Many adult literacy program, especially those seeking to address issues of equity and empowerment, invite their clients to become authors by articulating their life experiences, ideas, and opinions in talk and in writing that is published. Recent theorizing about identity raises issues about the empowering capacity of this widespread practice. To address these issues, I borrowed theoretical perspectives from feminist poststructuralism that allowed me to see what happened when clients were positioned as authors in light of positionings leading to salient identities other than author. These positionings were shaped by discourses, local ideologies, and speech acts. The study focused on a small group of literacy clients who interacted with each other and with tutors in adult basic education tutoring sessions and Authors Workshops sited in a public elementary school in a New England city. I used an ethnographic approach to collect and analyze my data which was complemented by conversation analysis techniques borrowed from sociolinguistics. The theoretical perspective and the methodology enabled me to trace the moment-by-moment construction and interaction, through talk, of the various identities that became salient for participants. Identities from three categories, Authorship, School, and Family, became salient and interacted with each other. These identities were linked to the five cultural discourses operating at the research site: the Traditional Education, Liberal Empowerment, Therapeutic, Welfare Reform, and Traditional Marriage and Family discourses. School identities, linked to the Traditional Education discourse, most often interacted with Authorship identities; however, it was not always in tutors' talk that the Traditional Education discourse expressed itself. Clients sometimes chose the student identity. Both the Welfare Reform and Traditional Education discourses interrupted the author identity as clients, lacking a high school diploma, felt thwarted in their job searches. Implications of the study for research include the power of feminist poststructuralist theory as an heuristic and a justification for researching liberatory classroom practices. Implications for practice include the advisability of siting Authors Workshops in a community rather than school context and the use of feminist poststructuralist theory to reveal how clients and practitioners are “discoursed” so they can, together, help make practices such as Authors Workshops actually, not just potentially liberatory.

Despite evidence of the effectiveness of applied behavior analysis (ABA) for treating behavior problems in elderly nursing home residents, staff responsible for the development of behavioral care plans may have little knowledge of ABA. Providing nursing staff with in-service training during working hours can be overly disruptive to the functioning of the nursing unit, and paying for nurses to attend training outside of regularly scheduled hours is cost-prohibitive to many geriatric care facilities. To examine a more cost effective alternative to traditional in-service training, a self-instructional training program was implemented with six nursing staff. A multiple baseline across subjects design was used to examine the effects of the training program on subjects' ability to identify information important for the development of behavioral interventions, their general knowledge of behavior management, their self-reported attitudes towards elderly nursing home residents, and the frequency and type of their interactions with the residents of their unit. Findings revealed no practically significant changes in any of the dependent measures as a result of the self-instructional training program. The results indicated ways in which the training program could be improved.

Fear of computers -- Student/subject-centered teaching model.

Lifelong learning (LL) has been widely regarded as one of the activities that can enhance well-being of the society and benefit older persons in terms of psychological, physical, mental, and cognitive well-being. In foreign countries like the Unites States of America, the United Kingdom, Finland, France, Australia, and also China, LL among older persons had been developed successfully. Hong Kong, in contrast, has no systematic planning for the development of LL even though the aged population is increasing rapidly. This research aims at constructing a LL model for older persons in Hong Kong. The theoretical framework of study focused on figuring out the breaches between satisfactory models proposed by older persons and the existing lifelong learning model in Hong Kong. Interview survey and documentary study have been employed in this study. Interview survey was carried out from March to April of 2005 in order to understand older persons’ expectations towards LL. A questionnaire consisting of 39 big items was constructed. The author successfully interviewed 54 out of the 60 older persons originally intended, including 31 female and 23 male. The samples of this study were older persons aged 55 or above, and the median age of the respondents was 67.84. Also, 26 respondents had had learning experience in the six months prior to the survey being carried out. In the documentary study, both formal and nonformal learning programmes in Hong Kong were studied. Seven major older persons’ education providers were included, including one tertiary institution, one radio broadcasting company and five active NGOs. The findings show the gaps between older persons’ expectations and present provision of LL programmes. The Hong Kong Lifelong Learning Model should have tertiary institutions actively involved in the provision of both formal and nonformal learning programmes. Face to face interviews should be adopted. Formal learning programmes should be made available on the internet or radio. Moreover, older persons would be more satisfied if they could learn at tertiary institutions or centres most convenient for them. Thus, various organizations should have stronger cooperation with each other so that resources can be shared. Older persons preferred a greater variety of courses and lessons and would like to receive grants or travel subsidy. Most of the elder learners were willing to be instructors, therefore they could be recruited as voluntary teachers, and more courses to train older learners as instructors should be offered. The duration of formal learning programmes may be too long for the elderly learners, and they asked for a credit-accumulating system to be implemented in those programmes. A central data bank and newsletters should be made available so that older persons could gain access to information more easily. In order to improve the quality of courses, evaluation and needs assessments should be carried out regularly by service providers, and they should consider designing the course curriculum with elder learners. In order to help those who did not receive much education when young, foundation literacy courses could be offered. In addition, instead of written course work, tests, and examinations, oral presentations and examinations could be carried out. Finally, certificates, qualifications, and public and large scale graduation ceremonies are found to be good reinforcements for older persons’ learning behaviour. In conclusion, Hong Kong, as a beginner in the systematic development of LL for older persons, has much to do to improve the existing system. Irrefutably, making it perfect is arduous because both the service providers and the government have their own constraints. Nonetheless, trying the best to fill in the gaps between the ideal and the reality will bring the greatest benefits to older persons and the society.

Education aims at the development of knowledge and skills for its own sake and pleasure. People aged over 65 years currently comprise 11% of the Hong Kong population. Such aging population in Hong Kong constitutes a challenge to our society. To be adaptive to changes in the environment, especially in aging, more emphasis is placed on “lifelong learning” than on “lifelong education” for self-fulfillment Active aging is evidently supported as a solution to the impact of aging population. Lifelong learning is an important strategy for enhancing active aging. The provision and process of lifelong learning for older people can take several forms. Of these, the best known is the University of the Third Age (U3A). However, in Hong Kong, the number of well-structured lifelong learning models is limited. Among various U3A models, the Australian model is more suitable in Hong Kong. In 2008, the Labour and Welfare Bureau and the Elderly Commission launched U3A, named as the Elder Academy (EA), with local characteristics that fit the Hong Kong context. Initially 32 EAs were established in Hong Kong. In consideration of the limited studies on the lifelong learning model for older people, the current study aims to evaluate the local EA model for lifelong learning for older people in Hong Kong. In the first phase of the macro level of evaluation, a documentary analysis was employed to examine various U3A models and 32 EA documents. Then, the in-depth interviews were conducted to obtain stakeholder perceptions on the local EAs. A total of 14 EA stakeholders, including 2 school principals, 2 teachers, 2 social workers, 4 younger tutors, and 4 older people, were invited to share their views about the characteristics for the local EA. Phase 1 results identified the characteristics of local EA, such as the cross-bureau, cross-sector, cross-profession, and cross-age collaborations, the seed money, and an independent management committee. Local EAs have the ability to enhance the value of a “giving culture” and the positive image of the older people. They also provided platforms to train volunteers and health promoters, as well as to develop the new other learning experiences curriculum. In addition, it was found that Confucianism has an important impact on running the local EA model. Together with older people’s feedback, the micro level of evaluation (Phase 2) was undertaken to evaluate the effect of the proposed teaching-learning style used in the EA model. In Phase 2, a multiple method, a quasi-experimental study and in-depth interviews were conducted with participants in the “lecture and practicum” group. The quasi-experimental study evaluated the proposed teaching-learning style employed in the Health Frontier Trainers’ Program on learning performance. A convenience sample was recruited over the course of a month. Up to 40 participants formed the “lecture and practicum” group, whereas 30 participants formed the “lecture-only” group. Pre- and post-tests on the learning performance were administrated before and after the programs were applied to both groups. Assessment scores after the programs were recorded, after which their mean scores were compared. In-depth interviews were also conducted. A total of 10 participants consisting of 6 older participants and 4 younger participants from the “lecture and practicum” group were invited for interviews. Data were collected to examine the perceptions of the participants regarding the program. A statistically significant difference between the two study groups was found only in the change in the learning performance of the older participants. The older participants in the “lecture and practicum” group experienced a greater enhancement in their learning performance than those in the “lecture-only” group, thus, the proposed teaching-learning style was confirmed to be more effective toward the learning of older people. The proposed teaching-learning style included experiential-based learning, which emphasized the experiential nature of learning and interaction in the context of reality. Moreover, several themes were identified from interview data, such as developing knowledge and skills, enhancing intergenerational learning, bridging theory and practice, and perceived difficulty in the learning topic. These themes indicated that older people preferred experiential learning to lifelong learning. In conclusion, the characteristics of the local EA model were identified. Experiential learning was found to be better than lecture-based learning. Based on these findings, the local EA could develop a preferred lifelong learning model for older people when the local EA model with local characteristics is combined with the element of experiential learning.

This research examines the educational history of Blacks under apartheid, the educational philosophies of different strands of the anti-apartheid movement, and the nature of education reforms in a post-apartheid South Africa. The research analyzes the implications of these reforms for a specific group of marginalized South Africans, former student militants, that is, Black African youths who participated in the anti-apartheid struggle between 1970 to 1992. It is deeply tragic that a majority of this population do not benefit from the educational and economic policies of the new South Africa, and remain poor and unemployed. Based on interviews, surveys and focused group discussions with former student militants in the Northern Province of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, this research examines the gap between the educational vision of the anti-apartheid movement and the nature of the present reforms. My research shows that although based on principles of racial equality, the impact of the reforms can only be understood in the broader context of neoliberal economic reform. The research highlights the contradictions immanent in constructing a deracialized, egalitarian education system that can benefit the Black majority at the same time as the state prioritizes economic growth and competitiveness to succeed in a global economy. The research questions whether the goal of ‘education for liberation’ can truly be attained and the historical oppressions and inequities of the apartheid regime eradicated by education reform that is based on liberal ideals of a nonracialized equal society.

This qualitative study of the values, beliefs and teaching practices of four teachers at a small private college with a diverse adult student population attempts to bring to light what teaching behaviors help to create an educational climate which includes people of both genders and of different ethnic, racial backgrounds and allows them to succeed in an academic environment. The teachers and students completed weekly teaching and learning journals (derived from Brookfield's (1991) student learning journals) during one semester (spring, 1994). Using grounded theory technique, I uncovered eight activities that both teachers and students felt were effective in providing an inclusive educational environment: (1) use of groups for support, creativity and personal change; (2) conscious student metacognition and self-assessment; (3) interactive classroom activities; (4) exercises which utilize different learning styles; (5) integrative learning which calls upon the different student cultures; (6) close teacher/student and peer/peer feedback connections; (7) academic support components built into the curriculum; and (8) the teacher acting as facilitator. Through a series of teacher interviews, I determined three shared values which appeared congruent with the teachers' actions in the classroom: (1) awareness of the difference between the student cultures, but a reluctance to pre-judge individuals based on cultural assumptions; (2) awareness and utilization of the affective aspects of learning; and (3) a conception of the role of teacher as empowerer. End of the semester focus groups with students added to data obtained from student learning journals to reveal three areas of the learning deemed important for growth: (1) the importance of the social dimension of teaching and learning; (2) the powerful role of the teacher in the learning process; and (3) the importance of applying and integrating the learning into the students' lives. Two problematic areas in the teaching of these four instructors were: (1) a lack of multicultural reading materials within the courses and (2) evaluations methods that were not authentic or inclusive of different learning style orientations. The results of this study hold implications for the administration of programs for adult students of targeted social groups, such as admission policies, class size and teacher training.

The research question: What do adults understand about the cyclic nature of organic matter and the concepts in decomposition? This study examined the scientific and alternate views on the concept of decomposition in two phases. The first is a constructive phase and dealt with collecting ideas and terminology. The second, the validation phase, determined how many adults shared the ideas collected. The constructive phase involved clinically interviewing 20 adult subjects of various age groups and educational backgrounds using open ended questions and concepts mapping. The validation stage was administering a survey constructed with the ideas found in the clinical interviewing to various people randomly in public places and employment facilities. Additional data was collected regarding the experience of the subjects in composting and gardening or courses in biology or chemistry. This data was examined to identify what ideas are held most often by adults, what ideas are not in conjunction with scientific concepts, and what variables might have produced the factors based on a constructivist approach to educational development. The findings include firmly held ideas about the decomposition of bones and the lack of understanding of the microbial role of decomposition.

Inclusiveness and usefulness are principles underlying community college education and reform in mathematics teaching. But adults restarting their education may view mathematics as inaccessible, threatening, and of limited personal use. The purpose of this study was to gain awareness and appreciation of the beliefs about mathematics and attitudes about themselves as learners of mathematics of a group of financially and educationally disadvantaged women preparing to enter community college and technical occupations. In the event that these beliefs and attitudes seemed to be counter productive to the effective mathematics education of the students, the study considered how they changed in a learning community where science, mathematics, communication, and career development skills were integrated and learned experientially. The methods used were qualitative and interpretive. The researcher interviewed six women at the beginning and end of the semester, and talked with the math/science instructors about their objectives and methods. She observed the students in the classroom and laboratory and administered an attitude questionnaire. Literature from the fields of human development, teaching and learning, and mathematics education formed the background for the study. The study found that the students varied in their attitudes and in their responses to the learning experiences. Students perceived little change in their own attitudes during the program, but the instructors and researcher observed positive change in the group, with the least change occurring in those expressing most resistance to the methods. The researcher found that the program was evolving from a learning community into a more traditional collection of subjects, that assessment methods conflicted with the experiential and integrated model, and that there was poor communication within the program. These problems seemed to work against some of the anticipated changes in attitude toward mathematics of the students and highlighted difficulties of putting theory into practice. The study verified that the relationship between attitudes and a program designed to affect them is complex and sensitive to many factors including the dynamics within the program itself and the developmental characteristics of the student.

The administration of basic education and training in South African mines lacks democratic participation, among other problems. This is because stakeholders like worker-learners, educators, and trade unions are mostly not involved when employers plan, implement, and evaluate programs. Currently, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is exploring ways in which the Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) system can be transformed. This case study explains strategies and proposals of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). Qualitative research methods were used in data gathering. From 1993 to 1994, on-site, I observed and participated in NUM and national ABET activities; interviewed labor and liberation leaders and educators, managers, worker-learners, and NGO adult educators; and analyzed union resolutions, an agreement between NUM and the Chamber of Mines, and national ABET policy proposals. Through workshops, NUM is in the process of building the capacity of mineworkers to participate in the running of programs. Through negotiations with management, an ABET framework has been agreed. Through COSATU and the African National Congress (ANC), NUM contributes in national efforts for reconstruction and development. The defining characteristics/principles of the new industry and national ABET framework are: ABET qualifications will be equivalent to ten years of free and compulsory schooling, leading to a General Education Certificate; both general education and technical training will be certified in a common integrated framework; a national core curriculum, in a competency-based modular format, will allow for assessment and recognition of prior learning and experience. Negotiations are continuing between unions and employers about paid education and training leave, and how education and training can relate to job grading systems. ABET provision, within a national qualifications framework, is intended to: redress the apartheid legacy, and respond to economic and social needs by offering both technical and social skills. Consequently, the ABET framework more than combines the formal, functional, and Freirean adult literacy models. In conclusion, the study highlights some major labor accomplishments, challenges, and questions of this transitional period. It is recommended that, in implementing the ABET vision, joint workplace partnerships/forums be pursued as viable vehicles for learner empowerment.