This case study examines adult participation in learning. Ethnographic methods were employed to document classroom processes and participant perceptions in an adult basic education class. Classroom observations showed that learner participation was for the most part initiated by the teacher rather than by the students. Analysis of the data indicated a close link between the defined teacher and learner roles and the participants' shared perceptions of the teacher as the expert. Analysis also showed that teacher-student interaction was influenced by the teacher's past teaching experience and by her perceptions of the students and their needs. The results of this study demonstrate a need for teacher preparation designed both to increase awareness of appropriate adult education methods, and to provide experience in active learner participation. The study also highlights the importance of dialogue between teachers and learners as a means of involving learners in the learning process.

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Institutions of formal education have a survival interest in the question of why most adults do not participate in more formal adult education. This study, using a descriptive approach, gathered evidence from 16 adults (8 males and 8 females) who had not participated in formal education in the past 10 years. The evidence gathered was used to answer the question, How do adults, who have not participated in formal education as adults, describe their reasons for not participating? The evidence was gathered from multiple individual interviews and two focus groups.Much of the previous research in discovering why adults did not participate in formal education has been done from the perspective of the participating adult. An examination of this previous research identified job related reasons as the prominent reasons adults gave for participation in formal education. Barriers/deterrents to participation were most often identified as lack of time and money; however, the study presented here found neither money nor time reported as important reasons for nonparticipation in formal education for adults.The informants in this study answered the question clearly. They did not participate in formal education for adults because they found no need for, or value in, additional formal education. Furthermore, they had no interest in exploring potential benefits.Some research on participation in formal adult education shows some adults who participated, did so for social reasons. The informants in the study presented here may have avoided formal education for social reasons, that is, a fear of failure in that context. All informants were satisfied with the way they learned needed skills and/or knowledge. Previous formal education, schooling, was not recognized as an important contributor to the informants' current or future adult lifestyles. Schooling, as described by the informants, was not credited with providing them with understanding, knowledge, and/or skills required to find employment or to support or enhance their adult lifestyles.Hands-on, and less often reading, were the methods employed by the informants and their peers. There seemed to be a threat to their self esteem if they were involved in formal adult education to gain skill and/or knowledge. / Department of Educational Leadership

A recent phenomenon widely noted among international volunteer agencies and church mission boards is an increase in the number of older adults offering service in foreign countries. To be effective, these people often need to learn a new language. However, much evidence has shown that older adults have a more difficult time than their younger adult counterparts in acquiring a second language.The case studies in this ethnography describe the language learning experiences of 26 adult students of Spanish during their first trimester at a language school in Central America. Most were planning some type of missionary service in Latin American countries after graduation. There were nine younger learners (20-39 years of age), eight middle-aged learners (40-49) years), and nine older learners (50-65 years). The research centered on these students' language learning self-image and expectations for success. The purpose was to learn more about what happens to adults, especially older learners, as they attempt to acquire a second language in a school located in a naturalistic setting and where classes are comprised of learners of mixed ages. Factors relevant to success and failure were investigated in the hope that language acquisition could be facilitated for these people.The researcher functioned as a participant-observer, taking a full load of classes and also conducting bi-weekly tape-recorded private interviews with the other 25 learners. Other data were obtained from language-learning journals and from observations of the students in their classrooms, community activities, and local homes. The teachers also shared what they had observed over the years about the characteristics of successful adult learners. A mail questionnaire was completed by 47 alumni of the school.The findings illuminated problems some learners have in balancing needs for immersion into the new culture and fellowship with same-culture classmates, finding good conversation partners in the community, obtaining useful types and amounts of error correction from native speakers, learning to shed ethnocentrism, and coping with differences between learning and teaching styles in the classroom. Specific suggestions are offered for adults wishing to obtain the most from their language school investment. / Department of English