Implications For Adult Education Research Articles

New Social Movements and their Implications for Adult Education

The purpose of this article is to show how adult education is linked to the emerging crisis of modernity; in fact, education has been conceived from its very beginning as part of the project of modernity. If adult education follows the same paths as traditional education, it will end up, like modernity, in crisis too. A sign of this crisis in our field is the increasing split between vocational training and personal development. I will develop my argument by using the example of the so-called “new movements”: new movements herald a cultural transformation, where the individual becomes increasingly a central focus and where social transformation will occur through the transformation of the person. It is argued that adult education will develop its full potential only once it has admitted that it is, as a discipline, another expression of the same cultural transformation the new movements foreshadow.

Adult Learning through Participation in Rural Community Groups

This exploratory study investigates what adults learn through participation in community groups. An iterative content analysis was conducted on transcripts from ten in-depth interviews with active members of community groups throughout upstate New York. This process yielded 259 learning statements which were then classified into 8 learning categories. Here we present a rich description of what people learn in the context of local group activities. Understanding the learning that occurs in community group contexts has implications for adult educators and extension workers, as well as for the development of theoretical models of adult learning.

Adult Learning through Participation in Rural Community Groups

This exploratory study investigates what adults learn through participation in community groups. An iterative content analysis was conducted on transcripts from ten in-depth interviews with active members of community groups throughout upstate New York. This process yielded 259 learning statements which were then classified into 8 learning categories. Here we present a rich description of what people learn in the context of local group activities. Understanding the learning that occurs in community group contexts has implications for adult educators and extension workers, as well as for the development of theoretical models of adult learning.

Incidental Learning of Aging Adults Via Television

The purpose of this study was to research the extent of incidental learning by aging adults through casual television viewing. Seventy-nine aging adults participated in viewing a commercially prepared television documentary in an informal setting. Cued-recall tests were given immediately after the program and again one week later (to 55 participants) to determine the proportion of recall of main and subordinate ideas, both immediate and delayed. Regression was used to analyze the importance to retention of the aging adults' individual characteristics (age, socioeconomic status, meaningfulness of content and materials, attitude towards television, and previous education). Only previous education showed a statistically significant positive correlation with immediate and delayed recall. This study revealed the difficulty of ascertaining incidental learning outcomes. Methodological considerations are discussed, and further implications for adult education via television are probed.

ALTERNATIVE CONCEPTIONS OF WISDOM: AN ONION‐PEELING EXERCISE

Contexualistic and integrative approaches to the concept of wisdom are discussed. The evolution of the concept of wisdom from an independent construct of intelligence to a component of intelligence (i.e., practical intelligence) is presented. It is argued that wisdom can be operationalized as the ability to integrate cognition and affect. In other words, both logical, rational and affective, experiential modes of knowing are recognized as equally valid and taken into consideration in social reasoning contexts. A methodological illustration of the integrative approach is presented in the form of an ongoing study investigating real‐world problem solving in adolescents as well as young, middle‐aged, and older adults. Implications for adult education are discussed.

Notions of development and their implication for adult education

Clarifying initially the concepts of ‘development’ and ‘adult education’, this brief article explores possible relations between development and four ideological perspectives upon education: conservative, liberal, reformative, and radical. Whereas the first two of these approaches are initiated from the higher echelons of the power structure, the other two models of development are postulated. It seeks to show that there is a correlation between ideological approaches to education and notions of development.

Technology: Implications for Training

In this article a learning model is presented to give perspective on the use of technology in education and training. Individual learning styles and levels of intellectual development are reviewed as an added variable in the teaching-learning situation. The microchip appears to be revolutionizing our communication technology and presenting new opportunities and problems for educators in the human services. The role of personal microcomputers, Telidon and other electronic systems are discussed and their implications for adult education and training developed. How the training of others to use this new technology is also described.

Disclosure of Cognitive Style Information: Effects on Achievement of Adult Learners

This research investigated the effectiveness of disclosure of cognitive style map information on academic achievement in adult learners. Subjects were community college students (N = 61) enrolled in Human Anatomy. Experimental group subjects were administered the Albany Instrument and the cognitive style maps which resulted were disclosed to them. This entailed revealing and explaining the results with concomitant information about strategies that might be employed in subsequent learning. Control group subjects received a placebo disclosure treatment. Although the experimental group had a higher mean difference in academic achievement as measured by semester percentage grades, the difference was not statistically significant. Implications for adult education are discussed.

Adult Learning Styles – Implications for Adult Educators Working in Aboriginal Communities

In the Northern Territory there are about 20 adult educators based in Aboriginal communities where the traditional life-style is still experienced to a great degree. These adult educators are required to identify the further education and training needs of the community and to implement programs to meet these needs. In this brief paper I shall examine ways in which the study of Aboriginal adult learning styles can be of use to these adult educators.Before looking at specific Aboriginal learning styles it is necessary to look at those which are generally universally agreed upon as the basic learning styles applicable to adults. This is necessary in order to ensure that adult educators have a foundation on which to base some identifiably different learning styles inherent in Aboriginal culture.

Adult Education and the Phenomena of Social Change

This paper has two purposes. The first is to underscore the relevance of historical events and social forces which influence the life experience of various cohorts of adults. To carry out this purpose, the study focuses on one particular cohort—a "cohort case study" as an example of how history and social forces shape the experiences as well as the educational needs of the adult population. The second purpose is to discuss some of the possible implications for adult education given these effects. The underlying assumption is that the more educators know about educational clientele—their social, historical, economic, and cultural pasts—the more successful will be the educational experiences.

Review of Research in Selected Areas of Adult Cognitive Development: Implications for Adult Education. Hughes, Fergus P. Green Bay: University of Wisconsin, College of Human Biology, July 1980 (62 p). ED 203 078. EDRS Price: Microfiche $.91, Paper Copy $5.30 (plus postage)

Review of Research in Selected Areas of Adult Cognitive Development: Implications for Adult Education. Hughes, Fergus P. Green Bay: University of Wisconsin, College of Human Biology, July 1980 (62 p). ED 203 078. EDRS Price: Microfiche $.91, Paper Copy $5.30 (plus postage)