Adult Education Settings Research Articles

Motivated strategies for learning questionnaire part B revisited: New subscales for an adult distance education setting

In the current study, the underlying factor structure of the learning strategies part of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), originally designed for traditional college students, was explored and a best-fit-solution for subscales was proposed for students in adult distance education (DE). Factor analyses revealed five factors (management of time and effort; complex cognitive strategy use; simple cognitive strategy use; contacts with others; academic thinking), including fewer items, which resulted in a shorter list than the original learning strategies part of the MSLQ. Cognitive strategies and management of time and effort were used most by adult DE students, contacts with others were used least. Compared to traditional college students, the findings in adult DE may be explained by a differential interpretation of items based on differences between educational systems, living and study circumstances, and age and experiences. The newly developed subscales may be considered for future research on learning strategies of students within adult DE in which the students can determine their own time, place, and pace of study.

Developing Verbal Health Literacy with Adult Learners Through Training in Shared Decision-Making.

Background:Health literacy skills are often assessed in relation to written health materials; however, many important communications are in other formats, especially verbal communication with health care providers.Objective:This qualitative study sought to examine adult learners' experiences of developing verbal health literacy skills within an Australian adult basic education program, and to explore verbal communication and shared decision-making as a constituent domain of health literacy.Methods:We conducted a semi-structured qualitative interview study between September and November 2014 with adult learners who had participated in a single-semester health literacy program that included an integrated shared decision-making component. We analyzed interviews using the Framework method; a matrix-based approach to thematic analysis. A hybrid process of inductive and deductive coding was used to interpret raw data.Key Results:Interviewees were 22 students from six health literacy classes and ranged in age from 18 to 74 years (mean, 48.3). The majority were women (n = 15) and born outside Australia (n = 13). Health literacy was generally limited according to the Newest Vital Sign screening tool (n = 17). The health literacy program appeared to serve two key functions. First, it stimulated awareness that patients have the right to participate in decision-making concerning their treatment and care. Second, it facilitated verbal skill development across the domains of functional (e.g., communicating symptoms), communicative (e.g., asking questions to extract information about treatment options), and critical (e.g., integrating new knowledge with preferences) health literacy.Conclusions:Our findings support the conceptualization of health literacy as a modifiable health asset that is subject to change and improvement as a result of deliberate intervention. Results reinforce verbal health literacy as an important component of health literacy, and draw attention to the hierarchy of verbal skills needed for consumers to become more actively involved in decisions about their health. We present a revised model of health literacy based on our findings. [Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2017;1(4):e257–e268.]Plain Language Summary:We developed a health literacy program for adults with lower literacy to help learners develop skills to talk to health care providers and share health decisions. The program was taught in Australian adult education settings. The article explores the range of health literacy skills needed for communication and decision-making in this study, and presents a model in which verbal skills are an important part of health literacy.

Improving health literacy through adult basic education in Australia.

Adults with low literacy are less empowered to take care of their health, have poorer health outcomes and higher healthcare costs. We facilitated partnerships between adult literacy teachers and community health providers to deliver a health literacy training program in adult basic education classrooms. Following course completion we interviewed 19 adult education teachers (15 delivering the health literacy program; 4 delivering standard literacy classes) and four community health providers (CHPs) about their experiences, and analysed transcripts using Framework analysis. Written feedback from eight teachers on specific course content was added to the Framework. Health literacy teachers reported a noticeable improvement in their student's health behaviours, confidence, vocabulary to communicate about health, understanding of the health system and language, literacy and numeracy skills. CHP participation was perceived by teachers and CHPs as very successful, with teachers and CHPs reporting they complemented each other's skills. The logistics of coordinating CHPs within the constraints of the adult education setting was a significant obstacle to CHP participation. This study adds to existing evidence that health is an engaging topic for adult learners, and health literacy can be successfully implemented in an adult basic learning curriculum to empower learners to better manage their health. Health workers can deliver targeted health messages in this environment, and introduce local health services. Investment in adult literacy programs teaching health content has potential both to meet the goals of adult language and literacy programs and deliver health benefit in vulnerable populations.

Healthy Eating for Life English as a second language curriculum: applying the RE-AIM framework to evaluate a nutrition education intervention targeting cancer risk reduction.

Medically underserved US immigrants are at an increased risk for death from preventable or curable cancers due to economic, cultural, and/or linguistic barriers to medical care. The purpose of this study was to describe the evaluation of the pilot study of the Healthy Eating for Life (HE4L) English as a second language curriculum. The Reach, Effectiveness Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance (RE-AIM) model was used to design a mixed-methods approach to the evaluation of the HE4L curriculum. Successful implementation was dependent upon enthusiastic teacher and manager support of the curriculum, teachers' ability to flexibly apply the curriculum to meet student needs, and researcher provision of curriculum workbooks. HE4L can be implemented successfully in various adult education settings to teach healthy eating behaviors and English language principles. Scale-up of HE4L may depend on the development of an online version of the curriculum to avoid the costs associated with printing and distributing curriculum materials.

Interview with Dr. Talmadge C. Guy

The following is an interview with Dr. Talmadge C. Guy, to his friends and colleagues in adult education; he is Tal. Recently retired from The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia following a 40 year career in adult education, the last 23 of which he spent at the University of Georgia. He received his doctorate in adult education from Northern Illinois University, a master of arts in social ethics from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Fisk University. At the University of Georgia, Tal worked with masters and doctoral level students in graduate research. Through his career he has conducted research on diversity and inclusion in adult education and learning settings with special expertise in multicultural adult education, history of adult education, and socio-historical analysis of the African American experience in adult education with a focus on the early 20th century. A particular focus has been the representation of race and gender through media and pop culture and the critical educational responses to those representations. Among his awards, Tal was co-recipient of the Ian Fleming Social Justice Award (2011), UGA President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award (2005), Cyril O. Houle Scholar (2001), and Outstanding Service Award (1992) from the Illinois Adult & Continuing Education Association. He has published in the Journal of Lifelong Learning, Adult Education Quarterly, Journal of Educational Telecommunications and his most recent work is as co-editor of volumes 1 & 2 of Swimming Upstream: Black Males in Adult Education, New Directions publications. http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1119021804.html

Readers in Adult Basic Education

The present study explored the reading skills of a sample of 48 adults enrolled in a basic education program in northern Florida, United States. Previous research has reported on reading component skills for students in adult education settings, but little is known about eye movement patterns or their relation to reading skills for this population. In this study, reading component skills including decoding, language comprehension, and reading fluency are reported, as are eye movement variables for connected-text oral reading. Eye movement comparisons between individuals with higher and lower oral reading fluency revealed within- and between-subject effects for word frequency and word length as well as group and word frequency interactions. Bivariate correlations indicated strong relations between component skills of reading, eye movement measures, and both the Test of Adult Basic Education (Reading subtest) and the Woodcock-Johnson III Diagnostic Reading Battery Passage Comprehension assessments. Regression analyses revealed the utility of decoding, language comprehension, and lexical activation time for predicting achievement on both the Woodcock Johnson III Passage Comprehension and the Test of Adult Basic Education Reading Comprehension.

Introduction to the Adult Learning Special Issue

Highlander's Significance to the Adult Education Field Popular education at Highlander Research and Education Center has a long history of supporting social justice activities within diverse populations with both common and special interests (Glen, 1996; Horton, 1998; Horton & Freire, 1990). The legacy of Myles Horton, Septima Clark, and other Highlander leaders remains visible as examples and models for transformative leadership (Preskill & Brookfield, 2009) within the adult education literature. Highlander continues to be an active center for learning how to be a leader, how to organize peacefully and strategically to make changes in society, and how to train citizens to build a democracy. The ideas presented in this Adult Learning special issue developed while facilitating and participating in multiple workshops on authentic leadership and popular education that were conducted at Highlander. When we began to plan these workshops, we had no preconceived notions about authoring a special issue of Adult Learning. This is a co-constructed artifact: In some ways, it represents a phenomenological response to the collected experiences. In other ways, this issue embodies a form of case study that allows us to reflect on our teaching practices, working with groups, and leadership development through an adult education lens, and take forward what we experienced and learned into subsequent teaching situations. By inviting participants to share the meaning they made from their experiences at the workshops, we have been able to see ways in which they applied the tools, skills, and the new relationships to their own experiences. We traveled to Highlander to get away from our real worlds, to reflect in different ways and in different physical spaces how we fit into a bigger world, and to increase our awareness of how people struggle in positive ways. Authentic leadership can be defined in many ways. Discovering authentic leadership requires a commitment to developing oneself. Authentic leaders are self-aware, practice their values and principles, and balance their motivations so they are driven as much by values as external rewards. They also have a strong support team to ensure they live integrated, grounded lives (George, Sims, McLean, & Mayer, 2011). During the two workshops, we relied on facilitators who demonstrated authentic leadership characteristics, and we invited participants who were interested in improving their own authentic leadership skills. Authentic leadership characteristics defined by participants included an increased ability in worldview expansion, more deliberate perspective-taking, deep examination of assumptions and beliefs, and greater understanding of the direct influences and effects of those in the lives of others, leading to mindful and deliberate change in their own development and, consequently, to be more effective participants in their larger communities. Through writing this special issue, we examine how popular education and participatory research can develop authentic leadership within multiple contexts. We also develop and share an authentic leadership action model for integration in other adult education settings. In Creating Highlander Wherever You Are, we introduce the Highlander Education and Research Center, its approach and philosophy to popular education, and its action-based programs. Through an interview with Susan Williams, education coordinator and supporting literature, we share strategies and techniques to develop similar popular education programs in other settings. Embodying Authentic Leadership Through Popular Education at Highlander Research and Education Center: A Qualitative Case Study presents a qualitative case study analysis of two workshops held at Highlander related to authentic leadership. The research team of Highlander participants examined multiple sets of written reflections to examine how participants applied the content of the workshops in their current practice, and its impact on the approach to adult education. …

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Incorporating health literacy in education for socially disadvantaged adults: an Australian feasibility study.

BackgroundAdult education institutions have been identified as potential settings to improve health literacy and address the health inequalities that stem from limited health literacy. However, few health literacy interventions have been tested in this setting.MethodsFeasibility study for an RCT of the UK Skilled for Health Program adapted for implementation in Australian adult education settings. Implementation at two sites with mixed methods evaluation to examine feasibility, test for change in participants’ health literacy and pilot test health literacy measures.ResultsTwenty-two socially disadvantaged adults with low literacy participated in the program and received 80–90 hours of health literacy instruction. The program received institutional support from Australia’s largest provider of vocational education and training and was feasible to implement (100 % participation; >90 % completion; high teacher satisfaction). Quantitative results showed improvements in participants’ health literacy skills and confidence, with no change on a generic measure of health literacy. Qualitative analysis identified positive student and teacher engagement with course content and self-reported improvements in health knowledge, attitudes, and communication with healthcare professionals.ConclusionsPositive feasibility results support a larger RCT of the health literacy program. However, there is a need to identify better, multi-dimensional measures of health literacy in order to be able to quantify change in a larger trial. This feasibility study represents the first step in providing the high quality evidence needed to understand the way in which health literacy can be improved and health inequalities reduced through Australian adult education programs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12939-016-0373-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Evaluation of an Australian health literacy training program for socially disadvantaged adults attending basic education classes: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

BackgroundPeople with low literacy and low health literacy have poorer health outcomes. Literacy and health literacy are distinct but overlapping constructs that impact wellbeing. Interventions that target both could improve health outcomes.Methods/designThis is a cluster randomised controlled trial with a qualitative component. Participants are 300 adults enrolled in basic language, literacy and numeracy programs at adult education colleges across New South Wales, Australia. Each adult education institute (regional administrative centre) contributes (at least) two classes matched for student demographics, which may be at the same or different campuses. Classes (clusters) are randomly allocated to receive either the health literacy intervention (an 18-week program with health knowledge and skills embedded in language, literacy, and numeracy training (LLN)), or the standard Language Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) program (usual LLN classes, specifically excluding health content).The primary outcome is functional health literacy skills – knowing how to use a thermometer, and read and interpret food and medicine labels. The secondary outcomes are self-reported confidence, more advanced health literacy skills; shared decision making skills, patient activation, health knowledge and self-reported health behaviour. Data is collected at baseline, and immediately and 6 months post intervention. A sample of participating teachers, students, and community health workers will be interviewed in-depth about their experiences with the program to better understand implementation issues and to strengthen the potential for scaling up the program.DiscussionOutcomes will provide evidence regarding real-world implementation of a health literacy training program with health worker involvement in an Australian adult education setting. The evaluation trial will provide insight into translating and scaling up health literacy education for vulnerable populations with low literacy.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12616000213448.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3034-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Development and field testing of a consumer shared decision-making training program for adults with low literacy

ObjectiveGiven the scarcity of shared decision-making (SDM) interventions for adults with low literacy, we created a SDM training program tailored to this population to be delivered in adult education settings. MethodsFormative evaluation during program development included a review of the problem and previous efforts to address it, qualitative interviews with the target population, program planning and field testing. ResultsA comprehensive SDM training program was developed incorporating core SDM elements. The program aimed to improve students’ understanding of SDM and to provide them with the necessary skills (understanding probabilistic risks and benefits, personal values and preferences) and self-efficacy to use an existing set of questions (the AskShareKnow questions) as a means to engage in SDM during healthcare interactions. ConclusionsThere is an ethical imperative to develop SDM interventions for adults with lower literacy. Generic training programs delivered direct-to-consumers in adult education settings offer promise in a national and international environment where too few initiatives exist. Practice implicationsFormative evaluation of the program offers practical insights into developing consumer-focused SDM training. The content of the program can be used as a guide for future efforts to engage consumers in SDM.

Defining Success in Adult Basic Education Settings: Multiple Stakeholders, Multiple Perspectives.

This study employed quantitative and qualitative research approaches to investigate what constitutes "success" in Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs from the perspectives of multiple educational stakeholders: the state funding agency, the teachers, and the students. Success was defined in multiple ways. In the quantitative section of the study, we computed classroom value-added scores (used as a metric of the state's definition of success) to identify more and less effective ABE classrooms in two Florida counties. In the qualitative section of the study, we observed and conducted interviews with teachers and students in the selected classrooms to investigate how these stakeholders defined success in ABE. Iterative consideration of the qualitative data revealed three principal markers of success: (a) instructional strategies and teacher-student interactions; (b) views on standardized testing; and (c) student motivational factors. In general, classrooms with higher value-added scores were characterized by multiple instructional approaches, positive and collaborative teacher-student interactions, and students engaging in goal setting and citing motivational factors such as family and personal fulfillment. The implications for ABE programs are discussed.

Cultural (De)coding and Racial Identity Among Women of the African Diaspora in U.S. Adult Higher Education

Over time, research has suggested there are sometimes tensions arising from differences in the way African Americans and Black Caribbean immigrants in the United States perceive each other as part of the African diaspora. In this autoethnographic study, I explore personal experiences with cross-cultural misperceptions between Black female students in three U.S. higher education settings. I use critical race feminism and dialogue education to tell my story, analyzing my encounters and cultural frame of reference and its relationship to Black identity in the United States, and calling for increased dialogue between and among diverse Black females in adult education settings.

Evaluation of a multi-component group exercise program for adults with arthritis: Fitness and Exercise for People with Arthritis (FEPA)

BackgroundResearch supports the favorable effects of exercise on physical and psychosocial outcomes in those with arthritis. Few easily disseminated, multi-component, arthritis-specific programs have been evaluated using both physical function and psychosocial measures. Fitness and Exercise for People with Arthritis (FEPA) is a new community-based, 3-month, instructor supervised multi-component exercise program for individuals with arthritis designed to increase strength, flexibility, balance, and aerobic conditioning, while emphasizing joint-protection and proper biomechanics. PurposeTo conduct a preliminary evaluation of the effects of the FEPA program on physical function and arthritis-related outcomes in individuals with arthritis. MethodMiddle-aged (n = 31, Mage = 54.8 ± 7.2) and older (n = 79, Mage = 76.0 ± 6.6) adults with arthritis completed the instructor led FEPA program in community senior centers, churches, and adult education settings. Changes in physical function, measured using the arm curl, back-scratch test, 8-foot up-and-go, and 6 min walk and self-reported arthritis-related pain, perceived physical function, affect, and self-efficacy for symptom management were assessed using RM ANOVA. ResultsSignificant improvements (ps < .05) in all physical function measures were found in the older group. In the middle-aged group, significant improvements (ps < .05) were found in the 8-foot up-and-go and 6 min walk. Self-reported physical function, pain perceptions, and self-efficacy for pain management significantly improved (ps < .05) in middle-aged participants, while only self-reported pain perceptions significantly improved in the older group. ConclusionsFEPA shows promise for improving health-related outcomes in those with arthritis, and has potential for sustainability in community settings.

Educational Alliance

This conceptual study examines the importance of relationships between teachers and students in court-mandated adult education settings. Although research has been done on the importance of relationships between teachers and incarcerated students, there have been no outstanding studies on the relationships developed between teachers and students who attend court-mandated adult education programs. This research suggests that an educational alliance is formed between teachers and students in community corrections settings, and this relationship is an important aspect in teaching this special population of adult learners. Suggestions for practitioners on forming relationships with court-mandated students are discussed.

NUMERICAL MODELLING OF THE ABDOMINAL WALL APPLIED TO HERNIA SURGERY

Research supports the favorable effects of exercise on physical and psychosocial outcomes in those with arthritis. Few easily disseminated, multi-component, arthritis-specific programs have been evaluated using both physical function and psychosocial measures. Fitness and Exercise for People with Arthritis (FEPA) is a new community-based, 3-month, instructor supervised multi-component exercise program for individuals with arthritis designed to increase strength, flexibility, balance, and aerobic conditioning, while emphasizing joint-protection and proper biomechanics.To conduct a preliminary evaluation of the effects of the FEPA program on physical function and arthritis-related outcomes in individuals with arthritis.Middle-aged (n = 31, Mage = 54.8 ± 7.2) and older (n = 79, Mage = 76.0 ± 6.6) adults with arthritis completed the instructor led FEPA program in community senior centers, churches, and adult education settings. Changes in physical function, measured using the arm curl, back-scratch test, 8-foot up-and-go, and 6 min walk and self-reported arthritis-related pain, perceived physical function, affect, and self-efficacy for symptom management were assessed using RM ANOVA.Significant improvements (ps < .05) in all physical function measures were found in the older group. In the middle-aged group, significant improvements (ps < .05) were found in the 8-foot up-and-go and 6 min walk. Self-reported physical function, pain perceptions, and self-efficacy for pain management significantly improved (ps < .05) in middle-aged participants, while only self-reported pain perceptions significantly improved in the older group.FEPA shows promise for improving health-related outcomes in those with arthritis, and has potential for sustainability in community settings.

A Critical Theory of Adult and Community Education

Critical theory is one of the most influential theoretical frameworks influencing scholarship within the field of adult and community education. This chapter outlines what constitute the chief elements of critical theory using Horkheimer’s (1937/1995) classic essay as a touchstone for this analysis. It argues for a set of adult learning tasks that are embedded in this analysis and that apply both to formal adult education settings and informal learning projects carried out in communities. Future likely trends are the extension of critical theory’s unit of analysis to include race, class, gender, disability, and sexual identity, and critical analysis of digital technologies.

Following Contemplative Education Students’ Transformation Through Their “Ground-of-Being” Experiences

This article examines a recurring phenomenon in students’ experience of contemplation in contemplative and transformative education. This ground-of-being phenomenon, which has been reported by students in higher and adult education settings, is a formative aspect of the positive changes they reported. It is examined here to highlight the ways in which the depth of felt or precognitive meaning that can occur in contemplative education impacts these changes. The subtlety and range of contemplative experience is described through the ground-of-being experience as a means to support the call from contemplative and transformative education theorists for pedagogies that include the subjective and contemplative.

The Impact of Learning Disabilities on Adulthood

It is now well established that learning disabilities (LD) persist into the adult years, yet despite a developing literature base in this area, there is a paucity of evidence-based research to guide research and practice. Consistent with the demands of the adult stage of development, autonomy and self-determination are crucial to quality-of-life issues to adults in general, and specifically to adults with LD. There are many areas of functioning in which adults need to adapt successfully, such as employment, family, social and emotional, daily living routines, community, and recreation and leisure. In essence, there are a myriad of challenges and outcomes as adults navigate the trials and tribulations of LD as it manifests itself into adulthood. This review of the extant evidence-based literature seeks to discover relevant knowledge that can be shared with practitioners who serve adults with LD in a variety of professional and volunteer roles, particularly in adult education settings.

Tutoring in Canadian Adult Education Settings: A Program Overview

Herein the nature of adult learners was explored via a historical review of how tutoring systems have evolved in spite of common problems encountered in adult tutoring. &nbsp; Perceptions of tutoring, and tutor training programs have been examined via the experiences of Canadian tutors working in learning support centers while offering face to face and virtual learning supports. The nature of the adult learner, in contrast to tutor training, the experiences of tutors, and tutoring supports commonly offered to adult learners was examined within a Canadian context. Recent changes in learning supports offered to adults as well as advantages and advancements in tutor programs were presented and reviewed. The evolution of the tutor model was detailed in light of technologic advancements that culminate in a discussion of what areas still need to be researched and evaluated to move tutoring into the future.