Bibliography: pages 315-322. / This study explored the use of the experiential learning methodology and the concept of learner responsibility within a course for the professional preparation of adult educators at university level. The research methodology was illuminative evaluation using case study research and participant observation. The study described the problems and issues that arose when the students, on the 1982 Diploma Course for Educators of Adults at the University of Cape Town, were faced with the responsibility for the designing, managing and teaching of their own curriculum. The analysis of this showed an ability and willingness on the part of most students to engage in this responsibility. For some students the required role as "curriculum constructor" contradicted with their expected and preferred stance of a learner receiving mediated knowledge from a teacher. The role of assessment diminished the freedom to engage in responsibility, and the difficulties of decision making and management led ultimately to the formation of a management committee. The study went on to examine learner responsibility and experiential learning in more depth. The students' preference for other methodologies and their own perceived ability and confidence to engage with both learner responsibility and experiential learning were major hindrances for the course. The conflict of roles experienced by both the staff and students at a variety of points required a way of clarifying and resolving this conflict, otherwise it continued to block involvement for the students or staff. For learner responsibility the access to learning resources was a further problem. The introduction of experiential learning and the apparent non-openness of it to other methodologies were also problems experienced in practice. The research concluded with an attempt to address these problems. It was proposed that experiential learning and learner responsibility needed to be reconceptualised. Developments such as "learning contracts", "a learning community", new forms of assessment, "learning conversations" and increasing the reflective capacity of experiential learning were proposed. The research ended with a series of implications for practice for those adult education programmes which were committed to a learning process which maximised learner responsibility and autonomy and took seriously the life experience of the students.

"The primary objective of this paper is to describe the purposes, background and procedures involved in providing a handbook for teachers of adult students in Polk County. The term adult education, in this paper, is used to denote non-vocational classes below college level, for employed persons and other not enrolled in the regular day schools"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1959." / "Submitted to the Graduate School of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Edward K. Hankin, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 35).

M.Ed. (Adult Education) / Inadequate school education in South Africa has resulted in the maJority of the adult population being illiterate, not possessing the most basic living skills. Recent estimations indicate that only one percent of approximately 15 million illiterate adults in South Africa is presently engaged in basic education programmes. Since education is regarded as a basic human right, Adult Basic Education (ABE) is therefore a priority of the South African government. The provision of large scale, effective ABE programmes in future will depend on the availability of an adequate number of professionally trained and well equiped instructors in ABE. At present very little theoretical background can be provided for training such instructors. The instructors, cum facilitators I are mostly trained informally, haphazard, fragmented and limited to a specific programme. Apart from the general characteristics and needs typical of adult learners, illiterate South African adults have specific characteristics and needs unique to their circumstances. In view of the above, the question posed in this study is as follows: What recommendations can be made' to design a curriculum for a training programme for ABE instructors? Within the framework of a descriptive-interpretative research paradigm, an elaborate literature study forms the background for the empirical research. The recommendations for the training of ABE instructors are made in the form of answers to the following three questions: * Who should be trained as ABE instructors? * What objectives should be achieved by training ABE instructors?i and * How should ABE instructors be trained? According to research individuals should possess certain characteristics, values and attitudes, in order to be trained as ABE instructors. Potential ABE instructors should thus be selected, bearing these attributes in mind. Training objectives should include that instructors be equipped with the knowledge, skills. values and attitudes they need to perform their task as efficiently as possible. The selection of the candidates and/or the knowledge and skills the instructors should be equipped with. is perhaps less important than the way in which they are trained. Research indicates that instructors tend to have two theory types in their repertoires, namely espoused theory and theory- in- action. A training programme for instructors in ABE should serve as an example of espoused theory, also being theory- in-action. Instructors in ABE should be trained as reflective practitioners - learners should thus be empowered to take control of their own learning. This implies that instructors should already be able to exercise control of their own learning.

<p>The problem that gave rise to this study was to determine how Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) was implemented in the Western Cape and to find answers to the question of &quot / what exactly is the nature of the relationship between adult education and training&quot / ?</p>

The purpose of this study was to understand the individual experiences of four adult literacy practitioners, Anne, Bill, Candy, and Emily, in the first cohort of the Oregon Field-Based Cohort Master's Program. This program, which Oregon established in 1993 as one venue of professional development for adult literacy and English as a Second Language practitioners, was developed jointly by the Office of Community College Services of the state Department of Education and Oregon State University. The inquiry proceeded from three assumptions. First, effective professional development must be grounded in understandings about how practitioners learn. Second, an understanding of practitioners' learning is attainable only through intensive examination of individual experiences. And third, practitioners' accounts of their learning experiences are legitimate sources of knowledge; they are, in fact, the only accessible avenues for investigating individuals' learning. Transcripts of in-depth interviews and participants' cumulative portfolios were coded and analyzed in the first phase of data analysis to produce stories which integrated Anne, Bill, Candy, and Emily's own words with metaphors they created to frame their experiences. Each story reconstructs a practitioner's construction of the emotional, intellectual, and material experience of learning in a cohort. Together, they represent the uniqueness and complexity of adults' learning. In the second phase of analysis, the stories were compared to reveal relationships of similarity and difference among them. The cross-case analysis generated five themes around the self as learner, the contribution of dissonance to reconstruction of meaning, personal transformations in an academic setting, increased confidence as an outcome of graduate study, and stance as a contributor to the variability and complexity of adults' experiences of learning in a formal setting. The final chapter drew directly on the themes to make suggestions for planning and practice and pose questions which might be used to focus conversations or frame future research about adult learning, graduate programs, or staff development for adult educators. Specific topics included authentic learning situations, reflection, graduate cohorts, collaborative learning, adult learners' stances toward learning situations, distance delivery and professional networks for adult literacy practitioners, and evaluation of professional development programs. / Graduation date: 1998

<p>The problem that gave rise to this study was to determine how Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) was implemented in the Western Cape and to find answers to the question of &quot / what exactly is the nature of the relationship between adult education and training&quot / ?</p>

M.Ed. / The dramatic increase in adult-learners coupled with pragmatic factors such as increasingly more expensive contact time, the rationalization of lecturers at a tertiary level, rapid expansion of knowledge as well as technological, economic and socia-political factors, have made the variant of distance-learning programmes a more preferable and popular option. However, it would seem that there is a shortage of lecturers who can succesfully integrate the combination of contact and distance education in their educational approach. It is therefore essential to train lecturers involved in adult-learning in the practice of adult-training by means of distance education. In this research, selfstudy modules were investigated. The aim of this study which forms part of a team project of six papers, was focused on the development of lecturers in compiling purposeful study guides for adult-learners. The changing role of the lecturer, which entails that he/she is expected to act as the manager of the learning activities of his/her learners, was examined. The characteristics of the adult-learner were subsequently discussed. In this regard, learning ability, experience, learning-readiness and self-concept were considered most important. The method of designing purposeful study guides was set out on the basis of a literature study. It became evident that the study guide should be designed in such a way that it would promote a problem-solving approach in adult-learners. It was also emphasized that the aim of a self-study module is not to expect adultlearners to cope on their own, but rather to create an opportunity for these learners to develop their potential. Consequently, the importance of the formulation of learning objectives for each module was discussed since well formulated learning objectives direct the study activities of learners and motivate them with regard to selfdirected learning. Attention was paid to self-study modules which consist of various components, including an introduction, aims, learning objectives, a rationale, learning content and self-evaluation tests with answers. Together, these components form an integrated unit of a self-study module, it is of crucial importance that the lecturer should know his/her target group in order to plan the learning activities effectively. It was also pointed out that the lecturer should evaluate the modules on a continuous basis. The formative evaluation process was indicated as an effective method of evaluating a self-study module. Subsequently, a self-study module was devised in order to guide lecturers to design purposeful study guides. Relevant examples which could be used as a framework for self-evaluation answers, were offered to lecturers on a continuous basis to enable them to constantly monitor their progress. In conclusion, the study was summarized and the primary findings were recorded. The most significant finding was that purposeful, structured study guides are an essential component of any training programme. The importance of training lecturers to design self-study modules to ensure that meaningful self-directed learning can take place, was emphasized.

Ph. D.

As an alternative to the attribute approach to the study of professions, this research attempted to explain the level of professionalization in continuing education using Larson's model. From this perspective, the hallmark of professionalization is defined by the ability of an aspiring profession to create a labor market monopoly for certified practitioners. The methodology of the study provided a framework for conducting analyses of: 1) the organizational nature and development of continuing education; 2) practitioner attitudes and perceptions; 3) employer demand and production of adult/continuing education university graduates; 4) development of a unique knowledge base; and 5) consumer demand for continuing education programs. The findings of this research revealed that a high level of institutional fragmentation has inhibited the unified development and professionalization of the field. Practitioners do not show a propensity to undertake the difficult struggle required to transform continuing education into a true specialty. A weak, but a positive trend over time was found in the demand for university trained graduates. Similar trends were noted in the development of a unique knowledge base and production of university graduates. The consumer demand for continuing education programs has shown a pattern of tremendous growth over the last eleven years. In conclusion, the relatively low level of professionalization in continuing education can be explained by the application of Larson's model. Substantial linear relations were found between market control (dependent) and three independent variables. These findings provide a considerable body of evidence for supporting the validity of Larson's model of professionalization. / Ph. D.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education