways of learning are respected.

O'Connor, B. N., & Cordova, R. (2010). Learning: The Experiences of Adults Who Work FullTime While Attending Graduate School Part-Time. Journal Of Education For Business, 85(6), 359-368. doi:10.1080/08832320903449618 Abstract: The experiences of students who are working full-time and going to graduate school parttime were the focus of this phenomenological investigation. Data analysis showed that these individuals, who reported high job involvement and strong career planning, were often stymied when they attempted to apply new ideas to the workplace. Those with strong social and family support reported feeling less stress than did those who did not, and preferred learning experiences in which they were active learners. Results from this exploratory study show that when individual characteristics, the academic environment, and the workplace environment are in alignment, individuals are most supported in becoming all they can be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] This research project describes the different circumstances that allow students to learn new information. Adults are able to learn best when they are in a setting that respects individual differences and talents. Also, it is important for these adult learners to know that their families serve as a support system that openly embraces new opportunities. Individuals that come from Hispanic families are more likely to persist and succeed in college when all family members respect these individuals desire to further their education.

Piehl, K. (2011). Can Adults Learn a Second Language? Research Findings and Personal Experience. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 78(1), 33-37. Abstract: Despite research results to the contrary, many people still believe that adults cannot learn a second language. The author relates her own experiences with second-language learning to the findings of various research studies. The value of a home stay, peer-topeer interactions, classroom instruction, and cultural involvement all contributed to the learning process. Adults who want to make acquiring a second language part of their lifelong-learning goals can be encouraged by research that indicates such aspirations can be reached with sufficient motivation and effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Although learning a language later in adulthood can be challenging, it should not be perceived as an impossible task to accomplish. Adults can learn a second language when there are opportunities for them to have control over the learning process. People learn a second language more successfully when they use the language as a means of acquiring information, instead of only focusing on learning the language itself. In other words, learning a new language results from the interaction of the individual with his/her context.

Ritt, E. (2008). Redefining Tradition: Adult Learners and Higher Education. Adult Learning, 19(1/2), 12-16. Abstract: The article explores the adult learning and higher education in the U.S. It states that access to higher education in the country continues to be limited due to complex structures, financial barriers and gaps in learning between high schools and colleges. The 2008 report from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), the U.S. ranks tenth among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in the number of young adults with postsecondary education since other nations have caught up or have surpassed the U.S. It points on the need for national awareness among legislators as to the needs of adult learners and the importance of a highly educated workforce. It is believed that by having a more educated population, poverty levels in different countries can decrease significantly. Although access to higher education in certain areas of the United States continues to be limited, government agencies and educational institutions are redefining their

policies and procedures to create a more inclusive environment, especially for working adults, as a means of diminishing poverty levels in the U.S.