Adult Learners Research Articles

Briefings

Department of Education's final Title IX rule blocked in conservative states Columbia administrators removed after antisemitic texts Biden's SAVE loan program on hold Butler College launches new program to help adult learners finish their degrees

Design and pilot evaluation of a brief intervention to reduce transphobia and improve attitudes of government officials to address legal gender affirmation needs of transgender people in Peru

ABSTRACT Legal gender affirmation – legal name and gender marker change – is an important health-promoting health determinant for transgender people. In Peru, the state's failure to universally recognize transgender people’s legal identity limits standardized legal affirmation procedures, including the paucity of government officials trained in gender affirmation strategies. This project, in partnership with Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Civil (RENIEC) and transgender communities, designed and piloted a group-based intervention to sensitize government officers to the importance of gender-concordant identity documents. Between August 2017 and February 2018, three in-person group intervention sessions were held (each 3–4 hours) with 51 government officers. Guided by Gender Affirmation and Structural Violence Frameworks, the intervention utilized Adult Learning Theory and applied storytelling and testimonials as pedagogy. Pre-/post-test surveys were administered (19 true/false items, summed to create an index score measuring knowledge and attitudes toward transgender people). Within-person changes in pre-/post-intervention scores were evaluated using paired t-tests. Pre-/post-test data were available for 41 participants. After the intervention, there were improvements in knowledge and more favorable attitudes toward transgender people (pre-test mean = 14.09, SD = 2.33 vs. post-test mean = 15.62, SD = 1.82; difference = 1.53, 95% CL = 0.60, 2.67; t-test = 3.30 [df = 46]; p = 0.002). The intervention was feasible to conduct and garnered high acceptability. The results suggest the promise of this brief intervention for future research and testing before potential later implementation and scale-up to increase the capacity of government officers to address legal gender affirmation for transgender people in Peru.

Q&A: 5 questions with Shuchita Poddar

In our recurring “5 questions with” series, the Recruiting and Retaining Adult Learners marketing column, profiles a communications professional through a brief Q&A. This month, we introduce you to Suchita Poddar, communications coordinator for the office of admissions at University of Iowa.

Briefings

Department of Education's final Title IX rule blocked in conservative states Columbia administrators on leave after texts during Jewish life panel Biden's SAVE loan program on hold Butler College launches new program to help adult learners finish their degrees

Educating the Adult Learners: Development of Digital Marketing Strategies for Local Community Products of Pasakngam Village, Chiang Mai, Thailand

This study aimed to educate adult learners by addressing marketing challenges faced by Pasakngam Village, Chiang Mai. The objectives were 1) examine current marketing management procedures and the needs for community products 2) analyze and develop a digital marketing strategy model, and 3) educate the adult villagers on digital marketing strategies. This research employed a participatory phenomenological method to collect both quantitative and qualitative data including public hearings, in-depth interviews with village and product group leaders, focus group meetings with 34 village members and surveys with 215 tourists. Analytical tools included statistical analysis with SPSS software for quantitative data and content analysis for qualitative data. The research findings disclosed a lack of structured marketing management and digital, as well as insufficient public relations plans. The community attempts to promote products via a Facebook page were lacked proper supervision. The research introduced practical workshops based on the Reach, Act, Convert, Engage (RACE) to teach digital marketing to the community members. The villagers learned to operate digital marketing strategies by creating and sharing promotional videos on digital platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, aiming to increase tourist visits and product visibility. The digital marketing strategies improved community engagement and product promotion, highlighting the need for ongoing training and strategy refinement. The research underscores the importance of equipping local communities with digital marketing skills to enhance economic resilience and sustainable development. The study's comprehensive approach provides a replicable model for similar communities seeking to leverage digital marketing for local product promotion.

Perspectives on ESL Acquisition for Adult Learners in Romania

The present paper aims at catching a glimpse of the process of second language learning and acquisition among adult learners in Romania. When talking about adult learners, the focused age group comprises individuals over 24 years old who are no longer enrolled in any type of educational system. On the contrary, they already have jobs, families and lead a busy life. The paper comprises four parts – the introduction presents some factors, like age, psychological and environmental components, which interact in the process of successful language acquisition. The second part discusses motivation which has a pivotal role in the process of language acquisition while in the next part some difficulties Romanian adult learners face when learning English are presented. The paper ends with conclusions, emphasizing that the process of second language acquisition is not at all a simple one, it is a bouquet of factors which influences the final result.

Technological support for lifelong learning: The application of a multilevel, person-centric framework

21st century career development is increasingly characterized by recurring participation in work-related skill learning, much of which is mediated by technology. However, integration of this technology into work-related lifelong learning contexts has been relatively atheoretical and non-systematic. Building on interdisciplinary adult learning research and our findings from several studies on an online graduate degree program in a high demand STEM field, we propose a multilevel, person-centric framework of adult learning processes related to: (1) knowledge and skill acquisition, (2) the development and maintenance of motivation and wellbeing over time, and (3) transfer of learning to career-related goals. For each level of the framework, we discuss issues related to the measurement and evaluation of learning. We outline affordances (i.e., functional benefits) of technology (including artificial intelligence) for supporting career-related learning at each level, and present future directions related to major gaps in the field's understanding of these affordances. Throughout the final section, we illustrate the implications of our framework with examples of its use in a research institute focused on AI adult learning technologies. Finally, we present guiding questions for researchers and practitioners interested in technology-mediated career-related learning.

Towards a More Critical Cognizant Learning Model

It could be argued that the current adult education paradigm aligns with a liberal knowledge economy. A more critical perspective is Paulo Freire's banking education concept that removes criticality from a learner's repertoire and facilitates alignment with the prevalent liberal education and its hegemonic objectives. Drawing from Paulo Freire's (1990) Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Flores (2017) suggested that banking education teaches the oppressed to accept the oppressor's social framework. In this paper, and through the analysis of news media articles and policy documents, the author examines the phenomenon of terrorism and how a Western worldview constructs and engages in meaning-making for the reader. As a result, the author proposes a more critical cognizant adult learning model. Drawing from Habermasian theory, the need to cultivate humanity, and criticality as practiced by Critical Discourse Analysis, the author proposes a learning model construct of evolving criticality, emancipatory in intent, complex in its components and their relationships, with the intent of giving back agency to citizens.

Mild neonatal hypoxia disrupts adult hippocampal learning and memory and is associated with CK2-mediated dysregulation of synaptic calcium-activated potassium channel KCNN2.

Although nearly half of preterm survivors display persistent neurobehavioral dysfunction including memory impairment without overt gray matter injury, the underlying mechanisms of neuronal or glial dysfunction, and their relationship to commonly observed cerebral white matter injury are unclear. We developed a mouse model to test the hypothesis that mild hypoxia during preterm equivalence is sufficient to persistently disrupt hippocampal neuronal maturation related to adult cellular mechanisms of learning and memory. Methods: Neonatal (P2) mice were exposed to mild hypoxia (8%O 2 ) for 30 min and evaluated for acute injury responses or survived until adulthood for assessment of learning and memory and hippocampal neurodevelopment. Neonatal mild hypoxia resulted in clinically relevant oxygen desaturation and tachycardia without bradycardia and was not accompanied by cerebral gray or white matter injury. Neonatal hypoxia exposure was sufficient to cause hippocampal learning and memory deficits and abnormal maturation of CA1 neurons that persisted into adulthood. This was accompanied by reduced hippocampal CA3-CA1 synaptic strength and LTP and reduced synaptic activity of calcium-sensitive SK2 channels, key regulators of spike timing dependent neuroplasticity, including LTP. Structural illumination microscopy revealed reduced synaptic density, but intact SK2 localization at the synapse. Persistent loss of SK2 activity was mediated by altered casein kinase 2 (CK2) signaling. Clinically relevant mild hypoxic exposure in the neonatal mouse is sufficient to produce morphometric and functional disturbances in hippocampal neuronal maturation independently of white matter injury. Additionally, we describe a novel persistent mechanism of potassium channel dysregulation after neonatal hypoxia. Collectively our findings suggest an unexplored explanation for the broad spectrum of neurobehavioral, cognitive and learning disabilities that paradoxically persist into adulthood without overt gray matter injury after preterm birth.

XARİCİ DİLİN TƏDRİSİNDƏ İNNOVATİV METODLARIN İSTİFADƏSİ

The Role of Innovative Methods in Teaching Foreign Languge Summary The article is devoted to description of innovative methods. Innovative methods and technologies of teaching today are gaining increasing recognition and new opportunities associated with the establishment of interpersonal interaction. In this article is paid attention to choices of methods which should vary with different purposes, ages groups, and stages of mental development. A structure of modern process of teaching and its results is presented in this receaerch. Some of the common learning characteristics of adult language and literacy learners as well as four guiding principles to teaching adults foreign languages are given in the article. Key words: innovative method, project, active learning, traditional learning, creative tasks

How can adult learning support digitalisation?

How can adult learning support digitalisation?

A Sociological Imagination: The Neglected Concept in Transformation Theory

Malcolm Knowles visited Teachers College as I commenced studying there in 1978. But Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed opened the possibility that adult education could be radical and transformative. In the same year Jack Mezirow (1978) published his theory of perspective transformation. Andragogy was useful but a paradigm shift in the field of adult education had occurred and through multiple iterations over the following decades we are the inheritors of these exciting developments. Mezirow borrowed from Jürgen Habermas whose theory of communicative action he creatively integrated with the theory of transformative learning (TL). Adult education, that traditionally linked itself with the project of democracy, had a new critical theory inspired understanding of adult learning that works towards democracy. It is this connection that makes TL important in a world facing multiple (connected) crises – climate change, radicalizations, the rise of the far right and wars.

Transformative Learning as a Part of Living Theory: A Constant Evolution of Transformative Learning Theory in Lifelong Education

Transformative Learning Theory is one of the major adult learning theories. It has gained significant attention due to its potential to revolutionize education and personal development. Although its popularity has made it branch out from the adult learning theories as a distinct theory with unique characteristics and utilizations, the field of Transformative Learning has fallen into its own disorienting dilemma. The field of Transformative Learning is now in a critical phase as a field of study where it needs to refine itself to better develop its identity and grow. In this article, I will respond to the six questions regarding Transformative Learning Theory and the field of Transformative Learning that the editorial team of the journal asks.

Unveiling and challenging the identity, formation, and evolution of Transformation Theory

In this contribution, we explore established and emerging facets that contribute to shaping the theoretical landscape of transformation theory. Throughout our discussion, we contemplate the multifaceted nature of transformative learning, acknowledging its positive evolution with diverse perspectives that have enriched the field. Despite this progress, we argue that challenges persist, prompting the recognition of transformative learning theory as an ongoing, dynamic paradigm capable of organically responding to the contemporary challenges of adult learning and education. Our discourse advocates for a deeper exploration of the theory's potential for profound change, emphasizing the imperative to move beyond its dominant cognitive dimension.

Workplace Flexibility and Participation in Adult Learning

Workplace Flexibility and Participation in Adult Learning

Impact of equity-centered training: supporting racialized communities with enhanced education for social workers

ABSTRACT Social workers benefit from increasing their skills and knowledge working with a diverse range of communities and populations, particularly among racialized and marginalized communities. This study evaluates an Ontario-based project on equity-centered training to social workers with a focus on the experiences of adult racialized learners. Data was collected through a convenience sample of participants completing post-training evaluation surveys which measured learner’s satisfaction, learning, and confidence. We delivered 53 trainings to over 3,000 learners and a total of 670 surveys were analyzed. Respondents were approximately 41% racialized, 40% aged 45 and under, 84% female, and 39% with over 15 years of experience. Compared to non-racialized learners, racialized learners reported higher satisfaction with an increased willingness to apply knowledge to practice. In addition, racialized learners reported a higher increase in skills developed and confidence, including interest in specific areas like intergenerational trauma. All learners shared the importance of critical self-reflection and awareness, appreciation for practical strategies, and openness to ongoing learning. It is important to offer equity-centered training to social workers that increase skills and knowledge in developing inclusive mental health services. Professional development can complement formal education in meeting the needs of increasingly diverse communities.

The impact of self-directed learning on reducing single use plastic in back-of-house restaurant operations

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to determine the barriers to single-use plastic (SUP) reduction, specifically in the back-of-house (BOH) of restaurants, based on preexisting attitudes and perceived barriers. The associated psychological barriers were reflected upon in the context of adult learning theory and self-directed learning, as a novel setting in which to apply these theories. This study assessed the barriers to SUP reduction in restaurants by conducting fourteen qualitative interviews with small- to medium-sized restaurant operators in Canada which were digitally transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic content analysis. The study found that the most common barriers to reducing SUPs in the BOH are: cost, lack of time, and suppliers. The study also finds that there is a disconnect between the participants’ attitudes toward SUPs and their perceived barriers, and that there is a lack of access to resources for learning as a barrier. This study adds to self-directed learnings theory’s influence and limitations on sustainability behaviors and the application of self-directed learning to a unique setting. It also concludes that the restaurant BOH environment is akin to a self-directed learning environment. This study has implications for restaurant owners and operators attempting to reduce their SUP consumption.

Exploring Chinese international students’ critical thinking skills: A systematic literature review

AbstractMost graduate students in higher education are classified as adult learners, being 24 years old, and have responsibilities and commitments outside of higher education. This literature review presents how Chinese international graduate students face challenges in the US due to sociocultural, ideological, and educational differences. This systematic literature review explores these students' critical thinking skills, which are crucial factors for academic success but have been underexplored. Three themes were identified as follows: (1) critical thinking education in China, (2) stereotypes of perceived lack of critical thinking, and (3) comparative views of critical thinking between Chinese and American college students. Each theme presents a landscape of how critical thinking is interpreted. Themes suggest several trends, including cultural variations that may impede Chinese international students from showcasing their critical thinking abilities, notwithstanding their inherent capacity for critical thinking. Recommendations include ways to improve critical thinking among international students and call for more comparative studies between Chinese and American college students. The findings offer valuable insights into the internationalization of higher education curricula and the promotion of global learning.

The paradox of the teacher‐driven professional learning community in a hierarchical organization: A Chinese school case

AbstractProfessional learning community (PLC) has drawn global attention in the field of adult learning. This study applies paradox theory to examine how a group of Chinese school teachers transform their teaching practices in a self‐organized PLC without school policy support. The researchers applied the biographic‐narrative‐interpretive method (BNIM) to conduct 19 one‐on‐one interviews with eight teachers who were members of the PLC. The results showed that teachers who perceived their experiences through a paradoxical lens had a longer commitment to the PLC. The findings also revealed that the headteacher and school principal's informal leadership practices empowered teachers to navigate barriers caused by oppositional forces. The study offers insights into how a teacher‐driven PLC can be sustained in a hierarchical organization and suggests a three‐step iteration emphasizing the criticalness of learning‐by‐implementation.

Enhancing adult learner success in higher education through decision tree models: A machine learning approach

This article explores the use of machine learning, specifically Classification and Regression Trees (CART), to address the unique challenges faced by adult learners in higher education. These learners confront socio-cultural, economic, and institutional hurdles, such as stereotypes, financial constraints, and systemic inefficiencies. The study utilizes decision tree models to evaluate their effectiveness in predicting graduation outcomes, which helps in formulating tailored educational strategies. The research analyzed a comprehensive dataset spanning the academic years 2013–2014 to 2021–2022, evaluating the predictive accuracy of CART models using precision, recall, and F1 score. Findings indicate that attendance, age, and Pell Grant eligibility are key predictors of academic success, demonstrating the strong capability of the model across various educational metrics. This highlights the potential of machine learning (ML) to improve data-driven decision-making in educational settings. The results affirm the effectiveness of Decision Tree (DT) models in meeting the educational needs of adult learners and underscore the need for institutions to adapt their strategies to provide more inclusive and supportive environments. This study advocates for a shift towards nuanced, data-driven approaches in higher education, emphasizing the development of strategies that address the distinct challenges of adult learners, aiming to enhance inclusivity and support within the sector.