This study consisted of qualitative interviews with eight recent graduates of doctoral programs in adult education from each of three different universities (a total of twenty-four respondents). The question that was addressed by this study is: "What are the shared beliefs and behaviors of those who have completed doctoral studies in adult education."The respondents to this study gave forceful support to the argument that adult education is a practice-oriented field. Their responses consistently focused around the practical. They were interested in research for the applications that it would give them for their practice. They were interested in teaching methods. They wanted to see fewer administrative and delivery barriers to adult education. They mentioned empowerment and application as purposes of adult education. In general, they viewed adult education as a field of practice that related directly to what they were doing to educate adults and they were really more interested in teaching methodologies and other practical information than in theoretical foundations. This orientation was reinforced by the overwhelming support for Malcolm Knowles as an author who has had a great influence on their development as adult educators. / Department of Educational Leadership

The purpose of this study was to investigate adult educators' attitudes regarding the need for a code of ethics to guide their practice. Through the use of survey methodology, three major groups of adult education practitioners in Indiana responded to various questions about ethical dilemmas they had encountered, their personal experiences with codes of ethics, and their perceptions of the need for a code, as well as their ideas regarding the creation and implementation of a code of ethics for adult education.This study produced eight major findings regarding ethics and codes of ethics for adult educators:1). The majority of Indiana adult basic educators, American Society for Training and Development members within Indiana, and the Indiana Council for Continuing Education believe there should be a code of ethics for them as adult educators.2). The majority of practitioners do not cite situations encountered that have created ethical dilemmas for them.3). The two most frequently cited ethical dilemmas involve confidentiality concerns and ownership of instructional materials.4). The overwhelming majority of Indiana adult basic educators, American Society for Training and Development members in the state of Indiana and the Indiana Council on continuing Education members have had limited experience with codes of ethics.5). Even though there appears to be a lack of experience withcodes, the majority of practitioners feel positive about the functions of codes of ethics.6). Learner-centered issues are most frequently cited as issues a code for adult education should address.7). Across the total study population, the professional association is the favored organization to create and disseminate a code of ethics.8). It is not clear to adult educators whether a code of ethics should have a regulating function.Results of this study indicate that organizations associated with adult education should seriously consider codes of ethics. However, the results do not overwhelmingly indicate a code should be adopted. Many practitioners (28%) were not sure about the need for a code, largely because of problems associated with implementation and enforcement of a code. More emphasis on providing practitioners with training and education regarding ethics and more research conducted on ethics in adult education are suggested. / Department of Educational Leadership

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>

There is a wealth of literature that provides faculty with effective teaching practices for educating returning adult students. Most of the literature focuses on online classes/institutions, community colleges, or the main campuses of four-year institutions. There is little to no literature, which explains what is actually taking place in the classroom on satellite campuses (also known as branch campuses, which consist almost entirely of returning adult students) of four-year institutions. With the projection of a continued increase in the number of returning adult students, it was important that this problem was addressed. Through in-depth interviews, the following was explored with seventeen Behavioral Science faculty: the unique challenges faced by faculty on satellite campuses, perceptions of returning adult students, whether faculty changed their teaching approaches with returning adult students, the teaching approaches utilized and if those teaching approaches were aligned with adult learning principles. The findings indicated that the satellite campus environment is unique as far as the student population and skills required to navigate the various difficulties one might encounter as a faculty member. Faculty recognize the differences between traditional and returning adult students. They are conscious of the challenges that their returning adult students face and modify their teaching approaches in order to meet their needs. And regardless of how faculty learn how to adapt to the needs of the returning adult students and no matter what principles guide their thinking, faculty try to meet their students’ needs. Additionally, whether faculty utilize formal course evaluations or gather feedback informally, feedback from students in any form hold value and can assist faculty in determining how to best modify their teaching approaches.

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

¡@¡@This research adopts analysis of documents and investigation of questionnaires. First, by collecting collect relevant documents, the researcher probes into teachers¡¦ attitude to multicultural education and meanings and aspects of teaching efficiency and probes into the relation between them. Second, by utilizing questionnaires, the researcher investigates and obtains adult-education teachers¡¦ attitude to multicultural education in elementary schools in Kaohsiung and relevant information of teaching efficiency. After analyzing and discussing investigation results , the researcher makes the synthetical conclusion and proposes the concrete suggestions. The research objects of this research are mainly bases on all the public adult-education teachers in elementary schools in Kaoshiung during the school year 2005. The effective samples amount to 159. The results are analyzed by means of standard deviations, frequency, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson¡¦s product-moment correlation, Scheff&#x00E9; method . The results are as follows: 1. Adult-education teachers¡¦ attitude to multicultural education in elementary schools in Kaohsiung trends to be positive. 2. Different personal background such as Variety of teaching years of each adult-education teacher causes obvious differences of teachers¡¦ attitude to multicultural education. 3. The teaching efficiency of adult-education teachers in elementary schools in Kaohsiung achieves the middle and upper degree. 4. Variety of teaching years of each adult-education teacher and Different teaching classes, as different personal background, have great influence on the teaching efficiency of the adult-education teachers in public elementary schools in Kaohsiung. 5. The attitude to multicultural education of the teachers obviously shows highly positive correlation to their teaching efficiency.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Auburn University, 2009. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-118).

<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>

Thesis (MEd (Human Resource Studies))--University of South Australia,1997