Sample records for adult learning councils

  1. Building Vibrant Learning Communities: Framework and Actions to Strengthen Community Adult Learning Councils and Community Literacy Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alberta Advanced Education and Technology, 2007

    2007-01-01

    Because of the important role played by community learning providers, Premier Ed Stelmach asked Canadian Minister of Advanced Education and Technology to increase support for community education and literacy programs. Community Adult Learning Councils and other community providers of adult literacy and family literacy programming are primarily…

  2. Developing the Adult Learning Sector: Lot 3: Opening Higher Education to Adults. Contract EAC 2012-0074. English Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dollhausen, Karin; Lattke, Susanne; Scheliga, Felicia; Wolters, Andrä; Spexard, Anna; Geffers, Johannes; Banscherus, Ulf

    2013-01-01

    Widening adult participation in higher education as part of the development of lifelong learning strategies has been promoted by the European Union since the 1990s. Only recently, the 2011 Council resolution on a renewed European agenda for adult learning underlined the need to encourage higher education institutions to embrace adult learners. The…

  3. Literacy on the Line. Australian Council for Adult Literacy Conference Proceedings (21st, Adelaide, Australia, September 24-26, 1998).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shore, Sue, Ed.

    This conference proceedings of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy contains the following papers: "'But I'm Not a Therapist'--The Challenge of Creating Effective Literacy Learning for Survivors of Trauma" (Horsman); "Future Studies, Postmodernism, and Adult Literacy" (Cross); "Collaboration and Compliance in the…

  4. National Advisory Council on Adult Education. Annual Report, 1978.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Advisory Council on Adult Education, Washington, DC.

    This report is an account of the 1977-1978 activities and actions taken by the National Advisory Council on Adult Education in efforts to contribute to adult education legislation. The publication contains eight sections: (1) a review of the dates, sites, and content of council meetings, (2) an outline of the priority agenda items of council…

  5. Learning English as Thai Adult Learners: An Insight into Experience in Using Learning Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suwanarak, Kasma

    2015-01-01

    This research aims to understand language learning strategies of Thai adult learners and factors affecting their strategy use. The participants are forty officers of General Service Division of the Council of State of Thailand, attending an English training course for developing their work potential. The data were collected through the…

  6. The Model for the Council of Adult Education? Beyond the Myth.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dadswell, Gordon

    2003-01-01

    Presents evidence demonstrating that, although Colin Robert Badger claimed to have originated the model for Australia's Council of Adult Education, another unacknowledged model had actually formed the basis of it. States that the Badger narrative has become an enduring myth in Australian adult education history. (Contains 20 archival and 36…

  7. Lessons from Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children for Adult Learning and Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snow, Catherine E.; Strucker, John

    1999-01-01

    In the spring of 1998 the National Research Council released a report, Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children for Adult Learning and Literacy (PRD). PRD was written with the goal of contributing to the prevention of reading difficulties by documenting the contributions of research to an understanding of reading development and the…

  8. American Council of Learned Societies Annual Report for the Years 2006-2007 and 2005-2006

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Council of Learned Societies, 2008

    2008-01-01

    The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) provides the humanities and related social sciences with leadership, opportunities for innovation, and national and international representation. The American Council of Learned Societies was created in 1919 to represent the United States in the Union Academique Internationale. Its mission is…

  9. 34 CFR 461.50 - What are a State's responsibilities regarding a State advisory council on adult education and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... advisory council on adult education and literacy? 461.50 Section 461.50 Education Regulations of the... adult education and literacy? (a) A State that receives funds under section 313 of the Act may— (1) Establish a State advisory council on adult education and literacy; or (2) Designate an existing body as the...

  10. Class Council between Democracy Learning and Character Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Budde, Jürgen; Weuster, Nora

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: Class council has become a popular approach for character education and democracy learning in German schools. However, it is not clear if the expectations are met in social practice. Approach: The data was gained with an ethnographical multiple method approach within three contrasting secondary schools. The study is informed by practice…

  11. American Council of Learned Societies Annual Report, 2007-2008

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Council of Learned Societies, 2009

    2009-01-01

    The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) provides the humanities and related social sciences with leadership, opportunities for innovation, and national and international representation. ACLS was founded in 1919 to represent the United States in the Union Academique Internationale. Its mission is "the advancement of humanistic studies…

  12. American Council of Learned Societies Annual Report, 2008-2009

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Council of Learned Societies, 2010

    2010-01-01

    The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) provides the humanities and related social sciences with leadership, opportunities for innovation, and national and international representation. ACLS was founded in 1919 to represent the United States in the Union Academique Internationale. Its mission is "the advancement of humanistic studies in…

  13. Adult Learning Assumptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baskas, Richard S.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine Knowles' theory of andragogy and his six assumptions of how adults learn while providing evidence to support two of his assumptions based on the theory of andragogy. As no single theory explains how adults learn, it can best be assumed that adults learn through the accumulation of formal and informal…

  14. Where Adults Go: A Multiple Case Study of Adult Serving Undergraduate Colleges and Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dixon-Williams, Shelley B.

    2010-01-01

    This research is an exploratory multiple case study of adult serving undergraduate colleges and universities. Using the Council of Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Principles of Effective Practice for Serving Adult Learners, this study examines the differences of adult serving undergraduate colleges across the three sectors of higher…

  15. The Educational Kanban: promoting effective self-directed adult learning in medical education.

    PubMed

    Goldman, Stuart

    2009-07-01

    The author reviews the many forces that have driven contemporary medical education approaches to evaluation and places them in an adult learning theory context. After noting their strengths and limitations, the author looks to lessons learned from manufacturing on both efficacy and efficiency and explores how these can be applied to the process of trainee assessment in medical education.Building on this, the author describes the rationale for and development of the Educational Kanban (EK) at Children's Hospital Boston--specifically, how it was designed to integrate adult learning theory, Japanese manufacturing models, and educator observations into a unique form of teacher-student collaboration that allows for continuous improvement. It is a formative tool, built on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's six core competencies, that guides educational efforts to optimize teaching and learning, promotes adult learner responsibility and efficacy, and takes advantage of the labor-intensive clinical educational setting. The author discusses how this model, which will be implemented in July 2009, will lead to training that is highly individualized, optimizes faculty and student educational efforts, and ultimately conserves faculty resources. A model EK is provided for general reference.The EK represents a novel approach to adult learning that will enhance educational effectiveness and efficiency and complement existing evaluative models. Described here in a specific graduate medical setting, it can readily be adapted and integrated into a wide range of undergraduate and graduate clinical educational environments.

  16. A Learning Democracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Groot, Lucy

    2009-01-01

    Adult learning, in all its forms, is a pre-requisite for a dynamic local democracy where councils play a crucial role, politically, socially, and culturally. Local government has recognised that investment in adult learning provides significant benefits for the wider welfare and wellbeing of the community. This investment has not come solely…

  17. Council for the Advancement of Standards Learning and Developmental Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, 2008

    2008-01-01

    The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) promotes standards to enhance opportunities for student learning and development from higher education programs and services. Responding to the increased shift in attention being paid by educators and their stakeholders from higher education inputs (i.e., standards and…

  18. Adult Learning: A Reader.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sutherland, Peter, Ed.

    This book on adult learning is divided into six sections. Section 1, Cognitive Processes, includes the following chapters: "Cognitive Processes: Contemporary Paradigms of Learning" (Jack Mezirow); "Information Processing, Memory, Age and Adult Learning" (Gillian Boulton-Lewis); "Adult Learners' Metacognitive Behaviour in Higher Education" (Barry…

  19. Older Adults can Learn to Learn New Motor Skills

    PubMed Central

    Seidler, Rachael D.

    2007-01-01

    Many studies have demonstrated that aging is associated with declines in skill acquisition. In the current study, we tested whether older adults could acquire general, transferable knowledge about skill learning processes. Older adult participants learned five different motor tasks. Two older adult control groups performed the same number of trials, but learned only one task. The experimental group exhibited faster learning than that seen in the control groups. These data demonstrate that older adults can learn to learn new motor skills. PMID:17602760

  20. 34 CFR 461.50 - What are a State's responsibilities regarding a State advisory council on adult education and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... advisory council on adult education and literacy? 461.50 Section 461.50 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION STATE-ADMINISTERED BASIC GRANT PROGRAM What are the Administrative...

  1. 34 CFR 461.50 - What are a State's responsibilities regarding a State advisory council on adult education and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... advisory council on adult education and literacy? 461.50 Section 461.50 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION STATE-ADMINISTERED BASIC GRANT PROGRAM What are the Administrative...

  2. 34 CFR 461.50 - What are a State's responsibilities regarding a State advisory council on adult education and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... advisory council on adult education and literacy? 461.50 Section 461.50 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION STATE-ADMINISTERED BASIC GRANT PROGRAM What are the Administrative...

  3. 34 CFR 461.50 - What are a State's responsibilities regarding a State advisory council on adult education and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... advisory council on adult education and literacy? 461.50 Section 461.50 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION STATE-ADMINISTERED BASIC GRANT PROGRAM What are the Administrative...

  4. Adult Learning Week Planning Packet.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    New York State Education Dept., Albany. Office of Adult Learning Services.

    Each year one week is designated by the Governor of New York as Adult Learning Week because of the growing importance of adult education to society and the economy of New York State. The major purpose of Adult Learning Week is to promote greater public awareness of the availability and variety of learning opportunities for adults. In practical…

  5. You Live, You Learn

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Biesta, Gert

    2008-01-01

    The Learning Lives project, a four-year study into the learning biographies and trajectories of adults, was conducted by a team of researchers from the universities of Stirling, Exeter, Brighton and Leeds as part of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) of the Economic and Social Research Council, and has just been completed. Whereas…

  6. Technology and Innovation in Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    King, Kathy P.

    2017-01-01

    "Technology and Innovation in Adult Learning" introduces educators and students to the intersection of adult learning and the growing technological revolution. Written by an internationally recognized expert in the field, this book explores the theory, research, and practice driving innovation in both adult learning and learning…

  7. Somerville Youth Council

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Owadokun, Remi Manoela; Aviles, Pearlie

    2005-01-01

    In the Fall of 2004, after many years of discussion by adults in the City of Somerville, Massachusetts, the Somerville Youth Council started. For several months, a youth planning group met weekly to craft the mission of the council and the by-laws. There was a critical need to create a process to enable youth of the city to explore possible…

  8. The Growing Importance of Prior Learning Assessment in the Degree-Completion Toolkit

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klein-Collins, Rebecca; Wertheim, Judith B.

    2013-01-01

    Starting in 1974, the "Council for Adult and Experiential Learning" (CAEL) has helped colleges and universities develop and expand their prior learning assessment (PLA) programs for adult and other non-traditional learners. In the past several years, with new and ambitious degree completion goals for adults, the U.S. is witnessing what…

  9. Adult Learning by Choice. Results of the CET LEARNING LINKS Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hall, Dorothea

    The LEARNING LINKS project was undertaken to expand opportunities for adult learning in nonformal, noneducational settings. It had the following three broad aims: stimulate student-negotiated learning, stimulate and support informal adult learning, and test the usefulness of microcomputers in an information service for adults. Over a period of 2…

  10. Results from Five Task Forces Appointed by the American Council of Learned Societies and the Council on Library and Information Resources. Scholarship, Instruction, and Libraries at the Turn of the Century.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council on Library and Information Resources, Washington, DC.

    The American Council of Learned Societies and the Council on Library and Information Resources appointed 36 scholars, librarians, and leaders of various academic enterprises to five task forces "to consider changes in the process of scholarship and instruction that will result from the use of digital technology and to make recommendations to…

  11. Diabetes Empowerment Council: Integrative Pilot Intervention for Transitioning Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes.

    PubMed

    Weigensberg, Marc J; Vigen, Cheryl; Sequeira, Paola; Spruijt-Metz, Donna; Juarez, Magaly; Florindez, Daniella; Provisor, Joseph; Peters, Anne; Pyatak, Elizabeth A

    2018-01-01

    The transition of young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) from pediatric to adult care is challenging and frequently accompanied by worsening of diabetes-related health. To date, there are no reports which prospectively assess the effects of theory-based psycho-behavioral interventions during the transition period neither on glycemic control nor on psychosocial factors that contribute to poor glycemic control. Therefore, the overall aim of this study was to develop and pilot test an integrative group intervention based on the underlying principles of self-determination theory (SDT), in young adults with T1D. Fifty-one young adults with T1D participated in an education and case management-based transition program, of which 9 took part in the Diabetes Empowerment Council (DEC), a 12-week holistic, multimodality facilitated group intervention consisting of "council" process based on indigenous community practices, stress-reduction guided imagery, narrative medicine modalities, simple ritual, and other integrative modalities. Feasibility, acceptability, potential mechanism of effects, and bio-behavioral outcomes were determined using mixed qualitative and quantitative methods. The intervention was highly acceptable to participants, though presented significant feasibility challenges. Participants in DEC showed significant reductions in perceived stress and depression, and increases in general well-being relative to other control participants. Reduction in perceived stress, independent of intervention group, was associated with reductions in hemoglobin A1C. A theoretical model explaining the effects of the intervention included the promotion of relatedness and autonomy support, 2 important aspects of SDT. The DEC is a promising group intervention for young adults with T1D going through transition to adult care. Future investigations will be necessary to resolve feasibility issues, optimize the multimodality intervention, determine full intervention effects, and fully

  12. Learning How to Learn: Implications for Non Traditional Adult Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tovar, Lynn A.

    2008-01-01

    In this article, learning how to learn for non traditional adult students is discussed with a focus on police officers and firefighters. Learning how to learn is particularly relevant for all returning non-traditional adults; however in the era of terrorism it is critical for the public safety officers returning to college after years of absence…

  13. Transformational Learning: Reflections of an Adult Learning Story

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foote, Laura S.

    2015-01-01

    Transformational learning, narrative learning, and spiritual learning frame adult experiences in new and exciting ways. These types of learning can involve a simple transformation of belief or opinion or a radical transformation involving one's total perspective; learning may occur abruptly or incrementally. Education should liberate students from…

  14. Moving the Starting Line through Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). Research Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (NJ1), 2011

    2011-01-01

    Prior learning assessment (PLA) methods can help adult students earn college credit for what they already know. PLA can be an important offering by postsecondary degree programs because it can save students time and money. In addition, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning's (CAEL's) "Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success"…

  15. Overview of Training Practices Incorporating Adult Learning. Selected Federal Legislation and Programs Relating to Adult Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Univ., Washington, DC. Adult Learning Potential Inst.

    This document--a survey identifying federal legislation and programs that in some way address the adult learner--is one in a series of four developed to provide a comprehensive overview of the scope of training practices relating to adult learning. It provides a panoramic view of adult learning in response to national priorities based upon…

  16. Emotional Highs in Adult Experiential Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zeivots, Sandris

    2016-01-01

    Despite knowing that positive emotional experiences tend to be beneficial for adult learning, our incomplete understanding of the emotional system rarely allows us to incorporate emotion adequately in real learning situations. The experience of emotional highs, as observed in adult experiential learning courses, has been selected as the phenomenon…

  17. Barriers to Adult Learning: Bridging the Gap

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Falasca, Marina

    2011-01-01

    A fundamental aspect of adult education is engaging adults in becoming lifelong learners. More often than not, this requires removing barriers to learning, especially those relating to the actual organisational or institutional learning process. This article explores some of the main barriers to adult learning discussed in the literature and…

  18. OECD Thematic Review on Adult Learning: Norway. Background Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tangen, Fride

    Adult learning in Norway was examined in a thematic review that focused on the following areas: the contexts of adult learning; the participants in, providers of, and returns from adult learning; issues and problems facing adult learning; and good practices. The following are among the main findings of the review: (1) adult learning has a long…

  19. The Emergence of Learning Societies: Who Participates in Adult Learning?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Belanger, Paul, Ed.; Valdivielso, Sofia, Ed.

    This book contains nine papers in which data from the Adult Education Participation Survey (a part of the International Adult Literacy Survey) are used to identify and compare trends in organized learning in seven countries. The following papers are included: "Introduction: Who Participates in Organized Adult Learning?" (Paul Belanger,…

  20. Learning through Action: Parallel Learning Processes in Children and Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ethridge, Elizabeth A.; Branscomb, Kathryn R.

    2009-01-01

    Experiential learning has become an essential part of many educational settings from infancy through adulthood. While the effectiveness of active learning has been evaluated in youth and adult settings, few known studies have compared the learning processes of children and adults within the same project. This article contrasts the active learning…

  1. Remaking Adult Learning: Essays on Adult Education in Honour of Alan Tuckett

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Derrick, Jay, Ed.; Howard, Ursula, Ed.; Field, John, Ed.; Lavender, Peter, Ed.; Meyer, Sue, Ed.; von Rein, Ekkehard Nuissl, Ed.; Schuller, Tom, Ed.

    2010-01-01

    Remaking Adult Learning provides an exciting and innovative addition to the literature on adult learning. Charting challenges and successes in the sector, it illustrates how taking part in well-thought-out programmes can have a positive and sometimes life-saving impact on people's lives. While grounded in adult learning practice, the book draws…

  2. Gallery Educators as Adult Learners: The Active Application of Adult Learning Theory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCray, Kimberly H.

    2016-01-01

    In order to better understand the importance of adult learning theory to museum educators' work, and that of their profession at large, museum professionals must address the need for more adult learning research and practice in museums--particularly work informed by existing theory and work seeking to generate new theory. Adult learning theory…

  3. The Impact of European Funding on Mainstream Learning and Skills Council Provision. Research Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kirk, Gordon; Fletcher, Mick

    2007-01-01

    This report summarizes the findings and conclusions from a study designed to identify how European funding supports Learning and Skills Council (LSC) priorities and contributes to LSC targets. The study was carried out between November 2005 and May 2006, and had the three following main components: (1) Consultants examined questionnaires…

  4. Working with Young Adults. NIACE Lifelines in Adult Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, Carol

    This document explains how adult educators and others in the United Kingdom can increase levels of participation and achievement in learning for young adults by providing informal learning opportunities for those young people who are least inclined to participate in formal education and training programs. The guide outlines a step-by-step approach…

  5. Adult Learning Matters

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomson, Rachel

    2009-01-01

    Adult Learners' Week--which is supported by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the European Social Fund, amongst a raft of other organisations--is all about raising demand for learning. At its core, the campaign is about encouraging under-represented groups--including low-skilled, unemployed and low-paid adults and those…

  6. Dimensions of Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foley, Griff, Ed.

    2004-01-01

    This broad introduction to adult and postcompulsory education offers an overview of the field for students, adult educators and workplace trainers. The book establishes an analytical framework to emphasize the nature of learning and agency of learners; examines the core knowledge and skills that adult educators need; discusses policy, research and…

  7. Learning in a Global Society

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Phyllis

    2005-01-01

    The adult learning community has a unique opportunity to engage with the big issues of the times during the coming year. The Learning and Skills Council is due to launch its Strategy for Sustainable Development in 2005 and a series of initiatives and publications is set to follow, including the European Year of Democratic Citizenship, launched…

  8. Adult Learning Matters

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adults Learning, 2009

    2009-01-01

    The Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning is to lobby parliament for the restoration of the 1.5 million adult learning places lost over the past two years. The campaign has attracted supporters from an astonishingly wide range of backgrounds. In this article, Gordon Marsden, Caroline Biggins, Beth Walker, Mike Chaney, Peter Davies, Sian…

  9. Changing Lives through Lifelong Learning Accounts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (NJ1), 2007

    2007-01-01

    As conceived by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), Lifelong Learning Accounts (LiLAs[SM]) are employer-matched, portable individual accounts used to finance employee education and training. They provide employees with an affordable means of upgrading their skills and knowledge, while helping to meet the needs of employers and…

  10. Interview Schedule for Studying Why Adults Learn.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tough, Allen

    Designed for use in a 1968 study of why adults learn, this interview schedule contains situation-description and question sheets for use by the interviewer and subject for examining thirteen reasons why adults begin and why they continue a learning project. (The study, "Why Adults Learn: A Study of the Major Reasons for Beginning and Continuing a…

  11. Jewishly-Informed Mature Adult Service-Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bretan, Gail Helene

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to describe, implement, and interpret the intersection of service-learning, Jewish values and ways of knowing, adult education, and lifelong learning for people over the age of 50. By expanding service-learning to include both older adults and Jewish ways of knowing, there is potential for transforming these frameworks…

  12. Reflections from Graduate Adult Learners about Service Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alston, Geleana Drew; Clegg, T. E.; Clodfelter, Roy J., Jr.; Drye, Kimberly C.; Farrer, J. V.; Gould, Derek; Mohsin, Nidhal M.; Rankin, Tomiko N.; Ray, Sherri L.

    2016-01-01

    Adult education is grounded in responding to the needs of others, and the field places emphasis on adult learning theories such as transformative learning and experiential learning. Service learning is an educational approach that balances formal instruction and direction with the opportunity for adult learners to serve in the community as a…

  13. Generative Learning: Adults Learning within Ambiguity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nicolaides, Aliki

    2015-01-01

    This study explored the extent to which ambiguity can serve as a catalyst for adult learning. The purpose of this study is to understand learning that is generated when encountering ambiguity agitated by the complexity of liquid modernity. "Ambiguity," in this study, describes an encounter with an appearance of reality that is at first…

  14. Adult Learning and the Future of Work.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Singh, Madhu, Ed.

    This book contains 15 papers: "Introduction" (Madhu Singh); "Adult Learning and the Transformation of Work" (Paul Belanger); "Future of Work and Adult Learning" (Ettore Gelpi); "The Obligation of Education in the Face of Globalisation" (Nicole Arnaud); "Lifelong Learning and Vocational Education and…

  15. Promoting Adult Learning in Public Places: Two Asian Case Studies of Adult Learning about Peace through Museums and Peace Architecture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duffy, Gavin

    2009-01-01

    This paper explores an area of adult learning that has received little attention of late, the terrain of public education through museums and civic architecture. The goal of promoting adult learning in public places e.g. through the work of museums has become commonplace in countries seeking to encourage adult learning about peace. This invariably…

  16. Adult Perspectives of Learning Musical Instruments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roulston, Kathryn; Jutras, Peter; Kim, Seon Joo

    2015-01-01

    This article reports findings from a qualitative study of adults' perceptions and experiences of learning musical instruments. Conducted in the south-east United States, 15 adults who were learning instruments were recruited via community music groups and private instrumental teachers. Analysis of transcripts of semi-structured interviews…

  17. Adult Literacy Learning and Computer Technology: Features of Effective Computer-Assisted Learning Systems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fahy, Patrick J.

    Computer-assisted learning (CAL) can be used for adults functioning at any academic or grade level. In adult basic education (ABE), CAL can promote greater learning effectiveness and faster progress, concurrent learning and experience with computer literacy skills, privacy, and motivation. Adults who face barriers (financial, geographic, personal,…

  18. The Literacy Equation: Competence = Capability? National Conference of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy Conference Papers (Queensland, Australia, November 7-9, 1996).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Queensland Council for Adult Literacy, Red Hill (Australia).

    Papers from the 19th Adult Literacy Conference convened by the Australian Council for Adult Literacy include: "A Little to the Right on Writing" (Brendan Bartlett, Margaret Fletcher); "Deconstructing the 'Australian Language and Literacy Policy'" (Helen Beazley); "Comparing Content-Centered and Learner-Centered Approaches…

  19. Adults as Learners. Increasing Participation and Facilitating Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cross, K. Patricia

    The literature on adult learners is reviewed, and two models of adult learning are developed. Demographic, social, and technological trends that stimulate the increasing demand for learning opportunities are examined, and the views of those who see dangers in new pressures on adults to participate in organized learning activities are considered.…

  20. Personal Adult Learning Lab (Pall). Implications for Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klippel, Judith A.; And Others

    The Personal Adult Learning Lab was establsiehd at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education (GCCE) at the University of Georgia to serve self-directed adult learners and conduct research on self-directed learning. The lab allows adult learners to design, conduct, and evaluate their personal learning experiences while proceeding at their own…

  1. Promoting Learning. NIACE Lifelines in Adult Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Malone, Kate

    This document is intended to help adult educators in the United Kingdom promote learning. The guide presents practical advice, case studies, and tips for undertaking and implementing effective promotional work. Sections 1 through 11 discuss the following topics: recognizing the increasing need for lifelong learning; the rationale for campaigns…

  2. Greek Young Adults with Specific Learning Disabilities Seeking Learning Assessments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bonti, Eleni; Bampalou, Christina E.; Kouimtzi, Eleni M.; Kyritsis, Zacharias

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the reasons why Greek young adults with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) seek learning assessments. The study sample consisted of 106 adults meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria for SLD. Data were collected through self-report records (clinical interview) of adults…

  3. Restructuring Learning: 1990 Summer Institute Papers and Recommendations by the Council of Chief State School Officers (Mystic, Connecticut, 1993).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, DC.

    In 1990, the work of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) focused on restructuring learning--fundamentally changing the relationship among student, teacher, knowledge, and other students in ways that support the development of higher order learning for all students. This publication is part of CCSSO's effort to support attempts to…

  4. Adult Learning Principles and Their Application to Program Planning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brundage, Donald H.; MacKeracher, Dorothy

    This report examined adult learning principles which were developed through an analysis and synthesis of the literature in adult education, andragogy, teaching and learning, and other related fields. The report consists of six sections. The first section deals with background assumptions relevant to the field of adult education and adult learning.…

  5. Relationship between perceptual learning in speech and statistical learning in younger and older adults

    PubMed Central

    Neger, Thordis M.; Rietveld, Toni; Janse, Esther

    2014-01-01

    Within a few sentences, listeners learn to understand severely degraded speech such as noise-vocoded speech. However, individuals vary in the amount of such perceptual learning and it is unclear what underlies these differences. The present study investigates whether perceptual learning in speech relates to statistical learning, as sensitivity to probabilistic information may aid identification of relevant cues in novel speech input. If statistical learning and perceptual learning (partly) draw on the same general mechanisms, then statistical learning in a non-auditory modality using non-linguistic sequences should predict adaptation to degraded speech. In the present study, 73 older adults (aged over 60 years) and 60 younger adults (aged between 18 and 30 years) performed a visual artificial grammar learning task and were presented with 60 meaningful noise-vocoded sentences in an auditory recall task. Within age groups, sentence recognition performance over exposure was analyzed as a function of statistical learning performance, and other variables that may predict learning (i.e., hearing, vocabulary, attention switching control, working memory, and processing speed). Younger and older adults showed similar amounts of perceptual learning, but only younger adults showed significant statistical learning. In older adults, improvement in understanding noise-vocoded speech was constrained by age. In younger adults, amount of adaptation was associated with lexical knowledge and with statistical learning ability. Thus, individual differences in general cognitive abilities explain listeners' variability in adapting to noise-vocoded speech. Results suggest that perceptual and statistical learning share mechanisms of implicit regularity detection, but that the ability to detect statistical regularities is impaired in older adults if visual sequences are presented quickly. PMID:25225475

  6. Relationship between perceptual learning in speech and statistical learning in younger and older adults.

    PubMed

    Neger, Thordis M; Rietveld, Toni; Janse, Esther

    2014-01-01

    Within a few sentences, listeners learn to understand severely degraded speech such as noise-vocoded speech. However, individuals vary in the amount of such perceptual learning and it is unclear what underlies these differences. The present study investigates whether perceptual learning in speech relates to statistical learning, as sensitivity to probabilistic information may aid identification of relevant cues in novel speech input. If statistical learning and perceptual learning (partly) draw on the same general mechanisms, then statistical learning in a non-auditory modality using non-linguistic sequences should predict adaptation to degraded speech. In the present study, 73 older adults (aged over 60 years) and 60 younger adults (aged between 18 and 30 years) performed a visual artificial grammar learning task and were presented with 60 meaningful noise-vocoded sentences in an auditory recall task. Within age groups, sentence recognition performance over exposure was analyzed as a function of statistical learning performance, and other variables that may predict learning (i.e., hearing, vocabulary, attention switching control, working memory, and processing speed). Younger and older adults showed similar amounts of perceptual learning, but only younger adults showed significant statistical learning. In older adults, improvement in understanding noise-vocoded speech was constrained by age. In younger adults, amount of adaptation was associated with lexical knowledge and with statistical learning ability. Thus, individual differences in general cognitive abilities explain listeners' variability in adapting to noise-vocoded speech. Results suggest that perceptual and statistical learning share mechanisms of implicit regularity detection, but that the ability to detect statistical regularities is impaired in older adults if visual sequences are presented quickly.

  7. View, 2000: Commentaries on Adult Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adult Learning Australia, Inc., Jamison.

    This booklet is compiled from all the Adult Learning Australia (ALA) Commentaries produced in 2000. Emailed to ALA members each week, ALA Commentaries are written by people in the field of adult learning in the broadest sense, usually in Australia, sometimes overseas, and designed to stimulate discussion. ALA hosts an online discussion forum about…

  8. Youth Activists, Youth Councils, and Constrained Democracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taft, Jessica K.; Gordon, Hava R.

    2013-01-01

    This article provides a critical examination of a common form of adult attempts to promote civic engagement among young people, namely, youth advisory councils. While youth councils have been widely celebrated as an effective way to integrate young people into political processes, little research has explored why some politically active youth…

  9. Underserved Students Who Earn Credit through Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Have Higher Degree Completion Rates and Shorter Time-to-Degree. Research Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klein-Collins, Rebecca

    2011-01-01

    In 2010, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) released a report on a multi-institutional study on prior learning assessment (PLA) and adult student outcomes. The study examined data from 62,475 adult students at 48 colleges and universities, following the students' academic progress over the course of seven years. The data from…

  10. Thematic Review on Adult Learning: Finland. Background Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

    In international comparisons, participation in adult learning in Finland is high. Work or career development is the main reason for participation. Persons starting with greater educational attainment participate in adult learning opportunities more. Roots of adult education and training (AET) lie in liberal education; those of occupational AET in…

  11. Learner Councils in South African Schools: Adult Involvement and Learners' Rights

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hunt, Frances

    2014-01-01

    Each secondary school in South Africa is legally obliged to establish a representative council of learners, a democratically elected, learner-only council. This article looks at how the representative councils of learners are realised in practice in four secondary schools. Three research questions focus on the practice of representative councils…

  12. To Knock Down Barriers for Returning Adult Learners, RI Tries Something New

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Money, Tracy; Littky, Dennis; Bush, Adam

    2015-01-01

    In a historic unanimous vote on May 20, 2015, the Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education welcomed College Unbound as a degree-granting postsecondary option in the state, designed to serve the more than 110,000 Rhode Island adults who began but did not complete bachelor's degrees. The college is the adult-learning initiative of Big Picture…

  13. Older Adults' Motivation to Learn in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Yi-Yin

    2011-01-01

    A limited amount of literature has discussed older adults in formal education, especially their motivations to learn in higher education. This study aims to understand older adults' learning in the context of higher education. Specifically, this study argues that higher education can function as a stimulating learning environment that helps older…

  14. Adult Literacy, Learning Identities and Pedagogic Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crowther, Jim; Maclachlan, Kathy; Tett, Lyn

    2010-01-01

    This article discusses the relationship between persistence in adult literacy and numeracy programs, changes in the participants' attitudes to engaging in learning and pedagogic practices using data from eight Scottish literacy education organizations. It argues that literacy learning can act as a resource that enables vulnerable adults to change…

  15. Adult Learning Theories: Implications for Online Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arghode, Vishal; Brieger, Earl W.; McLean, Gary N.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: This paper analyzes critically four selected learning theories and their role in online instruction for adults. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review was conducted to analyze the theories. Findings: The theory comparison revealed that no single theory encompasses the entirety of online instruction for adult learning; each…

  16. Getting Results from the Learning Investment: A Report from CAEL's Tuition Strategy Group. CAEL Forum & News, Winter 2007

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klein-Collins, Becky

    2007-01-01

    Employers are one of the largest sources of financial support for adult learning today. Some of this support goes to in-house training, but a significant amount--in the tens of billions of dollars, according to some estimates--goes to tuition reimbursement for employees. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) has managed tuition…

  17. Motivation to Learn among Older Adults in Taiwan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chang, Dian-Fu; Lin, Sung-Po

    2011-01-01

    This study analyzed the survey on adults administered by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan in 2008, and logistic regression analysis showed a close relationship between learning motivations of older adults. The finding revealed that the higher age or the lower education attainment of older adults, the lower their learning motivation. The…

  18. Adults' and Children's Understanding of How Expertise Influences Learning.

    PubMed

    Danovitch, Judith H; Shenouda, Christine K

    2018-01-01

    Adults and children use information about expertise to infer what a person is likely to know, but it is unclear whether they realize that expertise also has implications for learning. We explore adults' and children's understanding that expertise in a particular category supports learning about a closely related category. In four experiments, 5-year-olds and adults (n = 160) judged which of two people would be better at learning about a new category. When faced with an expert and a nonexpert, adults consistently indicated that expertise supports learning in a closely related category; however, children's judgments were inconsistent and were strongly influenced by the description of the nonexpert. The results suggest that although children understand what it means to be an expert, they may judge an individual's learning capacity based on different considerations than adults.

  19. Adult Learning Principles and Presentation Pearls

    PubMed Central

    Palis, Ana G.; Quiros, Peter A.

    2014-01-01

    Although lectures are one of the most common methods of knowledge transfer in medicine, their effectiveness has been questioned. Passive formats, lack of relevance and disconnection from the student's needs are some of the arguments supporting this apparent lack of efficacy. However, many authors have suggested that applying adult learning principles (i.e., relevance, congruence with student's needs, interactivity, connection to student's previous knowledge and experience) to this method increases learning by lectures and the effectiveness of lectures. This paper presents recommendations for applying adult learning principles during planning, creation and development of lectures to make them more effective. PMID:24791101

  20. Travel and Adult Transformative Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindstrom, Steven K.

    2011-01-01

    This phenomenological research study examines the lived experience of individual adult transformation in the context of travel. Adults throughout history have experienced profound personal and perception changes as a result of significant travel events. Transformative learning occurs through experience, crisis, and reflection, all of which are…

  1. Adult Learning Theory: A Primer. Information Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baumgartner, Lisa M.; Lee, Ming-Yeh; Birden, Susan; Flowers, Doris

    The purpose of this monograph is to serve as a primer for practitioners on the foundational theories of adult learning. It begins with an explanation two lenses through which learning theory is viewed: behaviorism and constructivism. The next section defines andragogy and delineates Knowles's five assumptions about adult learners. This is followed…

  2. Learning with the Arts: What Opportunities Are There for Work-Related Adult Learning?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manning, Claire; Verenikina, Irina; Brown, Ian

    2010-01-01

    What can arts-based learning offer to adult, work-related education? A study was undertaken that explored the benefits of learning with the arts for professional development of an adult learner in Australia. The individual experiences of nine adults who participated in arts-based workshops to build work-related skills were examined using the…

  3. Policy Review on Adult Learning: The Adult Non-Formal Education Policy of Mali, West Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gadio, Moussa

    2011-01-01

    This article focuses on the issue of policy development for adult learning in Mali, West Africa. On January 2007, the Malian government adopted the "Adult Non-formal Education Policy Document," which was intended to regulate the adult learning sector and federate the actions of policy makers, adult education providers, and adult…

  4. Self-rated competency and education/programming needs for Care of the Older Adult with Cardiovascular Disease: a survey of the members of the Council of Cardiovascular Nursing.

    PubMed

    Holm, Karyn; Chyun, Deborah; Lanuza, Dorothy M

    2006-01-01

    An online survey, Care of the Older Adult with Cardiovascular Disease (COA-CVD), was used to describe self-rated competency in the care of the aging adult with cardiovascular disease and subsequently determine the future education and programming needs of the Council of Cardiovascular Nursing. Respondents indicated that developing relationships, patient teaching, and assessment were areas where they felt most competent. The areas of highest priority for future programming included assessment of the older adult, diagnosis of health status, deriving a plan of care, implementing a treatment plan, patient teaching, and ensuring quality care. Most stated that content relative to the care of the older adult should be available at the annual meeting, Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association, followed by self-study modules (65%), local and regional conferences (64%), and stand-alone national conferences (53%). The conclusions are that the Council of Cardiovascular Nursing and its membership need to address the importance of care of aging adults with cardiovascular disease and stroke in future programming. Although the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association is an appropriate venue, efforts can be directed toward developing self-study modules and local and regional conferences. As always, there is a need to work collaboratively with the other councils of the American Heart Association and other nursing organizations who view the care of the older adult as a high priority.

  5. Learning Efficiency: Identifying Individual Differences in Learning Rate and Retention in Healthy Adults.

    PubMed

    Zerr, Christopher L; Berg, Jeffrey J; Nelson, Steven M; Fishell, Andrew K; Savalia, Neil K; McDermott, Kathleen B

    2018-06-01

    People differ in how quickly they learn information and how long they remember it, yet individual differences in learning abilities within healthy adults have been relatively neglected. In two studies, we examined the relation between learning rate and subsequent retention using a new foreign-language paired-associates task (the learning-efficiency task), which was designed to eliminate ceiling effects that often accompany standardized tests of learning and memory in healthy adults. A key finding was that quicker learners were also more durable learners (i.e., exhibited better retention across a delay), despite studying the material for less time. Additionally, measures of learning and memory from this task were reliable in Study 1 ( N = 281) across 30 hr and Study 2 ( N = 92; follow-up n = 46) across 3 years. We conclude that people vary in how efficiently they learn, and we describe a reliable and valid method for assessing learning efficiency within healthy adults.

  6. Observational Learning among Older Adults Living in Nursing Homes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Story, Colleen D.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate learning by older adults living in nursing homes through observational learning based on Bandura's (1977) social learning theory. This quantitative study investigated if older adults could learn through observation. The nursing homes in the study were located in the midwestern United States. The…

  7. The National Home Study Council, 1926-1942

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hampel, Robert L.

    2009-01-01

    As enrollments in correspondence schools soared in the early twentieth century, unethical practices marred the reputation of this type of learning. Prominent schools created the National Home Study Council in 1926 to combat the proliferation of sham schools. At the same time, council members knew that the better schools also needed to change their…

  8. Adult Learning Disorders: Contemporary Issues

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wolf, Lorraine E., Ed.; Schreiber, Hope E., Ed.; Wasserstein, Jeanette, Ed.

    2008-01-01

    Recent advances in neuroimaging and genetics technologies have enhanced our understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders in adults. The authors in this volume not only discuss such advances as they apply to adults with learning disorders, but also address their translation into clinical practice. One cluster of chapters addresses developmental…

  9. Repositioning Ideology Critique in a Critical Theory of Adult Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brookfield, Stephen

    2001-01-01

    Reexamines critical theory as a response to Marxism and repositions ideology critique as a crucial adult learning process. Argues that a critical theory of adult learning should focus on how adults learn to recognize and challenge ideological domination and manipulation. (Contains 31 references.) (SK)

  10. Integrating Adult Learning and Technologies for Effective Education: Strategic Approaches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Victor C. X.

    2010-01-01

    As adult learners and educators pioneer the use of technology in the new century, attention has been focused on developing strategic approaches to effectively integrate adult learning and technology in different learning environments. "Integrating Adult Learning and Technologies for Effective Education: Strategic Approaches" provides innovative…

  11. Creativity and Democratic Governance. Adult Learning: A Strategic Choice. Proceedings of the ICAE World Assembly (6th, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, August 9-12, 2001) = Creativite et Gouvernance Democratique. L'apprentissage des Adultes: Un Choix Strategique. Actes de la Assemblee Mondiale du CIEA (6th, Ocho Rios, Jamaique, 9 au 12 aout 2001) = Creatividad y Gobernabilidad Democratica. Educacion de Adultos: Una Eleccion Estrategica. Actas de la Asamblea Mundial del ICAE (6th, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Agosto 9-12, 2001).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dobson, Stephan, Ed.

    This document contains information from and about a world assembly on creativity and democratic governance in adult learning that was held by the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) and its partner organizations in the Caribbean. The proceedings begin with English, French, and Spanish translations of the address…

  12. Leaders Who Learn: The Intersection of Behavioral Science, Adult Learning and Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sabga, Natalya I.

    2017-01-01

    This study examines if a relationship exists among three rich research streams, specifically the behavioral science of motivation, adult learning and leadership. What motivates adult professionals to continue learning and how is that connected to their style and efficacy as leaders? An extension of literature to connect Andragogy,…

  13. The Varieties of Adult Civic Engagement in Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Munoz, Linda; Wrigley, Heide Spruck

    2012-01-01

    Civic engagement, or the practice of democratic deliberation in adult education and learning, asks that adults use their experiences to cooperatively build solutions to the difficult social, economic, and political problems that affect their lives and communities now and into the future. The articles presented in this issue look at the…

  14. Rehearsal Effects in Adult Word Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaushanskaya, Margarita; Yoo, Jeewon

    2011-01-01

    The goal of this research was to examine the effects of phonological familiarity and rehearsal method (vocal vs. subvocal) on novel word learning. In Experiment 1, English-speaking adults learned phonologically familiar novel words that followed English phonological structure. Participants learned half the words via vocal rehearsal (saying the…

  15. Helping Adults Learn. Facilitator's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    California State Univ. and Colleges, Long Beach. Office of the Chancellor.

    This publication is a guide for those planning and facilitating a "Helping Adults Learn" Workshop designed to assist higher education faculty and staff in promoting greater access and success for adult learners in higher education. An overview of the workshop describes the purpose, goals (to increase understanding of theory and research…

  16. Helping Adults Learn. Participant Workbook.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    California State Univ. and Colleges, Long Beach. Office of the Chancellor.

    This publication is a workbook for those attending a "Helping Adults Learn" Workshop designed to assist higher education faculty and staff in promoting greater access and success for adult learners in higher education. An overview of the workshop describes the purpose, goals (to increase understanding of theory and research on adult…

  17. Adult Learning in Health and Safety: Some Issues and Approaches.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O Fathaigh, Mairtin

    This document, which was developed for presentation at a seminar on adult learning and safety, examines approaches to occupational safety and health (OSH) learning/training in the workplace. Section 1 examines selected factors affecting adults' learning in workplace OSH programs. The principal dimensions along which individual adult learners will…

  18. Pilot Project in Computer Assisted Instruction for Adult Basic Education Students. Adult Learning Centers, the Adult Program, 1982-83.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buckley, Elizabeth; Johnston, Peter

    In February 1977, computer assisted instruction (CAI) was introducted to the Great Neck Adult Learning Centers (GNALC) to promote greater cognitive and affective growth of educationally disadvantaged adults. The project expanded to include not only adult basic education (ABE) students studying in the learning laboratory, but also ABE students…

  19. Adult Learning in the Workplace.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    1999

    This document contains four symposium papers on adult learning in the workplace. "The Relationship between Workplace Learning and Employee Satisfaction in Small Businesses" (Robert W. Rowden, Shamsuddin Ahmad) reports the results of a study of the nature and extent of HRD, level of job satisfaction among workers, and correlation between…

  20. Surgical education and adult learning: Integrating theory into practice.

    PubMed

    Rashid, Prem

    2017-01-01

    Surgical education continues to evolve from the master-apprentice model. Newer methods of the process need to be used to manage the dual challenges of educating while providing safe surgical care. This requires integrating adult learning concepts into delivery of practical training and education in busy clinical environments. A narrative review aimed at outlining and integrating adult learning and surgical education theory was undertaken. Additionally, this information was used to relate the practical delivery of surgical training and education in day-to-day surgical practice. Concepts were sourced from reference material. Additional material was found using a PubMed search of the words: 'surgical education theory' and 'adult learning theory medical'. This yielded 1351 abstracts, of which 43 articles with a focus on key concepts in adult education theory were used. Key papers were used to formulate structure and additional cross-referenced papers were included where appropriate. Current concepts within adult learning have a lot to offer when considering how to better deliver surgical education and training. Better integration of adult learning theory can be fruitful. Individual teaching surgical units need to rethink their paradigms and consider how each individual can contribute to the education experience. Up skilling courses for trainers can do much to improve the delivery of surgical education. Understanding adult learning concepts and integrating these into day-to-day teaching can be valuable.

  1. Surgical education and adult learning: Integrating theory into practice

    PubMed Central

    Rashid, Prem

    2017-01-01

    Surgical education continues to evolve from the master-apprentice model. Newer methods of the process need to be used to manage the dual challenges of educating while providing safe surgical care. This requires integrating adult learning concepts into delivery of practical training and education in busy clinical environments. A narrative review aimed at outlining and integrating adult learning and surgical education theory was undertaken. Additionally, this information was used to relate the practical delivery of surgical training and education in day-to-day surgical practice. Concepts were sourced from reference material. Additional material was found using a PubMed search of the words: ‘surgical education theory’ and ‘adult learning theory medical’. This yielded 1351 abstracts, of which 43 articles with a focus on key concepts in adult education theory were used. Key papers were used to formulate structure and additional cross-referenced papers were included where appropriate. Current concepts within adult learning have a lot to offer when considering how to better deliver surgical education and training. Better integration of adult learning theory can be fruitful. Individual teaching surgical units need to rethink their paradigms and consider how each individual can contribute to the education experience. Up skilling courses for trainers can do much to improve the delivery of surgical education. Understanding adult learning concepts and integrating these into day-to-day teaching can be valuable. PMID:28357046

  2. Waiting to Exhale: African American Women and Adult Learning Through Movies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogers, Elice E.

    Scholars have addressed adults and the impact of popular culture on adult learning, but little attention has been directed toward the relationship between adult learning and African Americans. Most specifically, minimal information is related to adult learning that evolves as a result of popular culture influences. Popular culture promotes…

  3. Interdisciplinary Handbook of Adult Lifespan Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sinnott, Jan D., Ed.

    This book is divided into three parts: theories and models, learning in specific life contexts, and the influence of aging on learning. Chapters include: "Chaos Theory as a Framework for Understanding Adult Lifespan Learning" (John C. Cavanaugh, Lisa C. McGuire); "The Future Impact of the Communication Revolution" (Lynn Johnson); "The Educated…

  4. Screening for Learning Disabilities in Adult Basic Education Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reynolds, Sharon L.; Johnson, Jerry D.; Salzman, James A.

    2012-01-01

    The extant literature offers little to describe the processes for screening students in adult basic education (ABE) programs for potential learning disabilities, referring adult students for diagnostic assessment, or barriers to obtaining diagnostic assessment for a learning disability. Without current documentation of a learning disability, ABE…

  5. Developing an English Mobile Learning Attitude Scale for Adult Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Tzu-Ying

    2017-01-01

    In recent years, with the rapid development of mobile devices, mobile learning (m-learning) has becoming another popular topic. There is a strong need for both researchers and educators to be aware of adult learners' attitudes toward English mobile learning, yet relevant studies on mobile learning to promote English learning for adult learners are…

  6. Applying adult learning practices in medical education.

    PubMed

    Reed, Suzanne; Shell, Richard; Kassis, Karyn; Tartaglia, Kimberly; Wallihan, Rebecca; Smith, Keely; Hurtubise, Larry; Martin, Bryan; Ledford, Cynthia; Bradbury, Scott; Bernstein, Henry Hank; Mahan, John D

    2014-07-01

    The application of the best practices of teaching adults to the education of adults in medical education settings is important in the process of transforming learners to become and remain effective physicians. Medical education at all levels should be designed to equip physicians with the knowledge, clinical skills, and professionalism that are required to deliver quality patient care. The ultimate outcome is the health of the patient and the health status of the society. In the translational science of medical education, improved patient outcomes linked directly to educational events are the ultimate goal and are best defined by rigorous medical education research efforts. To best develop faculty, the same principles of adult education and teaching adults apply. In a systematic review of faculty development initiatives designed to improve teaching effectiveness in medical education, the use of experiential learning, feedback, effective relationships with peers, and diverse educational methods were found to be most important in the success of these programs. In this article, we present 5 examples of applying the best practices in teaching adults and utilizing the emerging understanding of the neurobiology of learning in teaching students, trainees, and practitioners. These include (1) use of standardized patients to develop communication skills, (2) use of online quizzes to assess knowledge and aid self-directed learning, (3) use of practice sessions and video clips to enhance significant learning of teaching skills, (4) use of case-based discussions to develop professionalism concepts and skills, and (5) use of the American Academy of Pediatrics PediaLink as a model for individualized learner-directed online learning. These examples highlight how experiential leaning, providing valuable feedback, opportunities for practice, and stimulation of self-directed learning can be utilized as medical education continues its dynamic transformation in the years ahead

  7. Efficacy of Learning Strategies Instruction in Adult Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hock, Michael F.; Mellard, Daryl F.

    2011-01-01

    Results from randomized controlled trials of learning strategies instruction with 375 adult basic education participants are reported. Reading outcomes from whole group strategic instruction in 1 of 4 learning strategies were compared to outcomes of reading instruction delivered in the context of typical adult education units on social studies,…

  8. Strategies for Overcoming Barriers to Training and Education for Canadians with Disabilities. Lessons in Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Canadian Council on Learning, 2009

    2009-01-01

    If stronger skills and more education are key to greater labour force participation, then it is important to identify critical barriers to education and training for Canadians with disabilities. In 2008, the Canadian Council on Learning's Adult Learning Knowledge Centre funded a "Community Outreach Initiative for Learner's with…

  9. Compensatory processing during rule-based category learning in older adults.

    PubMed

    Bharani, Krishna L; Paller, Ken A; Reber, Paul J; Weintraub, Sandra; Yanar, Jorge; Morrison, Robert G

    2016-01-01

    Healthy older adults typically perform worse than younger adults at rule-based category learning, but better than patients with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. To further investigate aging's effect on rule-based category learning, we monitored event-related potentials (ERPs) while younger and neuropsychologically typical older adults performed a visual category-learning task with a rule-based category structure and trial-by-trial feedback. Using these procedures, we previously identified ERPs sensitive to categorization strategy and accuracy in young participants. In addition, previous studies have demonstrated the importance of neural processing in the prefrontal cortex and the medial temporal lobe for this task. In this study, older adults showed lower accuracy and longer response times than younger adults, but there were two distinct subgroups of older adults. One subgroup showed near-chance performance throughout the procedure, never categorizing accurately. The other subgroup reached asymptotic accuracy that was equivalent to that in younger adults, although they categorized more slowly. These two subgroups were further distinguished via ERPs. Consistent with the compensation theory of cognitive aging, older adults who successfully learned showed larger frontal ERPs when compared with younger adults. Recruitment of prefrontal resources may have improved performance while slowing response times. Additionally, correlations of feedback-locked P300 amplitudes with category-learning accuracy differentiated successful younger and older adults. Overall, the results suggest that the ability to adapt one's behavior in response to feedback during learning varies across older individuals, and that the failure of some to adapt their behavior may reflect inadequate engagement of prefrontal cortex.

  10. Compensatory Processing During Rule-Based Category Learning in Older Adults

    PubMed Central

    Bharani, Krishna L.; Paller, Ken A.; Reber, Paul J.; Weintraub, Sandra; Yanar, Jorge; Morrison, Robert G.

    2016-01-01

    Healthy older adults typically perform worse than younger adults at rule-based category learning, but better than patients with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. To further investigate aging's effect on rule-based category learning, we monitored event-related potentials (ERPs) while younger and neuropsychologically typical older adults performed a visual category-learning task with a rule-based category structure and trial-by-trial feedback. Using these procedures, we previously identified ERPs sensitive to categorization strategy and accuracy in young participants. In addition, previous studies have demonstrated the importance of neural processing in the prefrontal cortex and the medial temporal lobe for this task. In this study, older adults showed lower accuracy and longer response times than younger adults, but there were two distinct subgroups of older adults. One subgroup showed near-chance performance throughout the procedure, never categorizing accurately. The other subgroup reached asymptotic accuracy that was equivalent to that in younger adults, although they categorized more slowly. These two subgroups were further distinguished via ERPs. Consistent with the compensation theory of cognitive aging, older adults who successfully learned showed larger frontal ERPs when compared with younger adults. Recruitment of prefrontal resources may have improved performance while slowing response times. Additionally, correlations of feedback-locked P300 amplitudes with category-learning accuracy differentiated successful younger and older adults. Overall, the results suggest that the ability to adapt one's behavior in response to feedback during learning varies across older individuals, and that the failure of some to adapt their behavior may reflect inadequate engagement of prefrontal cortex. PMID:26422522

  11. Sleep benefits consolidation of visuo-motor adaptation learning in older adults.

    PubMed

    Mantua, Janna; Baran, Bengi; Spencer, Rebecca M C

    2016-02-01

    Sleep is beneficial for performance across a range of memory tasks in young adults, but whether memories are similarly consolidated in older adults is less clear. Performance benefits have been observed following sleep in older adults for declarative learning tasks, but this benefit may be reduced for non-declarative, motor skill learning tasks. To date, studies of sleep-dependent consolidation of motor learning in older adults are limited to motor sequence tasks. To examine whether reduced sleep-dependent consolidation in older adults is generalizable to other forms of motor skill learning, we examined performance changes over intervals of sleep and wake in young (n = 62) and older adults (n = 61) using a mirror-tracing task, which assesses visuo-motor adaptation learning. Participants learned the task either in the morning or in evening, and performance was assessed following a 12-h interval containing overnight sleep or daytime wake. Contrary to our prediction, both young adults and older adults exhibited sleep-dependent gains in visuo-motor adaptation. There was a correlation between performance improvement over sleep and percent of the night in non-REM stage 2 sleep. These results indicate that motor skill consolidation remains intact with increasing age although this relationship may be limited to specific forms of motor skill learning.

  12. Lifelong Learning: Making It Work. An Adult Learning Australia Discussion Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Tony, Ed.

    This discussion paper is from the Adult Learners Week National Seminar on Lifelong Learning Policy (Canberra, Australia, September 1999) that identified a number of ideas about how to foster national policy development on lifelong learning. It consists of three sections. Part 1 contains "A National Lifelong Learning Policy for…

  13. Involvement of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Learning and Forgetting

    PubMed Central

    Yau, Suk-yu; Li, Ang; So, Kwok-Fai

    2015-01-01

    Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is a process involving the continuous generation of newborn neurons in the hippocampus of adult animals. Mounting evidence has suggested that hippocampal neurogenesis contributes to some forms of hippocampus-dependent learning and memory; however, the detailed mechanism concerning how this small number of newborn neurons could affect learning and memory remains unclear. In this review, we discuss the relationship between adult-born neurons and learning and memory, with a highlight on recently discovered potential roles of neurogenesis in pattern separation and forgetting. PMID:26380120

  14. Practice of Adult Education--Older Adults, Tourism, and Learning in Yellowstone

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roberson, Donald N., Jr.

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to present a program of learning for older adults in a national park. Because of the growing trend of tourism among retirees this learning during leisure is gaining prominence. The paper brings together the concepts of aging, self-directed learning, and tourism and leisure. In addition this paper presents a…

  15. Comparing Adult Learning Systems: An Emerging Political Economy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rees, Gareth

    2013-01-01

    Adult learning systems have come to be dominated by the view that the essential role of adult learning is to generate the high levels of skills deemed necessary for competitiveness and growth in the globalised economy. This 'education gospel' is underpinned by human capital theory (HCT) and its contemporary conceptualisation in terms of…

  16. Making the Grade: A Report on Standards in Work-Based Learning for Young People.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hughes, Maria

    The reasons for the deterioration of the inspection grades awarded for work-based learning (WBL) provision in England were examined. The main data collection activities were as follows: (1) a statistical analysis of the Training Standards Council (TSC) and Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) inspection grades in 1998-2001; (2) a qualitative review…

  17. Survey on Early Childhood Advisory Councils. NGA Center for Best Practices Backgrounder

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Governors Association, 2007

    2007-01-01

    During fall 2007, the NGA Center surveyed states regarding the presence and nature of state early childhood coordinating councils, which may exist as Early Learning Councils, Task Forces, Children's Cabinets, Interagency Coordinating Councils, etc. For brevity, these coordinating entities are referred to below as Early Childhood Advisory Councils…

  18. Learning Journeys: A Resource Handbook on Adult Learning and Mental Health.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mather, Joy; Atkinson, Sue

    This document explains how tutors and managers in adult education programs across the United Kingdom can smooth the journeys of adults with mental health difficulties who are returning to learning. The handbook begins with suggestions for its use and case studies of two adult learners with mental health difficulties. Sections 1 through 4 discuss…

  19. Assessment of a Professional Development Program on Adult Learning Theory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Malik, Melinda

    2016-01-01

    Librarians at colleges and universities invested in graduate education must understand and incorporate adult learning theories in their reference and instruction interactions with graduate students to more effectively support the students' learning. After participating in a professional development program about adult learning theory, librarians…

  20. Informal Adult Learning and Everyday Literacy Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Maurice C.

    2006-01-01

    This study investigated the types of informal learning activities that adults with low literacy skills engage in outside of formal literacy programs and how these activities relate to their literacy practices. Key informants for the study included 10 adults identified at International Adult Literacy Survey levels 1 and 2. Using ethnographic…

  1. Credit for Learning Gained in Life and Work Experience.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strange, John

    1980-01-01

    Prime features of sound college programs that assess for credit the prior experiential learning of adults are outlined. Faculty judgment underlies all evaluation methods, which include oral exams, written reports, actual performance, or appraisals of advanced professional knowledge. Work of the Council for the Advancement of Experiential Learning…

  2. Adult Learning in the Language Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Stacey Margarita

    2015-01-01

    This book explores connections between the fields of foreign/second language teaching and adult learning. This interdisciplinary approach serves as a framework in order to: (a) understand the teaching methods that promote the deeper, more critical sort of language learning advocated by scholars and professional organizations, (b) understand how…

  3. Measuring Self-Directed Learning: A Diagnostic Tool for Adult Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khiat, Henry

    2015-01-01

    Self-directed learning is an important form of adult learning (Caffarella, 1993; Knowles, 1975; Knowles, Holton & Swanson, 2005; Merriam, 2001; Merriam & Caffarella, 1999). The strategies of self-directed learning allow adult learners to cope better with their studies while fulfilling family, work and other commitments. This study…

  4. Challenges in implementing national systems of competency validation with regard to adult learning professionals: Perspectives from Romania and India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sava, Simona Lidia; Shah, S. Y.

    2015-08-01

    Validation of prior learning (VPL), also referred to as recognition, validation and accreditation of prior learning (RVA), is becoming an increasingly important political issue at both European and international levels. In 2012, the European Council, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched strategic documents and guidelines for supporting its wide implementation. A wide range of resources and experiences to learn from are already available for improving policy making and the quality and credibility of VPL practices. An intrinsic part of quality assurance concerns the level of training of practitioners accompanying the VPL process. Addressing the need for improved practices of adult educators' continuing professional development as well as improved validation processes, this paper presents and analyses practitioners' experiences with a piloted portfolio tool designed to support the validation of pedagogic competencies of trainers in adult education. While the pilot study was carried out in 20 European and 2 non-European countries, this article picks out and compares feedback from participants in Romania and India, which are both striving to catch up in terms of accreditation of non-formal and informal learning. Based on their findings, the authors' reflections focus in particular on evident challenges for educational policy making in these two very different countries. They also consider related policy measures needed for improving the educational contexts in both countries, both in terms of validation practices and in terms of the professional development of practitioners applying such practices, in line with international trends.

  5. Interrupting Adult Learning through Online Pedagogy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stuart-Buttle, Ros

    2014-01-01

    This paper considers online pedagogy in relation to Christian adult learning and asks how this might be interpreted by theological educators. The online community of inquiry is proposed as one recognized pedagogical approach and illustrated by reference to a continuing professional development programme for online adult learners across the church…

  6. Cultivating Civic Habits: A Deweyan Analysis of the National Council for the Social Studies Position Statement on Guidelines for Social Studies Teaching and Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mason, Lance E.

    2016-01-01

    The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) position statement on Curriculum Guidelines for Social Studies Teaching and Learning provides a conceptual outline for contemporary social studies curriculum, calling for social studies learning that is meaningful, integrated, value-based, challenging, and active. This is largely consistent with a…

  7. Adult Learning for Social Change in Museums: An Exploration of Sociocultural Learning Approaches to Community Engagement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Junghwan; You, Jieun; Yeon Park, Soo

    2016-01-01

    This integrative literature review critically examined how scholars were articulating the work of museums to make a space for "adult learning for social change through community engagement". We applied sociocultural adult learning theories (situated learning and cultural-historical activity theory), to 25 theoretical and empirical…

  8. Adult Learning and Naval Leadership Training

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-06-01

    Jerome Bruner , R. M. Jones and others look at learning as a means to modify behavior while others see behavior modification as a means to increase the...informal learning , the chief purpose of which is to discover the meaning of experience; a quest of the mind which digs down to the roots of the...NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited ADULT LEARNING AND

  9. Open Education 2030: Planning the Future of Adult Learning in Europe

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Castaño Muñoz, Jonatan; Redecker, Christine; Vuorikari, Riina; Punie, Yves

    2013-01-01

    Adult learning and open education have become key elements on the European Agenda. This paper presents the first results of a foresight activity that aims to contribute to an understanding of how "Opening up Education" can improve adult learning in Europe in the future. It argues that to open up adult learning two main challenges must be…

  10. Computer Game-Based Learning: Perceptions and Experiences of Senior Chinese Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Feihong; Lockee, Barbara B.; Burton, John K.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate senior Chinese adults' potential acceptance of computer game-based learning (CGBL) by probing their perceptions of computer game play and their perceived impacts of game play on their learning of computer skills and life satisfaction. A total of 60 senior adults from a local senior adult learning center…

  11. Experiential Learning Theory as One of the Foundations of Adult Learning Practice Worldwide

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dernova, Maiya

    2015-01-01

    The paper presents the analysis of existing theory, assumptions, and models of adult experiential learning. The experiential learning is a learning based on a learning cycle guided by the dual dialectics of action-reflection and experience-abstraction. It defines learning as a process of knowledge creation through experience transformation, so…

  12. Toward a Learner-Centered System for Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hermans, Henry; Kalz, Marco; Koper, Rob

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an e-learning system that integrates the use of concepts of virtual learning environments, personal learning environments, and social network sites. The system is based on a learning model which comprises and integrates three learning contexts for the adult learner: the formal, instructional…

  13. Adult Learning and Literacy in Canada

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shohet, Linda

    2001-01-01

    In Chapter Six, Linda Shohet offers a description of the adult literacy and learning system in Canada. In providing a historical overview of the development of the field, Shohet notes key political events that have influenced the funding and development of services for adults. Through her description, the author reveals the complexity and…

  14. Effective Literacy Instruction for Adults with Specific Learning Disabilities: Implications for Adult Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hock, Michael F.

    2012-01-01

    Adults with learning disabilities (LD) attending adult basic education, GED programs, or community colleges are among the lowest performers on measures of literacy. For example, on multiple measures of reading comprehension, adults with LD had a mean reading score at the third grade level, whereas adults without LD read at the fifth grade level.…

  15. Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, Volume 5. Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice: A Project of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Comings, John, Ed.; Garner, Barbara, Ed.; Smith, Cristine, Ed.

    2005-01-01

    "The Review of Adult Learning and Literacy: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice, Volume 5" is a volume in a series of annual publications of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) that address major issues, the latest research, and the best practices in the field of adult literacy and learning.…

  16. Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, Volume 4. Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice: A Project of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Comings, John, Ed.; Garner, Barbara, Ed.; Smith, Cristine, Ed.

    2004-01-01

    "The Review of Adult Learning and Literacy: Connecting Research Policy, and Practice, Volume 4" is an addition to a series of annual publications of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) that address major issues, the latest research, and the best practices in the field of adult literacy and learning.…

  17. Electronic Pathways. Adult Learning and the New Communication Technologies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Field, Jane, Ed.

    This book, which is intended as a practical resource for individuals who are professionally concerned with adult learning, contains 21 papers and 3 checklists concerning the new communication and information technologies (IT) and adult learning. The following papers and checklists are included: "Introduction" (Jane Field); "The Use…

  18. Building a Dynamic Online Learning Community among Adult Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Minjuan; Sierra, Christina; Folger, Terre

    2003-01-01

    Examines the nature of learning communities constructed among a diverse group of adult learners in an international online graduate-level course. Discusses independent work, team tasks, the variety of computer-mediated communication tools used, and implications for promoting adult learners' active participation in online learning and instructional…

  19. Understanding Adult Lifelong Learning Participation as a Layered Problem

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boeren, Ellen

    2017-01-01

    This paper discusses the layered nature of lifelong learning participation, bringing together fragmented insights in why adults do or do not participate in lifelong learning activities. The paper will discuss the roles and responsibilities of individual adults, education and training providers and countries' social education policies, often…

  20. Toward a New Motivation to Learn Framework for Older Adult Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Yi-Yin; Sandmann, Lorilee R.

    2012-01-01

    Although existing literature addresses adults' motivation to learn, and some specifically focuses on older adults, it is now recognized that older adults are more heterogeneous and complex than other age groups. Therefore, this study seeks to provide an alternative theoretical framework to investigate motivation to learn for older adult learners…

  1. Toward an Interdisciplinary Perspective: A Review of Adult Learning Frameworks and Theoretical Models of Motor Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roessger, Kevin M.

    2012-01-01

    Researchers have yet to agree on an approach that supports how adults best learn novel motor skills in formal educational contexts. The literature fails to adequately discuss adult motor learning from the standpoint of adult education. Instead, the subject is addressed by other disciplines. This review attempts to integrate perspectives across…

  2. Enhancing Digital Literacy and Learning among Adults with Blogs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sharp, Laurie A.

    2017-01-01

    Digital literacy and learning among adults has been identified as an area requiring research. The purpose of the present study was to explore technology acceptance and digital collaborative learning experiences with blogs among adult learners. This analysis employed a quasi-experimental mixed-methods approach guided by a sociocultural theoretical…

  3. The Evidence Base for How We Learn: Supporting Students' Social, Emotional, and Academic Development. Consensus Statements of Evidence from the Council of Distinguished Scientists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Stephanie M.; Kahn, Jennifer

    2017-01-01

    "The Evidence Base for How We Learn: Supporting Students' Social, Emotional, and Academic Development" articulates the scientific consensus regarding how people learn. The research brief presents a set of consensus statements--developed and unanimously signed onto by the Commission's Council of Distinguished Scientists--that affirm the…

  4. Salvaging the Self in Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hunt, Celia; West, Linden

    2009-01-01

    This paper stems from a dialogue on the subjects of learning and learners: one forged out of experiences in research and teaching, and the application of psychodynamic insights, developmental psychology and recent work in the neurosciences, to thinking about adult learning and subjectivity. We argue that some notion of the self needs to be…

  5. Distance Education and Training Council Constitution and Bylaws. 2012 Edition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Distance Education and Training Council, 2012

    2012-01-01

    The mission of the Distance Education and Training Council (hereinafter referred to as the Council or DETC) is to promote, by means of standard-setting, evaluation, and consultation processes, the development and maintenance of high educational and ethical standards in education and training programs delivered through distance learning. The…

  6. Understanding and Managing Learning Disabilities in Adults. Professional Practices in Adult Education and Human Resource Development Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jordan, Dale R.

    This book reviews learning disabilities (LD) in adults and makes suggestions for helping adults cope with these disabilities. Each chapter covers a type of learning disability or related syndrome or explains characteristics of the brain. Chapter 1 explains several types of specific learning disabilities that make classroom performance difficult…

  7. The Analysis of Adult Immigrants' Learning System in Canada

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mukan, Nataliya; Barabash, Olena; Busko, Maria

    2015-01-01

    In the article the problem of adult immigrants' learning in Canada has been studied. The main objectives of the article are defined as: analysis of scientific and pedagogical literature which highlights different aspects of the research problem; analysis of the adult immigrants' learning system in Canada; and the perspectives for creative…

  8. ESL Instruction and Adults with Learning Disabilities. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwarz, Robin; Terrill, Lynda

    This digest reviews what is known about adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners and learning disabilities, suggests ways to identify and assess ESL adults who may have learning disabilities, and offers practical methods for both instruction and teacher training. Topics covered in some detail include identifying and diagnosing learning…

  9. Assessing the Reading Comprehension of Adults with Learning Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, F. W.; Long, K.; Finlay, W. M. L.

    2006-01-01

    Background: This study's aim was to begin the process of measuring the reading comprehension of adults with mild and borderline learning disabilities, in order to generate information to help clinicians and other professionals to make written material for adults with learning disabilities more comprehensible. Methods: The Test for the Reception of…

  10. Adult Learning in Vocational Education. EEE700 Adults Learning: The Changing Workplace A.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Little, David; And Others

    This monograph is part of the study materials for the one-semester distance education unit, Adults Learning: The Changing Workplace A, in the Open Campus Program at Deakin University (Australia). It explores four complex and interrelated issues: how vocational educators view their own practice, the characteristics and aspirations that distinguish…

  11. Learning to Be Drier: A Case Study of Adult and Community Learning in the Australian Riverland

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Mike; Schulz, Christine

    2009-01-01

    This article explores the adult and community learning associated with "learning to be drier" in the Riverland region of South Australia. Communities in the Riverland are currently adjusting and making changes to their understandings and practices as part of learning to live with less water. The analysis of adult and community learning…

  12. Perspectives from the Top--A Collection of Thoughts on Employee Learning and Development from Five CEOs. CAEL Forum & News

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoeppel, Kate

    2007-01-01

    As part of its mission to remove the barriers to lifelong learning, CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning) launched WorkforceChicago2.0 in 2001 to help influence the culture and policies of the private sector regarding employee learning and development. One of the key goals of this initiative is creating a "voice" for the private…

  13. Lifelong Learning and Adult Education: Russia Meets the West

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zajda, Joseph

    2003-03-01

    This article examines the impact of social change and economic transformation on adult education and lifelong learning in post-Soviet Russia. The article begins with a brief economic and historical background to lifelong learning and adult education in terms of its significance as a feature of the Russian cultural heritage. An analysis of Ministerial education policy and curriculum changes reveals that these policies reflect neo-liberal and neo-conservative paradigms in the post-Soviet economy and education. Current issues and trends in adult education are also discussed, with particular attention to the Adult Education Centres, which operate as a vast umbrella framework for a variety of adult education and lifelong learning initiatives. The Centres are designed to promote social justice by means of compensatory education and social rehabilitation for individuals dislocated by economic restructuring. The article comments on their role in helping to develop popular consciousness of democratic rights and active citizenship in a participatory and pluralistic democracy.

  14. Phonological similarity influences word learning in adults learning Spanish as a foreign language

    PubMed Central

    Stamer, Melissa K.; Vitevitch, Michael S.

    2013-01-01

    Neighborhood density—the number of words that sound similar to a given word (Luce & Pisoni, 1998)—influences word-learning in native English speaking children and adults (Storkel, 2004; Storkel, Armbruster, & Hogan, 2006): novel words with many similar sounding English words (i.e., dense neighborhood) are learned more quickly than novel words with few similar sounding English words (i.e., sparse neighborhood). The present study examined how neighborhood density influences word-learning in native English speaking adults learning Spanish as a foreign language. Students in their third-semester of Spanish language classes learned advanced Spanish words that sounded similar to many known Spanish words (i.e., dense neighborhood) or sounded similar to few known Spanish words (i.e., sparse neighborhood). In three word-learning tasks, performance was better for Spanish words with dense rather than sparse neighborhoods. These results suggest that a similar mechanism may be used to learn new words in a native and a foreign language. PMID:23950692

  15. The Social-Interaction Learning Styles of Irish Adult Learners: Some Empirical Findings.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O Fathaigh, Mairtin

    An action research project was conducted to understand the learning style profile of Irish adult learners better and to integrate the findings into development seminars for adult education teachers and tutors. The Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Styles Scale (GRSLSS) was chosen as the research instrument to explore Irish adults' learning styles…

  16. Prior Learning Assessment at Home and Abroad. Excerpts from Recent Articles in the CAEL Forum and News

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (NJ1), 2007

    2007-01-01

    This paper features several articles previously published in the CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning) Forum and News, an e-newsletter CAEL regularly shares with its members. This publication includes a summary of the data gathered in CAEL's 2006 institutional survey on PLA (Prior Learning Assessment), results of a research on…

  17. Reflections on Adult Learning in Cultural Institutions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parrish, Marilyn McKinley

    2010-01-01

    Cultural institutions are rich locations for adult learning. Despite apparent differences in mission, they are similar in many ways. Similarities include social and historical development, educational philosophy and objectives, epistemological tensions and contestations, and challenges associated when attracting and educating adult visitors. In an…

  18. Adult Graduate Student Voices: Good and Bad Learning Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reiff, Marianne; Ballin, Amy

    2016-01-01

    During their master's degree work, cohorts of adult graduate students participated in a common learning task in which they listed their factors of good and bad learning experiences. The lead author collected these factors from students over the course of 3 years. The purpose of our inquiry was to examine and document what adult graduate students…

  19. Adult learning and social inequalities: Processes of equalisation or cumulative disadvantage?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kilpi-Jakonen, Elina; Vono de Vilhena, Daniela; Blossfeld, Hans-Peter

    2015-08-01

    Adult learning is an increasingly important form of education in globalised and aging societies. While current policy recommendations tend to focus on increasing participation rates, the authors of this article argue that higher participation rates do not necessarily lead to lower social/educational inequalities in participation. The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between social inequalities and adult learning by exploring cross-national patterns of participation in different adult learning activities and the consequences of participation on individual labour market trajectories. The empirical basis of the paper is an analysis of 13 country studies (as well as two cross-national analyses) brought together by the international comparative research project "Education as a lifelong process - comparing educational trajectories in modern societies" ( eduLIFE). Despite wide variations in participation rates across countries, mechanisms of social/educational inequality in engagement in job-related adult learning tend to be relatively similar across countries, in particular with regard to non-formal learning. Effects tend most frequently to be a presence of cumulative advantage, though in some countries a certain degree of equalisation is noticeable with regard to formal adult education. The authors conclude that it is relatively clear that currently almost no country is truly able to reduce social inequalities through adult learning. Their recommendation is that public policy makers should place greater emphasis on making adult learning more accessible (in terms of entry requirements, affordability as well as motivation) to underrepresented groups, in particular those who are educationally disadvantaged.

  20. How Do Adults Learn to Read? A Communities of Practice Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Negassa, Tolera; Rogers, Alan; Warkineh, Turuwark Zalalam

    2016-01-01

    This article explores whether looking at adult literacy teaching through the lens of Lave and Wenger's "community of practice" approach to learning provides useful additional insights into adults learning to read, especially the role of the adult literacy facilitator. Using some case studies of facilitators from the Ethiopian Integrated…

  1. Implicit Learning Deficits among Adults with Developmental Dyslexia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kahta, Shani; Schiff, Rachel

    2016-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate implicit learning processes among adults with developmental dyslexia (DD) using a visual linguistic artificial grammar learning (AGL) task. Specifically, it was designed to explore whether the intact learning reported in previous studies would also occur under conditions including minimal training…

  2. Adult learning principles for effective teaching in radiology programmes: a review of the literature.

    PubMed

    Arogundade, R A

    2011-01-01

    Adult learning processes of acquisition of new knowledge, behaviours, skills, values or preferences generally occur as part of personal professional development. There is need for radiology residency trainers to understand the basic adult learning principles for effective teaching processes. To review the different adult learning styles, learning theories and educational practice as a guide for radiology residency trainers. Literature materials from journals, web articles and reputable textbooks in the last 20 years on adult learning principles in general and radiology in particular were reviewed. Most medical educators, including radiologists, lack appropriate formal training background in educational practice. The adult residency trainee brings to the learning environment high quantity and quality of experiences and some amount of control. Connection of this rich adult experience base to the learning process requires facilitation and motivation by the radiology educator, who must be familiar with the use of appropriate learning theories and educational practices. there is a general agreement about the content of good practice in adult education but a definite comprehensive list does not seem to exist in the literature. Nonetheless, understanding of the basic adult learning principles would aid the concept of guided training, where the adult residency trainee shoulders the bulk of the training responsibilities of acquisition of knowledge.

  3. Promoting Healthy Youth, Schools, and Communities: A Guide to Community-School Health Advisory Councils.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Larson, Kathlene

    This guide presents a five-step approach to planning, conducting, and evaluating a community-school health advisory council. The five steps are: (1) convening an advisory council (learning about community-school health advisory councils, obtaining support from the school district, identifying potential members, organizing and conducting the first…

  4. A Comparison of Learning Outcomes for Adult Students in On-Site and Online Service-Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwehm, Jeremy S.; Lasker-Scott, Tennille; Elufiede, Oluwakemi

    2017-01-01

    As noted by Kolb's (1984) experiential learning theory, adults learn best through experiences. Typically delivered in a traditional, face-to-face classroom setting, service-learning integrates the knowledge learned in the classroom with real-world experience and community service. E-service-learning, service-learning delivered in part or entirely…

  5. 10 Years of "Adult Learning": Content Analysis of an Academic Journal

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cherrstrom, Catherine A.; Robbins, Stacey E.; Bixby, John

    2017-01-01

    Academic publications provide insights into a discipline's history, knowledge base, and research norms, and thus analyzing publication activity provides learning about the field of study. To learn more about the field of adult and continuing education, this study used content analysis to examine 10 years of "Adult Learning" from 2006…

  6. Centering Marxist-Feminist Theory in Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carpenter, Sara

    2012-01-01

    Using feminist extensions of Marxist theory, this article argues that a Marxist-feminist theory of adult learning offers a significant contribution to feminist pedagogical debates concerning the nature of experience and learning. From this theoretical perspective, the individual and the social are understood to exist in a mutually determining…

  7. Learning at Every Age? Life Cycle Dynamics of Adult Education in Europe

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beblavy, Miroslav; Thum, Anna-Elisabeth; Potjagailo, Galina

    2014-01-01

    Adult learning is seen as a key factor for enhancing employment, innovation and growth. The aim of this paper is to understand the points in the life cycle at which adult learning takes place and whether it leads to reaching a medium or high level of educational attainment. We perform a synthetic panel analysis of adult learning for cohorts aged…

  8. Retaining the Learning Disabled Adult. A Handbook for Adult Basic Education Instructors.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawkins, Diane, Comp.

    This handbook is designed to address teachers' most common concerns about learning disabilities (LDs) and teaching adults with LDs. Section 1 defines LDs by describing traits that adults with LDs share. Section 2 focuses on identification of students with LDs. LD characteristics are divided into eight categories: academics, speech/language, motor…

  9. Artificial Grammar Learning in Dyslexic and Nondyslexic Adults: Implications for Orthographic Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Samara, Anna; Caravolas, Markéta

    2017-01-01

    Potential implicit orthographic learning deficits were investigated in adults with dyslexia. An artificial grammar learning paradigm served to assess dyslexic and typical readers' ability to exploit information about chunk frequency, letter-position patterns, and specific string similarity, all of which have analogous constructs in real…

  10. Adult Play-Learning: Observing Informal Family Education at a Science Museum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kanhadilok, Peeranut; Watts, Mike

    2014-01-01

    This paper discusses some of the issues surrounding the nature of adult play. More specifically, we explore "family play-learning", where play activities result in forms of added knowledge or insight for the adults involved. Adult play itself is an under-researched area, and play-learning even more so. We discuss related research and, in…

  11. Statistical learning of novel graphotactic constraints in children and adults.

    PubMed

    Samara, Anna; Caravolas, Markéta

    2014-05-01

    The current study explored statistical learning processes in the acquisition of orthographic knowledge in school-aged children and skilled adults. Learning of novel graphotactic constraints on the position and context of letter distributions was induced by means of a two-phase learning task adapted from Onishi, Chambers, and Fisher (Cognition, 83 (2002) B13-B23). Following incidental exposure to pattern-embedding stimuli in Phase 1, participants' learning generalization was tested in Phase 2 with legality judgments about novel conforming/nonconforming word-like strings. Test phase performance was above chance, suggesting that both types of constraints were reliably learned even after relatively brief exposure. As hypothesized, signal detection theory d' analyses confirmed that learning permissible letter positions (d'=0.97) was easier than permissible neighboring letter contexts (d'=0.19). Adults were more accurate than children in all but a strict analysis of the contextual constraints condition. Consistent with the statistical learning perspective in literacy, our results suggest that statistical learning mechanisms contribute to children's and adults' acquisition of knowledge about graphotactic constraints similar to those existing in their orthography. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Increasing Learning, Lowering Costs: An Interview with Carol A. Twigg

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Virginia B.; Finney, Joni E.

    2007-01-01

    This article presents an interview with Carol A. Twigg, winner of the 2007 Virginia B. Smith Innovative Leadership Award, sponsored by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education and the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning. Twigg currently is president of the National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) and from 1993…

  13. Overcoming Exclusion through Adult Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nash, Ian; Walshe, John

    Strategies for overcoming exclusion through adult learning were identified through case studies of 19 initiatives in the following countries: Belgium; Mexico; the Netherlands; Norway; Portugal; and the United Kingdom. The study programs involved a diverse array of formal, nonformal, and informal public sector, community, and enterprise-based…

  14. Assessing the reading comprehension of adults with learning disabilities.

    PubMed

    Jones, F W; Long, K; Finlay, W M L

    2006-06-01

    This study's aim was to begin the process of measuring the reading comprehension of adults with mild and borderline learning disabilities, in order to generate information to help clinicians and other professionals to make written material for adults with learning disabilities more comprehensible. The Test for the Reception of Grammar (TROG), with items presented visually rather than orally, and the Reading Comprehension sub-test of the Wechsler Objective Reading Dimensions (WORD) battery were given to 24 service-users of a metropolitan community learning disability team who had an estimated IQ in the range 50-79. These tests were demonstrated to have satisfactory split-half reliability and convergent validity with this population, supporting both their use in this study and in clinical work. Data are presented concerning the distribution across the sample of reading-ages and the comprehension of written grammatical constructions. These data should be useful to those who are preparing written material for adults with learning disabilities.

  15. From Hamburg to Belem: The Limits of Technocratic Thinking in Adult Learning Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Torres, Carlos Alberto

    2015-01-01

    This article discusses some of the generalized analyses of adult learning education, mostly informed by technocratic thinking, highlighting perceived trends in adult learning education between CONFINTEA V and CONFITEA VI. Those trends could be understood as challenges. Employing a political sociology of adult learning education as a critique of…

  16. Adult Learning and Learners. PREL Briefing Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Timarong, Alvina; Temaungil, Marianne; Sukrad, Wilma

    A survey of literature on adult learning and learners conducted for Palau Community College (PCC), Koror, Palau, found a lack of literature specific to the United States-affiliated Pacific region. Background information was compiled on development of formal education in Palau. A survey was administered in fall 2001 to adult learners working toward…

  17. A Theoretical Basis for Adult Learning Facilitation: Review of Selected Articles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muneja, Mussa S.

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to synthesize a theoretical basis for adult learning facilitation in order to provide a valuable systematic resource in the field of adult education. The paper has reviewed 6 journal articles with topics ranging from theory of andragogy; the effect of globalization on adult learning; the contribution of Malcolm Knowles;…

  18. Name and face learning in older adults: effects of level of processing, self-generation, and intention to learn.

    PubMed

    Troyer, Angela K; Häfliger, Andrea; Cadieux, Mélanie J; Craik, Fergus I M

    2006-03-01

    Many older adults are interested in strategies to help them learn new names. We examined the learning conditions that provide maximal benefit to name and face learning. In Experiment 1, consistent with levels-of-processing theory, name recall and recognition by 20 younger and 20 older adults was poorest with physical processing, intermediate with phonemic processing, and best with semantic processing. In Experiment 2, name and face learning in 20 younger and 20 older adults was maximized with semantic processing of names and physical processing of faces. Experiment 3 showed a benefit of self-generation and of intentional learning of name-face pairs in 24 older adults. Findings suggest that memory interventions should emphasize processing names semantically, processing faces physically, self-generating this information, and keeping in mind that memory for the names will be needed in the future.

  19. Social incentives improve deliberative but not procedural learning in older adults.

    PubMed

    Gorlick, Marissa A; Maddox, W Todd

    2015-01-01

    Age-related deficits are seen across tasks where learning depends on asocial feedback processing, however plasticity has been observed in some of the same tasks in social contexts suggesting a novel way to attenuate deficits. Socioemotional selectivity theory suggests this plasticity is due to a deliberative motivational shift toward achieving well-being with age (positivity effect) that reverses when executive processes are limited (negativity effect). The present study examined the interaction of feedback valence (positive, negative) and social salience (emotional face feedback - happy; angry, asocial point feedback - gain; loss) on learning in a deliberative task that challenges executive processes and a procedural task that does not. We predict that angry face feedback will improve learning in a deliberative task when executive function is challenged. We tested two competing hypotheses regarding the interactive effects of deliberative emotional biases on automatic feedback processing: (1) If deliberative emotion regulation and automatic feedback are interactive we expect happy face feedback to improve learning and angry face feedback to impair learning in older adults because cognitive control is available. (2) If deliberative emotion regulation and automatic feedback are not interactive we predict that emotional face feedback will not improve procedural learning regardless of valence. Results demonstrate that older adults show persistent deficits relative to younger adults during procedural category learning suggesting that deliberative emotional biases do not interact with automatic feedback processing. Interestingly, a subgroup of older adults identified as potentially using deliberative strategies tended to learn as well as younger adults with angry relative to happy feedback, matching the pattern observed in the deliberative task. Results suggest that deliberative emotional biases can improve deliberative learning, but have no effect on procedural learning.

  20. E-Learning Teams and Their Adult Learning Efforts in Corporate Settings: A Cross Analysis of Four Case Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stewart, Barbara; Waight, Consuelo

    2008-01-01

    Four cases relating to the efforts of e-learning teams in valuing adult learners in their e-learning solutions were examined to better understand how e-learning teams value their adult learners within corporate settings. Two questions guided the analysis of the cases, they are: (1) What is the nature of the e-learning solutions in these cases? (2)…

  1. Exploring the Self-concept of Adults with Mild Learning Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pestana, Claudio

    2015-01-01

    This qualitative study aimed to add to the research on the self-concept of adults with mild learning disabilities and to generate a deeper understanding of their self-perceptions rather than draw generalised quantitative conclusions. Eight adults diagnosed with mild learning disabilities receiving support from a supported living project were…

  2. Online Education and Adult Learning: New Frontiers for Teaching Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kidd, Terry T., Ed.

    2010-01-01

    The expanding field of adult learning encompasses the study and practice of utilizing sound instructional design principals, technology, and learning theory as a means to solve educational challenges and human performance issues relating to adults, often occurring online. This book disseminates current issues and trends emerging in the field of…

  3. Advocacy, a Role for DD Councils.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paul, James, L., Ed.; And Others

    The advocacy role of state developmental disabilities councils is examined in the monograph. It is explained that the material was gathered from a 1974 conference in Winter Park, Colorado. Topics addressed include the potential for advocacy, a personal perspective on developmental disabilities from a cerebral palsied adult, planning and evaluating…

  4. Financial Literacy and Family Learning--Tutor Resources. Financial Literacy in Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basic Skills Agency, 2008

    2008-01-01

    This publication contains a series of sessions developed and used by Newcastle City Council Family Learning Service and now published to share practice. The sessions were developed specifically to support "Skills for Life" tutors to deliver the adult literacy and numeracy curricula but can also be used by other practitioners. There are…

  5. Learning Cities for All: Directions to a New Adult Education and Learning Movement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scott, Leodis

    2015-01-01

    This chapter features a conceptual framework that considers the practical characteristics of learning cities, pointing to the field of adult and continuing education to lead a movement for the purposes of education, learning, and engagement for all.

  6. Learning of grammar-like visual sequences by adults with and without language-learning disabilities.

    PubMed

    Aguilar, Jessica M; Plante, Elena

    2014-08-01

    Two studies examined learning of grammar-like visual sequences to determine whether a general deficit in statistical learning characterizes this population. Furthermore, we tested the hypothesis that difficulty in sustaining attention during the learning task might account for differences in statistical learning. In Study 1, adults with normal language (NL) or language-learning disability (LLD) were familiarized with the visual artificial grammar and then tested using items that conformed or deviated from the grammar. In Study 2, a 2nd sample of adults with NL and LLD were presented auditory word pairs with weak semantic associations (e.g., groom + clean) along with the visual learning task. Participants were instructed to attend to visual sequences and to ignore the auditory stimuli. Incidental encoding of these words would indicate reduced attention to the primary task. In Studies 1 and 2, both groups demonstrated learning and generalization of the artificial grammar. In Study 2, neither the NL nor the LLD group appeared to encode the words presented during the learning phase. The results argue against a general deficit in statistical learning for individuals with LLD and demonstrate that both NL and LLD learners can ignore extraneous auditory stimuli during visual learning.

  7. Adult Learning Development in Poland in the 20th Century

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boiarska-Khomenko, Anna

    2017-01-01

    The article presents a retrospective analysis of adult learning development in Poland in the 20th century. Based on the study and analysis of historical and pedagogical literature, normative documents of the official bodies of Polish government, the periodical press of the 20th century, several stages of adult learning development, in the…

  8. Specific Quality Criteria for Research Papers on Adults Learning Mathematics?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wedege, Tine

    2009-01-01

    Since 1997, the identity of the research field of adults learning mathematics has been debated; the research field has grown in quantity and quality; and the research forum Adults Learning Mathematics (ALM) has established an international journal. In practice, the researchers answer the question about identity and quality of research papers in…

  9. Challenges in Implementing National Systems of Competency Validation with Regard to Adult Learning Professionals: Perspectives from Romania and India

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sava, Simona Lidia; Shah, S. Y.

    2015-01-01

    Validation of prior learning (VPL), also referred to as recognition, validation and accreditation of prior learning (RVA), is becoming an increasingly important political issue at both European and international levels. In 2012, the European Council, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation…

  10. Adult Learning and Development. Perspectives from Educational Psychology. The Educational Psychology Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, M. Cecil, Ed.; Pourchot, Thomas, Ed.

    Leading educational psychologists address problems in adult development and learning in this book. "What Does Educational Psychology Know about Adult Learning and Development?" (M. Cecil Smith, Thomas Pourchot) is the introduction. "We Learn, Therefore We Develop" (Nira Granott) tackles the problem of distinguishing between…

  11. Learning-Within-Relationship as Context and Process in Adult Education: Impact on Transformative Learning and Social Change Agency.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barlas, Carole

    The impact of adult learning-within-relationship on transformative learning and social change agency was explored in a descriptive case study of the learning experiences of 20 adults who identified themselves as significantly transformed by their participation in a doctoral program. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify…

  12. How name descriptiveness impacts proper name learning in young and older adults.

    PubMed

    Fogler, Kethera A; James, Lori E; Crandall, Elizabeth A

    2010-09-01

    To elucidate the impact of name descriptiveness and aging on learning new names, 26 young and 26 healthy older participants learned visibly-descriptive (e.g., Lengthy for a giraffe), psychologically-descriptive (e.g., Classy), and non-descriptive (e.g., Sam) proper names for previously-unknown cartoon characters. More visibly-descriptive names were learned than psychologically- or non-descriptive names, which did not differ from each other. There was also a differential benefit for older adults when the name was visibly-descriptive of the referent, such that older adults learned visibly-descriptive names as well as young adults but there were substantial age-related deficits in learning psychologically- and non-descriptive names.

  13. Academic Performance and the Practice of Self-Directed Learning: The Adult Student Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khiat, Henry

    2017-01-01

    The practice of self-directed learning is important to adult students as it allows them to learn effectively while juggling work, family and other commitments. This study set out to examine the self-directed learning characteristics present in the adult students' study process at the case university. The relationship between the adult students'…

  14. Diabetes Empowerment Council: Integrative Pilot Intervention for Transitioning Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes

    PubMed Central

    Weigensberg, Marc J; Vigen, Cheryl; Sequeira, Paola; Spruijt-Metz, Donna; Juarez, Magaly; Florindez, Daniella; Peters, Anne; Pyatak, Elizabeth A

    2018-01-01

    Background The transition of young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) from pediatric to adult care is challenging and frequently accompanied by worsening of diabetes-related health. To date, there are no reports which prospectively assess the effects of theory-based psycho-behavioral interventions during the transition period neither on glycemic control nor on psychosocial factors that contribute to poor glycemic control. Therefore, the overall aim of this study was to develop and pilot test an integrative group intervention based on the underlying principles of self-determination theory (SDT), in young adults with T1D. Methods Fifty-one young adults with T1D participated in an education and case management-based transition program, of which 9 took part in the Diabetes Empowerment Council (DEC), a 12-week holistic, multimodality facilitated group intervention consisting of “council” process based on indigenous community practices, stress-reduction guided imagery, narrative medicine modalities, simple ritual, and other integrative modalities. Feasibility, acceptability, potential mechanism of effects, and bio-behavioral outcomes were determined using mixed qualitative and quantitative methods. Results The intervention was highly acceptable to participants, though presented significant feasibility challenges. Participants in DEC showed significant reductions in perceived stress and depression, and increases in general well-being relative to other control participants. Reduction in perceived stress, independent of intervention group, was associated with reductions in hemoglobin A1C. A theoretical model explaining the effects of the intervention included the promotion of relatedness and autonomy support, 2 important aspects of SDT. Conclusions The DEC is a promising group intervention for young adults with T1D going through transition to adult care. Future investigations will be necessary to resolve feasibility issues, optimize the multimodality intervention

  15. The effects of emotion on younger and older adults' monitoring of learning.

    PubMed

    Tauber, Sarah K; Dunlosky, John; Urry, Heather L; Opitz, Philipp C

    2017-09-01

    Age-related differences in memory monitoring appear when people learn emotional words. Namely, younger adults' judgments of learning (JOLs) are higher for positive than neutral words, whereas older adults' JOLs do not discriminate between positive versus neutral words. In two experiments, we evaluated whether this age-related difference extends to learning positive versus neutral pictures. We also evaluated the contribution of two dimensions of emotion that may impact younger and older adults' JOLs: valence and arousal. Younger and older adults studied pictures that were positive or neutral and either high or low in arousal. Participants made immediate JOLs and completed memory tests. In both experiments, the magnitude of older adults' JOLs was influenced by emotion, and both younger and older adults demonstrated an emotional salience effect on JOLs. As important, the magnitude of participants' JOLs was influenced by valence, and not arousal. Emotional salience effects were also evident on participants' free recall, and older adults recalled as many pictures as did younger adults. Taken together, these data suggest that older adults do not have a monitoring deficit when learning positive (vs. neutral) pictures and that emotional salience effects on younger and older adults' JOLs are produced more by valence than by arousal.

  16. The Adult Learning Open University Determinants (ALOUD) Study: Biological and Psychological Factors Associated with Learning Performance in Adult Distance Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neroni, Joyce; Gijselaers, Hieronymus J. M.; Kirschner, Paul A.; Groot, Renate H. M.

    2015-01-01

    Learning is crucial for everyone. The association between biological (eg, sleep, nutrition) and psychological factors (eg, test anxiety, goal orientation) and learning performance has been well established for children, adolescents and college students in traditional education. Evidence for these associations for adult distance students is lacking…

  17. Connecting Neighborhood Councils and City Agencies--Evaluation of the Learning and Design Forums and Role of the University as a Mediating Institution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kathi, Pradeep Chandra

    2012-01-01

    The School of Planning Policy and Development at the University of Southern California brought together representatives of neighborhood councils and city agencies of the city of Los Angeles together in an action research program. This action research program called the Collaborative Learning Project developed a collaboration process called the…

  18. Early Learning Canada: Workshop Leader Guide [and] Participant Resource [and] Trainer Manual. Learning & Reading Partners Adult Learning System.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Estey, Nancy; MacIsaac, Maitland; Rendell, Sandra

    Based on the understanding that the capacity to learn is optimized in the early years, Early Learning Canada (ELC) is a community workshop program for parents and adults who work with children from birth to age 6 and their families to facilitate life-long learning. This workshop leader guide explains the ELC principles, examines learning styles…

  19. Vicarious Learning and Reduction of Fear in Children via Adult and Child Models.

    PubMed

    Dunne, Güler; Askew, Chris

    2017-06-01

    Children can learn to fear stimuli vicariously, by observing adults' or peers' responses to them. Given that much of school-age children's time is typically spent with their peers, it is important to establish whether fear learning from peers is as effective or robust as learning from adults, and also whether peers can be successful positive models for reducing fear. During a vicarious fear learning procedure, children (6 to 10 years; N = 60) were shown images of novel animals together with images of adult or peer faces expressing fear. Later they saw their fear-paired animal again together with positive emotional adult or peer faces. Children's fear beliefs and avoidance for the animals increased following vicarious fear learning and decreased following positive vicarious counterconditioning. There was little evidence of differences in learning from adults and peers, demonstrating that for this age group peer models are effective models for both fear acquisition and reduction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  20. Impaired fear extinction learning in adult heterozygous BDNF knock-out mice.

    PubMed

    Psotta, Laura; Lessmann, Volkmar; Endres, Thomas

    2013-07-01

    Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a crucial regulator of neuroplasticity, which underlies learning and memory processes in different brain areas. To investigate the role of BDNF in the extinction of amygdala-dependent cued fear memories, we analyzed fear extinction learning in heterozygous BDNF knock-out mice, which possess a reduction of endogenous BDNF protein levels to ~50% of wild-type animals. Since BDNF expression has been shown to decline with aging of animals, we tested the performance in extinction learning of these mice at 2 months (young adults) and 7 months (older adults) of age. The present study shows that older adult heterozygous BDNF knock-out mice, which have a chronic 50% lack of BDNF, also possess a deficit in the acquisition of extinction memory, while extinction learning remains unaffected in young adult heterozygous BDNF knock-out mice. This deficit in extinction learning is accompanied by a reduction of BDNF protein in the hippocampus, amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Neurogenesis enhancer RO 25-6981 facilitates repeated spatial learning in adult rats.

    PubMed

    Soloviova, O A; Proshin, A T; Storozheva, Z I; Sherstnev, V V

    2012-09-01

    The effects of Ro 25-6981 (selective NMDA receptor blocker) in a dose stimulating neurogenesis on repeated learning, reversal learning, and memory reconsolidation were studied in adult rats in Morris water maze. Ro 25-6981 facilitated repeated learning 13 days after injection, but did not influence reversal learning. The blocker injected directly before reminder did not disturb repeated learning and reversal learning in Morris water maze. These effects of Ro 25-6981 on the dynamics of repeated learning seemed to be due to its effects on neurogenesis processes in adult brain.

  2. Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis Modulates Fear Learning through Associative and Nonassociative Mechanisms

    PubMed Central

    Seo, Dong-oh; Carillo, Mary Ann; Chih-Hsiung Lim, Sean; Tanaka, Kenji F.

    2015-01-01

    Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is believed to support hippocampus-dependent learning and emotional regulation. These putative functions of adult neurogenesis have typically been studied in isolation, and little is known about how they interact to produce adaptive behavior. We used trace fear conditioning as a model system to elucidate mechanisms through which adult hippocampal neurogenesis modulates processing of aversive experience. To achieve a specific ablation of neurogenesis, we generated transgenic mice that express herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase specifically in neural progenitors and immature neurons. Intracerebroventricular injection of the prodrug ganciclovir caused a robust suppression of neurogenesis without suppressing gliogenesis. Neurogenesis ablation via this method or targeted x-irradiation caused an increase in context conditioning in trace but not delay fear conditioning. Data suggest that this phenotype represents opposing effects of neurogenesis ablation on associative and nonassociative components of fear learning. Arrest of neurogenesis sensitizes mice to nonassociative effects of fear conditioning, as evidenced by increased anxiety-like behavior in the open field after (but not in the absence of) fear conditioning. In addition, arrest of neurogenesis impairs associative trace conditioning, but this impairment can be masked by nonassociative fear. The results suggest that adult neurogenesis modulates emotional learning via two distinct but opposing mechanisms: it supports associative trace conditioning while also buffering against the generalized fear and anxiety caused by fear conditioning. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis in fear learning is controversial, with some studies suggesting neurogenesis is needed for aspects of fear learning and others suggesting it is dispensable. We generated transgenic mice in which neural progenitors can be selectively and inducibly ablated. Our data suggest that adult

  3. Civil Society, Adult Learning and Action in India.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tandon, Rajesh

    2000-01-01

    Five case studies of individual and collective learning projects in India demonstrate that (1) the impetus for civic action arises from local conditions; (2) transformative action requires sustained adult learning; and (3) civil society is a complex concept reflecting diverse priorities and perspectives. (SK)

  4. Action Learning: Images and Pathways. Professional Practices in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dilworth, Robert L.; Willis, Verna J.

    This book provides information and strategies on how adult educators can integrate action learning concepts in their teaching practice. The book defines action learning as going beyond the traditional idea of "learn by doing" and applies it to various organizational cultures and educational contexts. Chapter 1 introduces the origins of action…

  5. The Idea and Ideals of the University: A Panel Session of the 2004 Annual Meeting of the American Council of Learned Societies. ACLS Occasional Paper No. 63

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Council of Learned Societies, 2007

    2007-01-01

    In 1918, just one year before the founding of American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), Thorstein Veblin wrote, "In one shape or another, this problem of adjustment, reconciliation or compromise between the needs of higher learning and the demands of the business enterprise is forever present in the deliberations of the university…

  6. Educating the adult brain: How the neuroscience of learning can inform educational policy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Knowland, Victoria C. P.; Thomas, Michael S. C.

    2014-05-01

    The acquisition of new skills in adulthood can positively affect an individual's quality of life, including their earning potential. In some cases, such as the learning of literacy in developing countries, it can provide an avenue to escape from poverty. In developed countries, job retraining in adulthood contributes to the flexibility of labour markets. For all adults, learning opportunities increase participation in society and family life. However, the popular view is that adults are less able to learn for an intrinsic reason: their brains are less plastic than in childhood. This article reviews what is currently known from neuroscientific research about how brain plasticity changes with age, with a particular focus on the ability to acquire new skills in adulthood. Anchoring their review in the examples of the adult acquisition of literacy and new motor skills, the authors address five specific questions: (1) Are sensitive periods in brain development relevant to learning complex educational skills like literacy? (2) Can adults become proficient in a new skill? (3) Can everyone learn equally effectively in adulthood? (4) What is the role of the learning environment? (5) Does adult education cost too much? They identify areas where further research is needed and conclude with a summary of principles for enhancing adult learning now established on a neuroscience foundation.

  7. Metacognitive Training at Home: Does It Improve Older Adults' Learning?

    PubMed Central

    Bailey, Heather; Dunlosky, John; Hertzog, Christopher

    2010-01-01

    Background Previous research has described the success of an intervention aimed at improving older adults' ability to regulate their learning. This metacognitive approach involves teaching older adults to allocate their study time more efficiently by testing themselves and restudying items that are less well learned. Objective Although this type of memory intervention has shown promise, training older adults to test themselves in the laboratory can be very time-intensive. Thus, the purpose of the present study is to transport the self-testing training method from the laboratory to home use. Methods A standard intervention design was used that included a pretraining session, multiple training sessions, and a posttraining session. Participants were randomly assigned to either the training group (n = 29) or the waiting list control group (n = 27). Moreover, we screened participants for whether they used the self-testing strategy during their pretraining test session. Results Compared to the performance of the control group, the training group displayed significant gains, which demonstrates that older adults can benefit from training themselves to use these skills at home. Moreover, the results of the present study indicate that this metacognitive approach can effectively improve older adults' learning, even in those who spontaneously self-test prior to training. Conclusions Training metacognitive skills, such as self-testing and efficient study allocation, can improve the ability to learn new information in healthy older adults. More importantly, older adult clients can be supplied with an at-home training manual, which will ease the burden on practitioners. PMID:20016124

  8. Providing Deep Learning through Active Engagement of Adult Learners in Blended Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McDonough, Darlene

    2014-01-01

    Malcolm Knowles (2011) indicates that adult learners are most likely to be actively engaged in learning when they are given some choice and control over the learning process. When the curriculum relates to the adult learner's interests, is individualized, and authentic; the adult learner becomes actively engaged in the process by making a…

  9. Learning Style Patterns among Special Needs Adult Students at King Saud University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alshuaibi, Abdulrahman

    2017-01-01

    Few studies of learning styles among adults with special needs exist worldwide. Even though there are large numbers of adults with special needs, this population in university education has been largely ignored in educational research. Therefore, this study aimed to gather and analyze learning styles of adult special needs students and to provide…

  10. Active Adult Lives for Persons with Learning Disabilities--The Perspectives of Professionals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Witsø, Aud Elisabeth; Kittelsaa, Anna M.

    2018-01-01

    Background: Living active adult lives is both a value and a right, but the right to do so is associated with restrictions among adults with learning disabilities. This research aimed to capture professionals' understanding and perception of active adult living for people with learning disabilities living in clustered housing in a Norwegian…

  11. Adult Development, Learning and Teaching. Newland Papers Number Twelve.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bright, Barry

    Numerous models have been developed to analyze the relationship between adult education, adult learning, and adult development. Squires' contingency model postulates that the how of teaching is determined by the nature and characteristics of the participants (the who), the content (the what), and the setting (the where) in which teaching takes…

  12. Adult Learning in the Digital Age: Perspectives on Online Technologies and Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kidd, Terry T., Ed.; Keengwe, Jared, Ed.

    2010-01-01

    As instructors move further into the incorporation of 21st century technologies in adult education, a new paradigm of digitally-enriched mediated learning has emerged. This book provides a comprehensive framework of trends and issues related to adult learning for the facilitation of authentic learning in the age of digital technology. This…

  13. Exploring Play/Playfulness and Learning in the Adult and Higher Education Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tanis, David J.

    2012-01-01

    Play and playfulness and their role in learning are researched extensively in early childhood education. However, as the child matures into an adult, play and playfulness are given less attention in the teaching and learning process. In adult education, there is very little research about play/playfulness and its significance for learning. Despite…

  14. Chronology of Milestones for Libraries and Adult Lifelong Learning and Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCook, Kathleen de la Pena; Barber, Peggy

    This chronology highlights milestones for libraries and adult lifelong learning and literacy from 1924-2001, including the following events: William S. Learned's "The American Public Library and the Diffusion of Knowledge" is published (1924); establishment of the ALA (American Library Association) Adult Education Section (1946); the…

  15. 76 FR 5141 - Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council); Public Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-28

    ... Fishery Management Council (Council); Public Meeting AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS.... SUMMARY: The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a meeting of the Ecosystem... Fishery Management Plan (EFMP). At the September 2010 Council meeting, the Council tasked the EPDT with a...

  16. Category Learning Strategies in Younger and Older Adults: Rule Abstraction and Memorization

    PubMed Central

    Wahlheim, Christopher N.; McDaniel, Mark A.; Little, Jeri L.

    2016-01-01

    Despite the fundamental role of category learning in cognition, few studies have examined how this ability differs between younger and older adults. The present experiment examined possible age differences in category learning strategies and their effects on learning. Participants were trained on a category determined by a disjunctive rule applied to relational features. The utilization of rule- and exemplar-based strategies was indexed by self-reports and transfer performance. Based on self-reported strategies, both age groups had comparable frequencies of rule- and exemplar-based learners, but older adults had a higher frequency of intermediate learners (i.e., learners not identifying with a reliance on either rule- or exemplar-based strategies). Training performance was higher for younger than older adults regardless of the strategy utilized, showing that older adults were impaired in their ability to learn the correct rule or to remember exemplar-label associations. Transfer performance converged with strategy reports in showing higher fidelity category representations for younger adults. Younger adults with high working memory capacity were more likely to use an exemplar-based strategy, and older adults with high working memory capacity showed better training performance. Age groups did not differ in their self-reported memory beliefs, and these beliefs did not predict training strategies or performance. Overall, the present results contradict earlier findings that older adults prefer rule- to exemplar-based learning strategies, presumably to compensate for memory deficits. PMID:26950225

  17. Wisdom, the Body, and Adult Learning: Insights from Neuroscience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swartz, Ann L.

    2011-01-01

    In adult education, there has recently been a recognition of the body's role in adult learning. Attention to neuroscience is somewhat limited, though is emerging. These two perspectives are not integrated. With this article, the author argues that adult education must look to science to achieve a deeper understanding of the evolving…

  18. Where Now for Adult Learning?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keep, Ewart; Rogers, David; Hunt, Sally; Walden, Christopher; Fryer, Bob; Gorard, Stephen; Williams, Ceri; Jones, Wendy; Hartley, Ralph

    2010-01-01

    With 6 billion British pounds of public spending reductions already on the table, and far deeper cuts inevitable, what are the prospects for adult learning in the new Parliament? Some of the regular contributors of this journal were asked what they expected and what they would like to see. Ewart Keep warns that the coalition parties' commitments…

  19. The Economic Benefits of Adult Learning to Low-Qualified Young Adults: Do Participation and Qualification Decrease the Risk of Unemployment?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knipprath, Heidi; De Rick, Katleen

    2014-01-01

    Policymakers worldwide consider participation in adult learning beneficial for employability, in particular for specific target groups. However, still little is known about the effect of adult learning pursued by low-qualified young adults on their employment prospects. On the basis of a Flemish longitudinal database, we study the determinants and…

  20. Inclusive Adult Learning Environments. ERIC Digest No. 162.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Imel, Susan

    Adult educators are recognizing that factors in the learning environment related to psychological, social, and cultural conditions exert a powerful influence on learners' growth and development. Current discussions on learning environments have broadened to include the need to confront issues of sexism and racism, interlocking systems of power and…

  1. Older Adults, in Lebanon, Committed to Learning: Contextualizing the Challenges and the Benefits of Their Learning Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hachem, Hany; Vuopala, Essi

    2016-01-01

    The University for the Third Age, a relatively new concept in Lebanon, provides educational and social opportunities for older adults. The goal of later-life educational institutions supposedly covers more than a mere provision of learning. This being said, highlighting the significance of rewards associated with older adult learning--and the…

  2. Reviewing the Evidence on How Adult Students Learn: An Examination of Knowles' Model of Andragogy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGrath, Valerie

    2009-01-01

    While there may be similarities between adults and children in how they learn (such as language, interaction and communication), many writers argue that adult learners are different from child learners in a number of ways. This article aims to review how adults learn through examining one particular theory of adult learning. Two conflicting…

  3. Work-Related Learning Guide for Family Literacy and Adult Education Organizations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jobs for the Future, Boston, MA.

    This guide assists family literacy and adult education organizations considering ways in which work and learning can be integrated in their educational programs. Part I addresses influences motivating the family literacy and adult education fields to incorporate work-related learning into their efforts. Part II provides a framework for designing…

  4. Motivation Management of Project-Based Learning for Business English Adult Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Xiaoqin

    2016-01-01

    The paper finds out poor engagement in business English training program prevents adult learners at College of Continuing Education of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies from improving their communication skills. PBL (Project-Based Learning) is proposed to motivate adult learners to get involved with learning a lot. Based on the perspective…

  5. Adult Learners' Preferred Methods of Learning Preventative Heart Disease Care

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alavi, Nasim

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the preferred method of learning about heart disease by adult learners. This research study also investigated if there was a statistically significant difference between race/ethnicity, age, and gender of adult learners and their preferred method of learning preventative heart disease care. This…

  6. Adult Learning, Transformative Education, and Indigenous Epistemology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McEachern, Diane

    2016-01-01

    This chapter describes an innovative program that weaves together adult learning, transformative education, and indigenous epistemology in order to prepare Alaskan rural indigenous social service providers to better serve their communities.

  7. Unequal Chances to Participate in Adult Learning: International Perspectives. Fundamentals of Educational Planning 83

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Desjardins, Richard; Rubenson, Kjell; Milana, Marcella

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this booklet is to document cross-national patterns of adult learning, and in particular the unequal chances to participate in adult learning. In so doing, an effort is made to identify important motivating factors for participating in adult learning. The specific objectives of the booklet are to: (1) make available the…

  8. A Sense of Achievement: Outcomes of Adult Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foster, Pablo; Howard, Ursula; Reisenberger, Anna

    1997-01-01

    This report, which is an outgrowth of the Further Education Development Agency's (FEDA's) Learning Outcomes study, explores ways of identifying, recording, and valuing adult learners' goals and achievements in learning opportunities that are not designed to lead to qualifications. The following topics are discussed in the report's six chapters:…

  9. Input Variability Facilitates Unguided Subcategory Learning in Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eidsvåg, Sunniva Sørhus; Austad, Margit; Plante, Elena; Asbjørnsen, Arve E.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: This experiment investigated whether input variability would affect initial learning of noun gender subcategories in an unfamiliar, natural language (Russian), as it is known to assist learning of other grammatical forms. Method: Forty adults (20 men, 20 women) were familiarized with examples of masculine and feminine Russian words. Half…

  10. Radicalizing Learning: Adult Education for a Just World

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brookfield, Stephen D.; Holst, John D.

    2010-01-01

    This book offers new readings of the theory, politics, policy, and practice of radical adult education and learning where people's lives are understood as complex and interrelated matters. Brookfield and Holst's poetics and deeply human prose sound rebellious; the authors confront some of the main radical trends in the field of adult education…

  11. Mechanisms underlying perceptual learning of contrast detection in adults with anisometropic amblyopia

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Chang-Bing; Lu, Zhong-Lin; Zhou, Yifeng

    2010-01-01

    What underlies contrast sensitivity improvements in adults with anisometropic amblyopia following perceptual learning in grating contrast detection? In this paper, we adopted the external noise approach (Z.-L. Lu & B. A. Dosher, 1998) to identify the mechanisms underlying perceptual learning in adults with anisometropic amblyopia. By measuring contrast thresholds in a range of external noise conditions at two performance levels (79.3% and 70.7%), we found that a mixture of internal additive noise reduction and external noise exclusion underlay training induced contrast sensitivity improvements in adults with anisometropic amblyopia. In comparison, normal adults exhibited only small amount of external noise exclusion under the same training conditions. The results suggest that neural plasticity may be more robust in amblyopia, lending further support of perceptual learning as a potential treatment for adult amblyopia. PMID:20053087

  12. Reexamining Theories of Adult Learning and Adult Development through the Lenses of Public Pedagogy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sandlin, Jennifer A.; Wright, Robin Redmon; Clark, Carolyn

    2013-01-01

    The authors examine the modernist underpinnings of traditional adult learning and development theories and evaluate elements of those theories through more contemporary lenses. Drawing on recent literature focused on "public pedagogy," the authors argue that much learning takes place outside of formal educational institutions. They look beyond…

  13. Category learning strategies in younger and older adults: Rule abstraction and memorization.

    PubMed

    Wahlheim, Christopher N; McDaniel, Mark A; Little, Jeri L

    2016-06-01

    Despite the fundamental role of category learning in cognition, few studies have examined how this ability differs between younger and older adults. The present experiment examined possible age differences in category learning strategies and their effects on learning. Participants were trained on a category determined by a disjunctive rule applied to relational features. The utilization of rule- and exemplar-based strategies was indexed by self-reports and transfer performance. Based on self-reported strategies, the frequencies of rule- and exemplar-based learners were not significantly different between age groups, but there was a significantly higher frequency of intermediate learners (i.e., learners not identifying with a reliance on either rule- or exemplar-based strategies) in the older than younger adult group. Training performance was higher for younger than older adults regardless of the strategy utilized, showing that older adults were impaired in their ability to learn the correct rule or to remember exemplar-label associations. Transfer performance converged with strategy reports in showing higher fidelity category representations for younger adults. Younger adults with high working memory capacity were more likely to use an exemplar-based strategy, and older adults with high working memory capacity showed better training performance. Age groups did not differ in their self-reported memory beliefs, and these beliefs did not predict training strategies or performance. Overall, the present results contradict earlier findings that older adults prefer rule- to exemplar-based learning strategies, presumably to compensate for memory deficits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  14. Cocreating Collaborative Leadership Learning Environments: Using Adult Learning Principles and a Coach Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Page, M. Beth; Margolis, Rhonda L.

    2017-01-01

    As educators, we seek to answer the following question: "What magic can happen when you believe that people are whole and resourceful and you hold the space for generative, collective wisdom?" This chapter explores collaborative leadership and learning with adult learners. We focus on creative ways to optimize learning and enhance…

  15. The Relationship between Learning Styles and Learning Outcomes for Adults in an Informal Educational Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roberts, Larry N.

    2013-01-01

    With more adults seeking unique and meaningful learning experiences in both recreational and professional arenas, informal learning institutions, such as museums, zoos, and botanical gardens are a natural source. Informal learning opportunities are the business of these institutions; moreover, a goal in education mission statements of many of…

  16. Outcomes of Adult Learning: Taking the Debate Forward.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Huw, Ed.; Mace, Jackie, Ed.

    The four papers in this collection are intended to stimulate debate in the adult education sector and to set the agenda for further development work. "Learning Outcomes: Towards a Synthesis of Progress" (Peter Lavender) provides a summary of recent efforts to identify, record, and value learning that does not lead to qualifications.…

  17. Shame and Transformation in the Theory and Practice of Adult Learning and Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Jude

    2017-01-01

    Shame both stymies and motivates learning; it prevents adults from participating in educational programs yet, with accompanied self-examination, it can be the catalyst for transformation. While fundamental for understanding adult learning, shame is (shamefully) inadequately theorized in the field of adult education: We don't talk enough about…

  18. Adult Age Differences in Learning from Positive and Negative Probabilistic Feedback

    PubMed Central

    Simon, Jessica R.; Howard, James H.; Howard, Darlene V.

    2010-01-01

    Objective Past research has investigated age differences in frontal-based decision making, but few studies have focused on the behavioral effects of striatal-based changes in healthy aging. Feedback learning has been found to vary with dopamine levels; increases in dopamine facilitate learning from positive feedback, whereas decreases facilitate learning from negative feedback. Given previous evidence of striatal dopamine depletion in healthy aging, we investigated behavioral differences between college-aged and healthy old adults using a feedback learning task that is sensitive to both frontal and striatal processes. Method Seventeen college-aged (M = 18.9 years) and 24 healthy, older adults (M = 70.3 years) completed the Probabilistic selection task, in which participants are trained on probabilistic stimulus-outcome information and then tested to determine whether they learned more from positive or negative feedback. Results As a group, the old adults learned equally well from positive and negative feedback, whereas the college-aged group learned more from positive than negative feedback, F(1, 39) = 4.10, p < .05, reffect = .3. However, these group differences were not due to the older individuals being more balanced learners. Most individuals of both ages were balanced learners, but while all of the remaining young learners had a positive bias, the remaining older learners were split between those with positive and negative learning biases (χ2(2) = 6.12, p<.047). Conclusions These behavioral results are consistent with the dopamine theory of striatal aging, and suggest there might be adult age differences in the kinds of information people use when faced with a current choice. PMID:20604627

  19. Adults' Participation in Informal Learning Activities: Key Findings from the Adult Education Participation Survey in Taiwan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lai, Horng-Ji; Wu, Ming-Lieh; Li, Ai-Tzu

    2011-01-01

    This study investigated the informal learning experiences expressed by Taiwanese adults (aged from 16 to 97) and examined their involvement related to selected socio-demographic characteristics. Data of the 2008 Adult Education Participation Survey in Taiwan and Fujian Area were used to look at different variables of adults' demographic…

  20. Emotional Intelligence and Collaborative Learning in Adult Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martinez, Luz M.

    2011-01-01

    The changing social and economic reality of our world continues to shape how learning is conducted and acquired in the adult classroom and beyond. Given the pivotal importance for an adult to develop a variety of cognitive and emotional skills and given the need to work in collaboration with others, within educational environments and the…

  1. Left Brain/Right Brain Learning for Adult Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garvin, Barbara

    1986-01-01

    Contrasts and compares the theory and practice of adult education as it relates to the issue of right brain/left brain learning. The author stresses the need for a whole-brain approach to teaching and suggests that adult educators, given their philosophical directions, are the perfect potential users of this integrated system. (Editor/CT)

  2. Thematic Review on Adult Learning: Spain. Background Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fernandez, Florentino Sanz; Prudenciano, Julio Lancho

    This report on adult learning in Spain first establishes a series of socioeconomic, historical, and conceptual coordinates. Chapter 1 has three parts dedicated to the context. Part 1 has a conceptual map showing the different terms and categories used in adult education and training (AET). Part 2 shows the present socioeconomic context in which…

  3. The Learning Needs of Older Adults.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Purdie, Nola; Boulton-Lewis, Gillian

    2003-01-01

    Interviews with 17 older adults about learning needs and barriers resulted in a questionnaire completed by 160 elders. Most important needs were associated with transportation, health, and safety. Physical disabilities were the chief barrier. They felt most confident addressing health, safety, leisure, and transportation needs but not…

  4. Online Learning from Input versus Offline Memory Evolution in Adult Word Learning: Effects of Neighborhood Density and Phonologically Related Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Storkel, Holly L.; Bontempo, Daniel E.; Pak, Natalie S.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: In this study, the authors investigated adult word learning to determine how neighborhood density and practice across phonologically related training sets influence online learning from input during training versus offline memory evolution during no-training gaps. Method: Sixty-one adults were randomly assigned to learn low- or…

  5. Adult Learning and Change: An Autobiographical Portrait of a Chinese Woman in Canada

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Chun Ge

    2007-01-01

    The themes of adult learning, cross-cultural learning, and transformative learning are common to many continuing educators working at universities across Canada. In this essay, I narrate my experiences as a mature, adult learner returning to university. Following a literature review and discussion of methodology, I begin this autobiographical…

  6. Learning and altering behaviours by reinforcement: neurocognitive differences between children and adults.

    PubMed

    Shephard, E; Jackson, G M; Groom, M J

    2014-01-01

    This study examined neurocognitive differences between children and adults in the ability to learn and adapt simple stimulus-response associations through feedback. Fourteen typically developing children (mean age=10.2) and 15 healthy adults (mean age=25.5) completed a simple task in which they learned to associate visually presented stimuli with manual responses based on performance feedback (acquisition phase), and then reversed and re-learned those associations following an unexpected change in reinforcement contingencies (reversal phase). Electrophysiological activity was recorded throughout task performance. We found no group differences in learning-related changes in performance (reaction time, accuracy) or in the amplitude of event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with stimulus processing (P3 ERP) or feedback processing (feedback-related negativity; FRN) during the acquisition phase. However, children's performance was significantly more disrupted by the reversal than adults and FRN amplitudes were significantly modulated by the reversal phase in children but not adults. These findings indicate that children have specific difficulties with reinforcement learning when acquired behaviours must be altered. This may be caused by the added demands on immature executive functioning, specifically response monitoring, created by the requirement to reverse the associations, or a developmental difference in the way in which children and adults approach reinforcement learning. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  7. Adult Undergraduate Students: Patterns of Learning Involvement. Final Research Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kasworm, Carol E.; Blowers, Sally S.

    A research study examined the complex roles of adult life in relation to the student role, the nature of adult undergraduate engagement in learning, and adult perceptions of involvement. Adult students were interviewed in three types of institutions: 38 at two liberal arts colleges, 29 at two community colleges, and 23 at two public universities.…

  8. Learning to Read from a Social Practice View: Ethnography, Schooling and Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Street, Brian

    2016-01-01

    This paper looks at some issues around "learning to read" from the viewpoint of a social practice concept of literacy for both child and adult literacy. This calls for an ethnographic approach that, although increasingly common in the field of adult literacy, is less common in the policy and practice of schooling; there, a more…

  9. Adult Learning Methods: A Guide for Effective Instruction. Second Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Galbraith, Michael W., Ed.

    This book contains 21 papers devoted to understanding and facilitating adult learning. After "Foreword to the Second Edition" (Malcolm S. Knowles) and other introductory materials, the papers are: "Becoming an Effective Teacher of Adults" (Michael W. Galbraith); "Understanding Adult Learners" (Huey B. Long); "Identifying Your Philosophical…

  10. Applying Adult Learning Theory through a Character Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baskas, Richard S.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to analyze the behavior of a character, Celie, in a movie, 'The Color Purple," through the lens of two adult learning theorists to determine the relationships the character has with each theory. The development and portrayal of characters in movies can be explained and understood by the analysis of adult learning…

  11. Relationship between the Self-Efficacy and Self-Directed Learning of Adults in Undergraduate Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Langshaw, Shelly J.

    2017-01-01

    In the current adult education environment, self-directed learning (SDL) is becoming a necessary learning characteristic and an academic process of learning to allow adult learners to complete programs and further enhance lifelong learning. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between self-efficacy and SDL in…

  12. Verbal learning changes in older adults across 18 months.

    PubMed

    Zimprich, Daniel; Rast, Philippe

    2009-07-01

    The major aim of this study was to investigate individual changes in verbal learning across a period of 18 months. Individual differences in verbal learning have largely been neglected in the last years and, even more so, individual differences in change in verbal learning. The sample for this study comes from the Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging (ZULU; Zimprich et al., 2008a) and comprised 336 older adults in the age range of 65-80 years at first measurement occasion. In order to address change in verbal learning we used a latent change model of structured latent growth curves to account for the non-linearity of the verbal learning data. The individual learning trajectories were captured by a hyperbolic function which yielded three psychologically distinct parameters: initial performance, learning rate, and asymptotic performance. We found that average performance increased with respect to initial performance, but not in learning rate or in asymptotic performance. Further, variances and covariances remained stable across both measurement occasions, indicating that the amount of individual differences in the three parameters remained stable, as did the relationships among them. Moreover, older adults differed reliably in their amount of change in initial performance and asymptotic performance. Eventually, changes in asymptotic performance and learning rate were strongly negatively correlated. It thus appears as if change in verbal learning in old age is a constrained process: an increase in total learning capacity implies that it takes longer to learn. Together, these results point to the significance of individual differences in change of verbal learning in the elderly.

  13. Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice. Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, Volume 7

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Comings, John, Ed.; Garner, Barbara, Ed.; Smith, Christine, Ed.

    2007-01-01

    "Review of Adult Learning and Literacy: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice, Volume 7" is the newest volume in a series of annual publications of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) that address major issues, the latest research, and the best practices in the field of adult literacy and…

  14. Effective literacy instruction for adults with specific learning disabilities: implications for adult educators.

    PubMed

    Hock, Michael F

    2012-01-01

    Adults with learning disabilities (LD) attending adult basic education, GED programs, or community colleges are among the lowest performers on measures of literacy. For example, on multiple measures of reading comprehension, adults with LD had a mean reading score at the third grade level, whereas adults without LD read at the fifth grade level. In addition, large numbers of adults perform at the lowest skill levels on quantitative tasks. Clearly, significant instructional challenges exist for adults who struggle with literacy issues, and those challenges can be greater for adults with LD. In this article, the literature on adults with LD is reviewed, and evidenced-based instructional practices that significantly narrow the literacy achievement gap for this population are identified. Primary attention is given to instructional factors that have been shown to affect literacy outcomes for adults with LD. These factors include the use of explicit instruction, instructional technology, and intensive tutoring in skills and strategies embedded in authentic contexts.

  15. Adult Learning, Education, and the Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clover, Darlene E.; Hill, Robert

    2013-01-01

    The environment is now a common theme in adult education. However, conversations that swirled around the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June 2012 suggested major environmental challenges persist, demanding that education, learning, advocacy and activism be augmented to ensure the survival of the planet. In adult…

  16. The CABES (Clare Adult Basic Education Service) Framework as a Tool for Teaching and Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greene, Moira

    2015-01-01

    This article describes a Framework that can be used to help bridge the gap between theory and practice in adult learning. The Framework promotes practice informed by three strands important to adult literacy work: social theories of literacy, social-constructivist learning theory and principles of adult learning. The Framework shows how five key…

  17. 34 CFR 464.40 - May a State use funds to establish a State advisory council?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE LITERACY RESOURCE CENTERS... those funds— (1) To establish and support a State advisory council on adult education and literacy under...

  18. Educating for a Critical Democracy: Civic Participation Reimagined in the Council of Youth Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mirra, Nicole; Morrell, Ernest D.; Cain, Ebony; Scorza, D'Artagnan; Ford, Arlene

    2013-01-01

    This article explores civic learning, civic participation, and the development of civic agency within the Council of Youth Research (the Council), a program that engages high school students in youth participatory action research projects that challenge school inequalities and mobilize others in pursuit of educational justice. We critique the…

  19. Processing prosodic structure by adults with language-based learning disability.

    PubMed

    Bahl, Megha; Plante, Elena; Gerken, LouAnn

    2009-01-01

    Two experiments investigated the ability of adults with a history of language-based learning disability (hLLD) and their normal language (NL) peers to learn prosodic patterns of a novel language. Participants were exposed to stimuli from an artificial language and tested on items that required generalization of the stress patterns and the hierarchical principles of stress assignment that could be inferred from the input. In Study 1, the NL group successfully generalized the patterns of stress heard during familiarization, but failed to show generalization of the hierarchical principles. The hLLD group performed at chance for both types of generalization items. In Study 2, the intensity of stress elements was increased. The performance of the NL group improved whereas the hLLD groups' performance decreased on both types of generalization items. The results indicate that NL adults are able to successfully abstract the complex hierarchical rules of stress if the prosodic cues are made sufficiently salient, but this same task is difficult for adults with hLLD. The reader will be able to understand: (1) the difference in the ability of hLLD and NL adults to process stress assignment in an implicit learning context and (2) that typical adults can abstract complex hierarchical rules of stress assignment when provided with strong cues.

  20. Developing Community-Based Learning Centers for Older Adults. A Technical Assistance Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sprouse, Betsy M.; Brown, Karen

    Designed for community groups and organizations, groups of older adults, senior clubs, and agencies, this manual documents the process of developing community education programs for older adults. The first section introduces the concept of a community learning center, while the second section considers whether a learning center should be…

  1. The Three-Part Harmony of Adult Learning, Critical Thinking, and Decision-Making

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, Kyle

    2010-01-01

    Adult learning, critical thinking, and decision-making are fields that receive attention individually, although they are interspersed with elements of each other's theories and philosophies. In addressing adult learning precepts, it is essential to include critical thinking and decision-making. One without the other creates weakness; all must be…

  2. "An Elusive Bird": Perceptions of Music Learning among Canadian and American Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kruse, Nathan B.

    2009-01-01

    Discovering the perceptions that non-professional adult musicians hold regarding their participation in community ensembles may help improve instruction as well as the ability to more fully understand the implications of lifelong music making. Andragogy, or the teaching and learning strategies associated with adult learning, provided the impetus…

  3. Dichoptic training enables the adult amblyopic brain to learn.

    PubMed

    Li, Jinrong; Thompson, Benjamin; Deng, Daming; Chan, Lily Y L; Yu, Minbin; Hess, Robert F

    2013-04-22

    Adults with amblyopia, a common visual cortex disorder caused primarily by binocular disruption during an early critical period, do not respond to conventional therapy involving occlusion of one eye. But it is now clear that the adult human visual cortex has a significant degree of plasticity, suggesting that something must be actively preventing the adult brain from learning to see through the amblyopic eye. One possibility is an inhibitory signal from the contralateral eye that suppresses cortical inputs from the amblyopic eye. Such a gating mechanism could explain the apparent lack of plasticity within the adult amblyopic visual cortex. Here we provide direct evidence that alleviating suppression of the amblyopic eye through dichoptic stimulus presentation induces greater levels of plasticity than forced use of the amblyopic eye alone. This indicates that suppression is a key gating mechanism that prevents the amblyopic brain from learning to see. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Adult Learning and the New Austerity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adults Learning, 2010

    2010-01-01

    The spending review brought a promise to protect adult and community learning as well as swingeing cuts to further and higher education and local government. In this article, some of the key players--Lynne Sedgmore, Christopher Brooks, Graham Hoyle, Maggie Galliers, Louise Hazel, Richard Bolsin, Maggi Dawson, Ruth Bond, Stuart Etherington, Brendan…

  5. Child-Adult Differences in Implicit and Explicit Second Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lichtman, Karen Melissa

    2012-01-01

    Mainstream linguistics has long held that there is a fundamental difference between adult and child language learning (Bley-Vroman, 1990; Johnson & Newport, 1989; DeKeyser, 2000; Paradis, 2004). This difference is often framed as a change from implicit language learning in childhood to explicit language learning in adulthood, which is…

  6. Characteristics of Adults That Facilitate and/or Interfere with Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Norris, Robert G.

    Teachers of adults, if they are to be really effective, must be sensitive to the particular characteristics and needs of adult learners. Adults have many physiological, psychological, and social characteristics that are the result of normal aging. In determining which characteristics interfere with learning, it is found that all have an impact on…

  7. The cost of selective attention in category learning: Developmental differences between adults and infants

    PubMed Central

    Best, Catherine A.; Yim, Hyungwook; Sloutsky, Vladimir M.

    2013-01-01

    Selective attention plays an important role in category learning. However, immaturities of top-down attentional control during infancy coupled with successful category learning suggest that early category learning is achieved without attending selectively. Research presented here examines this possibility by focusing on category learning in infants (6–8 months old) and adults. Participants were trained on a novel visual category. Halfway through the experiment, unbeknownst to participants, the to-be-learned category switched to another category, where previously relevant features became irrelevant and previously irrelevant features became relevant. If participants attend selectively to the relevant features of the first category, they should incur a cost of selective attention immediately after the unknown category switch. Results revealed that adults demonstrated a cost, as evidenced by a decrease in accuracy and response time on test trials as well as a decrease in visual attention to newly relevant features. In contrast, infants did not demonstrate a similar cost of selective attention as adults despite evidence of learning both to-be-learned categories. Findings are discussed as supporting multiple systems of category learning and as suggesting that learning mechanisms engaged by adults may be different from those engaged by infants. PMID:23773914

  8. Teaching adults-best practices that leverage the emerging understanding of the neurobiology of learning.

    PubMed

    Mahan, John D; Stein, David S

    2014-07-01

    It is important in teaching adults to recognize the essential characteristics of adult learners and how these characteristics define their learning priorities and activities. The seven key premises and practices for teaching adults provide a good guide for those interested in helping adults learn. The emerging science of the neurobiology of learning provides powerful new insights into how learning occurs in the complex integrated neural network that characterizes the adult. Differentiation of the two types of thinking: System 1 (fast, intuitive, and, often, emotional) and System 2 (slower, deliberate, and logical). System 1 thinking helps explain the basis for quick decisions and reliance of humans on heuristics (or rules of thumb) that leads to the type of convenient thinking associated with errors of thinking and judgment. We now know that the learning experience has an objective location-in the temporal and parietal lobes-as persistent dynamic networks of neurons and neuronal connections. Learning is initially stored in transient working memory (relatively limited capacity and time frame) and then moved under the right conditions to more long-lasting/stable memory (with larger capacity) that is stored for future access and development. It is clear that memories are not static and are not destined, once developed, to forever remain as stable constructs; rather, memories are dynamic, always available for modulation and alteration, and heavily invested with context, emotion, and other operant factors. The framework for such neural networks involves new neuronal connections, enhanced neuronal synaptic transmission, and neuron generation. Ten key teaching and learning concepts derived from recent neurobiology studies on learning and memory are presented. As the neurobiology of learning is better defined, the basis for how adults best learn, and even the preferences they display, can be employed as the physiological foundation for our best methods to effectively teach

  9. Autobiography and Selfhood in the Practice of Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Michelson, Elana

    2011-01-01

    This article problematizes the role of autobiographical narratives in adult learning and suggests that the life histories produced by adult learners in our classrooms are, in important senses, fictions. Rather than being the free expressions of experience and selfhood, students' narratives are multiply overdetermined, both by the cultural frames…

  10. Adult Learners Understanding in Learning Islam Using the Andragogy Approach in Singapore

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kadir, Mohd Amin Bin

    2016-01-01

    This study describes adult learners understanding in learning Islam using the andragogy approach in Singapore comprising multicultural and multi-religious society. Singapore is a secular state where freedom of religion is encrypted in the constitution and Malay/Muslim comprises 13.3% of the population. Adults learn Islam to deepen their…

  11. Systemic Family Therapy Using the Reflecting Team: The Experiences of Adults with Learning Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anslow, Katharine

    2014-01-01

    This research aimed to illuminate the experiences of adults with learning disabilities of the reflecting team, in the context of their systemic family therapy. Five adults with learning disabilities were recruited from one community learning disability team. A qualitative design using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was appropriate…

  12. The response of the anterior striatum during adult human vocal learning

    PubMed Central

    Leech, Robert; Iverson, Paul; Wise, Richard J. S.

    2014-01-01

    Research on mammals predicts that the anterior striatum is a central component of human motor learning. However, because vocalizations in most mammals are innate, much of the neurobiology of human vocal learning has been inferred from studies on songbirds. Essential for song learning is a pathway, the homolog of mammalian cortical-basal ganglia “loops,” which includes the avian striatum. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study investigated adult human vocal learning, a skill that persists throughout life, albeit imperfectly given that late-acquired languages are spoken with an accent. Monolingual adult participants were scanned while repeating novel non-native words. After training on the pronunciation of half the words for 1 wk, participants underwent a second scan. During scanning there was no external feedback on performance. Activity declined sharply in left and right anterior striatum, both within and between scanning sessions, and this change was independent of training and performance. This indicates that adult speakers rapidly adapt to the novel articulatory movements, possibly by using motor sequences from their native speech to approximate those required for the novel speech sounds. Improved accuracy correlated only with activity in motor-sensory perisylvian cortex. We propose that future studies on vocal learning, using different behavioral and pharmacological manipulations, will provide insights into adult striatal plasticity and its potential for modification in both educational and clinical contexts. PMID:24805076

  13. Supporting Adults to Address Their Literacy Needs Using E-Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fletcher, Jo; Nicholas, Karen; Davis, Niki

    2011-01-01

    Many adults need help with literacy learning. This is extremely challenging for the tertiary education sector and workplace-situated learning organisations. E-learning may be an effective and efficient way to improve the delivery of teaching of basic skills to learners. Our research study included five embedded case studies within one tertiary…

  14. Lifelong Learning. A Guide to Adult Education in the Church.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grothe, Rebecca, Ed.

    This book contains eight papers about lifelong learning in the Christian church. The preface and foreword are written by Rebecca Groth and H. George Anderson, respectively. (1) "The Gospel Calls Us" (Margaret A. Krych) examines five theological themes of lifelong learning. Adult development and learning styles are considered in (2) "What Teachers…

  15. Reviewing and Critiquing Computer Learning and Usage among Older Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Young Sek

    2008-01-01

    By searching the keywords of "older adult" and "computer" in ERIC, Academic Search Premier, and PsycINFO, this study reviewed 70 studies published after 1990 that address older adults' computer learning and usage. This study revealed 5 prominent themes among reviewed literature: (a) motivations and barriers of older adults' usage of computers, (b)…

  16. Adult Learning and Qualifications in Britain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jenkins, Andrew

    2017-01-01

    The importance of people gaining new, and high-level, qualifications in adulthood has been much emphasised in policy rhetoric. It is widely assumed that adults should engage in learning throughout their working life in order to adapt to changing conditions in the labour market and to ensure that national economies remain competitive in a global…

  17. Enhanced visual statistical learning in adults with autism

    PubMed Central

    Roser, Matthew E.; Aslin, Richard N.; McKenzie, Rebecca; Zahra, Daniel; Fiser, József

    2014-01-01

    Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often characterized as having social engagement and language deficiencies, but a sparing of visuo-spatial processing and short-term memory, with some evidence of supra-normal levels of performance in these domains. The present study expanded on this evidence by investigating the observational learning of visuospatial concepts from patterns of covariation across multiple exemplars. Child and adult participants with ASD, and age-matched control participants, viewed multi-shape arrays composed from a random combination of pairs of shapes that were each positioned in a fixed spatial arrangement. After this passive exposure phase, a post-test revealed that all participant groups could discriminate pairs of shapes with high covariation from randomly paired shapes with low covariation. Moreover, learning these shape-pairs with high covariation was superior in adults with ASD than in age-matched controls, while performance in children with ASD was no different than controls. These results extend previous observations of visuospatial enhancement in ASD into the domain of learning, and suggest that enhanced visual statistical learning may have arisen from a sustained bias to attend to local details in complex arrays of visual features. PMID:25151115

  18. Results of Innovative and Supportive Learning Programs for Homeless Children and Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sinatra, Richard; Eschenauer, Robert

    2012-01-01

    Four-week summer academy programs served homeless children and adults in two contiguous innovative learning programs. The programs may be the first of their kind in the homeless literature in which both adults and children were exposed to career, academic, and leadership opportunities in the supportive learning environment of a university campus,…

  19. Fathers of Adults Who Have a Learning Disability: Roles, Needs and Concerns

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davys, Deborah; Mitchell, Duncan; Martin, Rachel

    2017-01-01

    Background: There is little research that specifically relates to fathers of adults with a learning disability despite the social expectation that fathers will provide a supportive role over the lifespan. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with seven fathers of adults with a learning disability to explore their roles, needs and…

  20. The "Double-Edged Sword" of the Adult Learning Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murray, Sara; Mitchell, Jane

    2013-01-01

    The vocational education and training sector plays a critical role in the provision of educational opportunities for young adults who have left school prior to completing a qualification. Some research has found that a major factor that supports student re-engagement in formal education is the "adult learning environment" that…

  1. Gender Differences in Formal, Non-Formal and Informal Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boeren, Ellen

    2011-01-01

    At first sight, participation rates in adult learning do not differ strongly between men and women. Further exploration, however, makes clear that differences exist at the level of the type of learning. Men participate more in work-related learning and experience more job-related motives to participate. Women take on the main responsibilities in…

  2. Chemotherapy disrupts learning, neurogenesis and theta activity in the adult brain.

    PubMed

    Nokia, Miriam S; Anderson, Megan L; Shors, Tracey J

    2012-12-01

    Chemotherapy, especially if prolonged, disrupts attention, working memory and speed of processing in humans. Most cancer drugs that cross the blood-brain barrier also decrease adult neurogenesis. Because new neurons are generated in the hippocampus, this decrease may contribute to the deficits in working memory and related thought processes. The neurophysiological mechanisms that underlie these deficits are generally unknown. A possible mediator is hippocampal oscillatory activity within the theta range (3-12 Hz). Theta activity predicts and promotes efficient learning in healthy animals and humans. Here, we hypothesised that chemotherapy disrupts learning via decreases in hippocampal adult neurogenesis and theta activity. Temozolomide was administered to adult male Sprague-Dawley rats in a cyclic manner for several weeks. Treatment was followed by training with different types of eyeblink classical conditioning, a form of associative learning. Chemotherapy reduced both neurogenesis and endogenous theta activity, as well as disrupted learning and related theta-band responses to the conditioned stimulus. The detrimental effects of temozolomide only occurred after several weeks of treatment, and only on a task that requires the association of events across a temporal gap and not during training with temporally overlapping stimuli. Chemotherapy did not disrupt the memory for previously learned associations, a memory independent of (new neurons in) the hippocampus. In conclusion, prolonged systemic chemotherapy is associated with a decrease in hippocampal adult neurogenesis and theta activity that may explain the selective deficits in processes of learning that describe the 'chemobrain'. © 2012 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  3. Adult Health Learning and Transformation: A Case Study of a Canadian Community-Based Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coady, Maureen

    2013-01-01

    This article describes a case study of adult learning in a Canadian multisite Community Cardiovascular Hearts in Motion program. The researcher highlights the informal learning of 40 adult participants in this 12-week community-based cardiac rehabilitation/education program in five rural Nova Scotia communities. The effects of this learning and…

  4. List Memory in Young Adults with Language Learning Disability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sheng, Li; Byrd, Courtney T.; McGregor, Karla K.; Zimmerman, Hannah; Bludau, Kadee

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to characterize the verbal memory limitations of young adults with language learning disability (LLD). Method: Sixteen young adults with LLD and 34 age- and education-matched controls with typical language participated in a Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM; Deese, 1959; Roediger & McDermott, 1995) list…

  5. Meeting Older Adults Learning Needs When Using Information Technologies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cameron, Don

    As in other countries, older adults in Australia could benefit from acquiring information technology (IT) skills in many ways, including improved access to information on health issues and development of the skills needed for employment in high-demand IT-related occupations. The research on adult learning and the problems faced by many older…

  6. Reinforcement Learning in Young Adults with Developmental Language Impairment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Joanna C.; Tomblin, J. Bruce

    2012-01-01

    The aim of the study was to examine reinforcement learning (RL) in young adults with developmental language impairment (DLI) within the context of a neurocomputational model of the basal ganglia-dopamine system (Frank, Seeberger, & O'Reilly, 2004). Two groups of young adults, one with DLI and the other without, were recruited. A probabilistic…

  7. New Directions for Higher Education: Q&A with CAEL's Tate on Prior Learning, Competency-Based Ed

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DiSalvio, Philip

    2014-01-01

    In April 2013, "NEJHE" launched its New Directions for Higher Education series to examine emerging issues, trends and ideas that have an impact on higher education policies, programs and practices. In this installment, DiSalvio interviews Pamela Tate, president and CEO of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). Topics…

  8. The cost of selective attention in category learning: developmental differences between adults and infants.

    PubMed

    Best, Catherine A; Yim, Hyungwook; Sloutsky, Vladimir M

    2013-10-01

    Selective attention plays an important role in category learning. However, immaturities of top-down attentional control during infancy coupled with successful category learning suggest that early category learning is achieved without attending selectively. Research presented here examines this possibility by focusing on category learning in infants (6-8months old) and adults. Participants were trained on a novel visual category. Halfway through the experiment, unbeknownst to participants, the to-be-learned category switched to another category, where previously relevant features became irrelevant and previously irrelevant features became relevant. If participants attend selectively to the relevant features of the first category, they should incur a cost of selective attention immediately after the unknown category switch. Results revealed that adults demonstrated a cost, as evidenced by a decrease in accuracy and response time on test trials as well as a decrease in visual attention to newly relevant features. In contrast, infants did not demonstrate a similar cost of selective attention as adults despite evidence of learning both to-be-learned categories. Findings are discussed as supporting multiple systems of category learning and as suggesting that learning mechanisms engaged by adults may be different from those engaged by infants. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Context or Key? Language in Four Adult Learning Programmes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robinson, Clinton

    2007-01-01

    Context is a key factor in designing and delivering adult learning programmes, and in multilingual environments the choice of language plays a decisive role. Four programmes, two in Asia (Bhutan Myanmar) and two in Africa (Ghana and Uganda), which focus on learning for development, integrate language considerations in different ways, related both…

  10. Adult Learning in a Computer-Based ESL Acquisition Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanchez, Karen Renee

    2013-01-01

    This study explores the self-efficacy of students learning English as a Second Language on the computer-based Rosetta Stone program. The research uses a qualitative approach to explore how a readily available computer-based learning program, Rosetta Stone, can help adult immigrant students gain some English competence and so acquire a greater…

  11. Simulation Methodology in Nursing Education and Adult Learning Theory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rutherford-Hemming, Tonya

    2012-01-01

    Simulation is often used in nursing education as a teaching methodology. Simulation is rooted in adult learning theory. Three learning theories, cognitive, social, and constructivist, explain how learners gain knowledge with simulation experiences. This article takes an in-depth look at each of these three theories as each relates to simulation.…

  12. Journal Writing as an Adult Learning Tool. Practice Application Brief No. 22.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kerka, Sandra

    Journals can be valuable tools for fostering adult learning and experience. Research has supported the following assumptions about learning from journals: (1) articulating connections between new and existing knowledge improves learning; (2) writing about learning is a way of demonstrating what has been learned; (3) journal writing accentuates…

  13. Adults Learning Languages: A CILT Guide to Good Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harnisch, Henriette, Ed.; Swanton, Pauline, Ed.

    2004-01-01

    "Adults Learning Languages" is aimed at those responsible for teaching languages across AE, FE and HE. In the much-changed world of post-19 languages, new funding and inspection regimes with revised needs for quality assurance are challenging practitioners to adapt and review approaches. This book offers teachers of languages to adults tools to…

  14. 78 FR 13641 - Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council); March 5-11, 2013 Pacific Council Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-28

    ... Meeting Agenda and Workload Planning G. Pacific Halibut Management 1. Report on the International Pacific... Conservation Area and Take Limits 3. Recommendations for International Management Activities J. Enforcement... Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council); March 5-11, 2013 Pacific Council Meeting AGENCY: National...

  15. Fundamentals of Adult Education: Issues and Practices for Lifelong Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Poonwassie, Deo H., Ed.; Poonwassie, Anne, Ed.

    This document contains 20 papers on the fundamentals of adult education and foundations, practices, and issues for lifelong learning. The following papers are included: "The Metamorphoses of Andragogy" (James A. Draper); "Stages in the Development of Canadian Adult Education" (Gordon Selman); "Philosophical…

  16. The Readiness of Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder for Self-Directed Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Melissa Sue

    2011-01-01

    This study investigated the readiness for self-directed learning of adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), as well as their overall educational experiences. Using Guglielmino's Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale for Adults (SDLRS-A), the researcher investigated whether the following factors were significantly related to…

  17. Learning about Computer-Based Education in Adult Basic Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fahy, Patrick J.

    In 1979 the adult basic education department at the Alberta Vocational Centre (AVC), Edmonton, began to use the Control Data PLATO system. Results of the first PLATO project showed students using PLATO learned at least as much as students in regular classes. Students learned faster and reported great satisfaction with PLATO experiences. Staff and…

  18. Council actions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    The AGU Council and Executive Committee met on May 19, 1987, in Baltimore, Md., during the 1987 AGU Spring Meeting. All Council members except the Foreign Secretary were present. A number of section secretaries, committee chairmen, editors, interested members, and staff also attended. The primary actions of Council are outlined below.

  19. Global Organizations and E-Learning: Leveraging Adult Learning in Different Cultures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nathan, Edward P.

    2008-01-01

    This article examines a number of issues regarding the leveraged use of global training within multinational organizations. Given a common purpose and using technology that may minimize cultural differences, is it possible for these organizations to overcome some of the cultural barriers to adult learning? In examining this concept, this article…

  20. Discourses on Empowerment in Adult Learning: A View on Renewed Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daniele, Luisa

    2017-01-01

    The paper examines critically the dimension of empowerment in the European discourse, starting from some operational definitions used in official documents. The author analyses the shift in the European documents from 2000 to recent years, from a lifelong learning vision to an adult education approach, basically labour market-oriented, thus…

  1. Undergraduate Research as a Process for STEM Teaching and Learning Systemic Change: Lessons Learned from the Council on Undergraduate Research NSF CCLI and TUES Projects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ambos, E. L.; Havholm, K. G.; Malachowski, M.; Osborn, J.; Karukstis, K.

    2013-12-01

    For more than seven years, the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), the primary organization supporting programs, services, and advocacy for undergraduate research, has been working with support from the NSF's Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) to enhance, sustain, and institutionalize undergraduate research in diverse STEM disciplines and higher education settings. The Council on Undergraduate Research comprises more than 9000 individual and 670 institutional members within a divisional structure that includes geosciences, as well as 11 other thematic areas. Through its most recent grant: 'Transformational Learning through Undergraduate Research: Comprehensive Support for Faculty, Institutions, State Systems and Consortia' (NSF DUE CCLI III Award #09-20275), CUR has been collaborating with six higher education systems, each selected after a rigorous national application process in 2010 and 2011. These six systems, which collectively represent 79 individual institutions, are the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), University of Wisconsin System (UWS), California State University System (CSU), City University of New York (CUNY), Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA), and Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The more than 350 participants of faculty and senior-level administrators from the six systems are engaged in shared multi-faceted and multi-year professional development experiences. Teams from each system attended customized institutes facilitated by CUR experts in 2011-2012, during which the teams developed specific action plans focused on institutionalizing undergraduate research on their campus and within their system. The systems were reconvened as a group a year after the first institute, to chart progress toward achieving their goals. Based on interviews and surveys with participants, campus teams are making substantial progress toward implementation of robust undergraduate research programs, and are making

  2. Ego Is a Hurdle in Second Language Learning: A Contrastive Study between Adults and Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abdullah, Shumaila; Akhter, Javed

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this research paper is to find out by comparing and contrasting between the adults and children in second language learning process how language ego of adult learners affects them to learn second language, and how it becomes a barrier for them in second language learning process. Nowadays learning English as foreign and second language…

  3. Transforming pedagogy in nursing education: a caring learning environment for adult students.

    PubMed

    Bankert, Esther G; Kozel, Victoria V

    2005-01-01

    This article is an account of a project involving nursing faculty and adult learners. Their purpose was to generate interactive and collaborative pedagogies. Reflection and dialogue were used to explore how the educational experience can be transformed into an engaging and caring learning environment for adult students. Principles derived from humanistic nursing and caring, reflection, and teaching and learning guided this project.

  4. [Adult learning, professional autonomy and individual commitment].

    PubMed

    Pardell-Alentá, H

    The concept of 'andragogy' is the basis of the adult education which is different from pedagogy in several aspects, particularly in the autonomy of the adult learner in choosing the educational programmes and the methodologies and sites in where learning occurs. This happens very often in the worksite. The professionals have to learn permanently during their active lives in order to maintain their competence updated. In this sense, continuing education correlates with continuing professional development, which is an attempt to enlarge the traditional domains of continuing education. Continuing education must be clearly differentiated from formal education, which is a requirement for granting professional degrees or titles. Very often it arises from the changing health needs and for this reason is necessary to avoid the institutionalization of continuing education programmes. Professional associations should be actively involved in providing and accrediting continuing education-continuing professional development programmes, because this involvement is an essential component of the professionals' self-regulation in the context of the current medical professionalism ideology.

  5. Transformation for Adults in an Internet-Based Learning Environment--Is It Necessary to Be Self-Directed?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chu, Regina Juchun; Chu, Anita Zichun; Weng, Cathy; Tsai, Chin-Chung; Lin, Chia-chun

    2012-01-01

    This research explores the relationships between self-directed learning readiness and transformative learning theory (TLT) reflected by the Constructivist Internet-based Learning Environment Scale (CILES). A questionnaire survey about adult learner's perceptions of Internet-based learning was administered to adults enrolled in classes in community…

  6. An adult learner's learning style should inform but not limit educational choices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barry, Margot; Egan, Arlene

    2017-12-01

    Adult learners are attracted to learning opportunities (e.g. course offers) which seem promising in terms of allowing them to match their choices to their own perceived predispositions. To find out more about their personal learning style, some adult learners may fill in a questionnaire designed by researchers who aim (and claim) to enable both course providers and learners to optimise learning outcomes. The evaluation of these questionnaires measures learning styles using indicators developed for this purpose, but the results are not conclusive and their utility is therefore questionable. This narrative review critically examines some of the research which explores the usefulness of considering students' learning styles in adult education. The authors present a discussion - which remains hypothetical - on why the use of learning styles measures continues to be popular despite the absence of rigorous research findings to support this practice. Factors discussed by the authors include confirmation bias (making choices which confirm our prejudices) and user qualification (limiting availability to trained users, e.g. psychologists) as well as limited resources and skills in evaluating research, paired with educators' quest to implement evidence-focused techniques. The authors conclude that while learning styles assessments can be useful for the purpose of reflection on strengths and weaknesses, they should play a limited role in educational choices.

  7. An adult learner's learning style should inform but not limit educational choices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barry, Margot; Egan, Arlene

    2018-02-01

    Adult learners are attracted to learning opportunities (e.g. course offers) which seem promising in terms of allowing them to match their choices to their own perceived predispositions. To find out more about their personal learning style, some adult learners may fill in a questionnaire designed by researchers who aim (and claim) to enable both course providers and learners to optimise learning outcomes. The evaluation of these questionnaires measures learning styles using indicators developed for this purpose, but the results are not conclusive and their utility is therefore questionable. This narrative review critically examines some of the research which explores the usefulness of considering students' learning styles in adult education. The authors present a discussion - which remains hypothetical - on why the use of learning styles measures continues to be popular despite the absence of rigorous research findings to support this practice. Factors discussed by the authors include confirmation bias (making choices which confirm our prejudices) and user qualification (limiting availability to trained users, e.g. psychologists) as well as limited resources and skills in evaluating research, paired with educators' quest to implement evidence-focused techniques. The authors conclude that while learning styles assessments can be useful for the purpose of reflection on strengths and weaknesses, they should play a limited role in educational choices.

  8. Lifelong Learning, Lifelong Education and Adult Education in Higher Institutions of Learning in Eastern Africa: The Case of Makerere University Institute of Adult and Continuing Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Openjuru, George L.

    2011-01-01

    This paper advocates for policy recognition of lifelong learning by institutions of higher learning and governments in Eastern Africa. Lifelong learning and lifelong education are two concepts that aim at widening access to and the participation of adult learners in the acquisition of new knowledge, skills, values and attitudes. There are many…

  9. Experimenting with Theory of Change for Interculturality and Mutual Learning in Adult Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raymer, Annalisa L.

    2016-01-01

    With a goal of creating conditions wherein college students of adult learning paired with international adult learners form mutual partnerships for educational mentoring, where to begin? How to take into account the contextual factors and priorities of multiple stakeholders in creating academic courses and learning-focused partnerships while…

  10. 77 FR 17459 - Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council); Public Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-26

    ... meeting. SUMMARY: The Pacific Council will convene a meeting of the Ecosystem Plan Development Team (EPDT... drafting a report and recommendations to the Council on the Development of a Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP... Council meeting, revise and expand sections of the Council's developing Fishery Ecosystem Plan, discuss...

  11. Museums and Adults Learning: Perspectives from Europe.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chadwick, Alan, Ed.; Stannett, Annette, Ed.

    This book contains 28 papers presenting perspectives from Europe on museums and adult learning. The papers, each of which is devoted to a specific country, examine topics such as the following: further education and inservice training; programs for unemployed individuals; lectures and open days; elderly visitors; immigrants; refugees; disabled…

  12. Student Problems. Adult Literacy Independent Learning Packet.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koefer, Ann M.

    This independent learning packet, which is designed for administrators, teachers, counselors, and tutors in Pennsylvania's Region 7 Tri-Valley Literacy Staff Development area as well as for their adult students, examines the following seven problems encountered by students: the job market, child care, single parenting/parenting skills, divorce,…

  13. Leapfrogging Over the Status Quo: E-Learning and the Challenge of Adult Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCain, Mary

    E-learning's potential for responding to the challenges of adult literacy was explored through a review of research and input from program managers, developers, and funders. The study identified adult literacy e-learning products, programs, and resources that are available or in development. Challenges to greater use of technology in adult…

  14. Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy. Volume 1. The Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Comings, John, Ed.; Garner, Barbara, Ed.; Smith, Cristine, Ed.

    This book contains eight papers on adult learning and literacy. "The Year 1998 in Review" (Fran Tracy-Mumford) examines educational legislation and policy and developments in adult education program development, program accountability, strategic alliances and partnerships, and instructional methodologies and technologies. "Lessons…

  15. Probabilistic Reinforcement Learning in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders

    PubMed Central

    Solomon, Marjorie; Smith, Anne C.; Frank, Michael J.; Ly, Stanford; Carter, Cameron S.

    2017-01-01

    Background Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) can be conceptualized as disorders of learning, however there have been few experimental studies taking this perspective. Methods We examined the probabilistic reinforcement learning performance of 28 adults with ASDs and 30 typically developing adults on a task requiring learning relationships between three stimulus pairs consisting of Japanese characters with feedback that was valid with different probabilities (80%, 70%, and 60%). Both univariate and Bayesian state–space data analytic methods were employed. Hypotheses were based on the extant literature as well as on neurobiological and computational models of reinforcement learning. Results Both groups learned the task after training. However, there were group differences in early learning in the first task block where individuals with ASDs acquired the most frequently accurately reinforced stimulus pair (80%) comparably to typically developing individuals; exhibited poorer acquisition of the less frequently reinforced 70% pair as assessed by state–space learning curves; and outperformed typically developing individuals on the near chance (60%) pair. Individuals with ASDs also demonstrated deficits in using positive feedback to exploit rewarded choices. Conclusions Results support the contention that individuals with ASDs are slower learners. Based on neurobiology and on the results of computational modeling, one interpretation of this pattern of findings is that impairments are related to deficits in flexible updating of reinforcement history as mediated by the orbito-frontal cortex, with spared functioning of the basal ganglia. This hypothesis about the pathophysiology of learning in ASDs can be tested using functional magnetic resonance imaging. PMID:21425243

  16. Knowledge of Results after Good Trials Enhances Learning in Older Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chiviacowsky, Suzete; Wulf, Gabriele; Wally, Raquel; Borges, Thiago

    2009-01-01

    In recent years, some researchers have examined motor learning in older adults. Some of these studies have specifically looked at the effectiveness of different manipulations of extrinsic feedback, or knowledge of results (KR). Given that many motor tasks may already be more challenging for older adults compared to younger adults, making KR more…

  17. Characteristics and Consequences of Adult Learning Methods and Strategies. Practical Evaluation Reports, Volume 2, Number 1

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trivette, Carol M.; Dunst, Carl J.; Hamby, Deborah W.; O'Herin, Chainey E.

    2009-01-01

    The effectiveness of four adult learning methods (accelerated learning, coaching, guided design, and just-in-time training) constituted the focus of this research synthesis. Findings reported in "How People Learn" (Bransford et al., 2000) were used to operationally define six adult learning method characteristics, and to code and analyze…

  18. Evaluating the Impacts of Professional Development: A Mixed Method Study of Adult Education Learning Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dilworth, Jessica S.

    2010-01-01

    Adult education programs providing classes to students preparing for high school equivalency and learning English that demonstrate characteristics of learning organizations may be better able to thrive when confronted with less-than-ideal circumstances. Many of these programs organize adult educators into learning communities as the context for…

  19. NASA Langley/CNU Distance Learning Programs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Caton, Randall; Pinelli, Thomas E.

    2002-01-01

    NASA Langley Research Center and Christopher Newport University (CNU) provide, free to the public, distance learning programs that focus on math, science, and/or technology over a spectrum of education levels from K-adult. The effort started in 1997, and we currently have a suite of five distance-learning programs. We have around 450,000 registered educators and 12.5 million registered students in 60 countries. Partners and affiliates include the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the Aerospace Education Coordinating Committee (AECC), the Alliance for Community Media, the National Educational Telecommunications Association, Public Broadcasting System (PBS) affiliates, the NASA Learning Technologies Channel, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the Council of the Great City Schools, Hampton City Public Schools, Sea World Adventure Parks, Busch Gardens, ePALS.com, and Riverdeep. Our mission is based on the "Horizon of Learning," a vision for inspiring learning across a continuum of educational experiences. The programs form a continuum of educational experiences for elementary youth through adult learners. The strategic plan for the programs will evolve to reflect evolving national educational needs, changes within NASA, and emerging system initiatives. Plans for each program component include goals, objectives, learning outcomes, and rely on sound business models. It is well documented that if technology is used properly it can be a powerful partner in education. Our programs employ both advances in information technology and in effective pedagogy to produce a broad range of materials to complement and enhance other educational efforts. Collectively, the goals of the five programs are to increase educational excellence; enhance and enrich the teaching of mathematics, science, and technology; increase scientific and technological literacy; and communicate the results of NASA discovery, exploration, innovation and research

  20. Non-consensual sterilization of the adult with learning disabilities.

    PubMed

    Knifton, C

    Community nurses may be asked for advice on sterilization operations for adults with learning disabilities by worried parents/carers. This article sets out the legal position advocated by the English courts. Sterilization for adults with learning disabilities is generally non-consensual. The courts cannot consent on behalf of the adult but can rule on the lawfulness of the operation. Cases need not be brought before the court when the operation is to be carried out to treat a specific menstrual malady and where sterilization is an incidental result. However, the Law Commission (1995) has set guidelines which recommend that such operations require a certificate from an independent medical practitioner. In operations where the sole purpose is contraception the courts will always need to be involved. Their decision on the lawfulness of the operation will be based on what is in the person's best interests which in turn will be determined by reference to standards set by a responsible body of medical practitioners.

  1. Neuronal mechanisms of motor learning and motor memory consolidation in healthy old adults.

    PubMed

    Berghuis, K M M; Veldman, M P; Solnik, S; Koch, G; Zijdewind, I; Hortobágyi, T

    2015-06-01

    It is controversial whether or not old adults are capable of learning new motor skills and consolidate the performance gains into motor memory in the offline period. The underlying neuronal mechanisms are equally unclear. We determined the magnitude of motor learning and motor memory consolidation in healthy old adults and examined if specific metrics of neuronal excitability measured by magnetic brain stimulation mediate the practice and retention effects. Eleven healthy old adults practiced a wrist extension-flexion visuomotor skill for 20 min (MP, 71.3 years), while a second group only watched the templates without movements (attentional control, AC, n = 11, 70.5 years). There was 40 % motor learning in MP but none in AC (interaction, p < 0.001) with the skill retained 24 h later in MP and a 16 % improvement in AC. Corticospinal excitability at rest and during task did not change, but when measured during contraction at 20 % of maximal force, it strongly increased in MP and decreased in AC (interaction, p = 0.002). Intracortical inhibition at rest and during the task decreased and facilitation at rest increased in MP, but these metrics changed in the opposite direction in AC. These neuronal changes were especially profound at retention. Healthy old adults can learn a new motor skill and consolidate the learned skill into motor memory, processes that are most likely mediated by disinhibitory mechanisms. These results are relevant for the increasing number of old adults who need to learn and relearn movements during motor rehabilitation.

  2. The Characteristics of Resiliency Development and Adult Learning: Examining Teacher Perspective through Narrative Inquiry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Painter, Rachel L.

    2013-01-01

    Originating from the literature on resiliency, adult learning, and professional development, this qualitative study investigated how the relationship between resiliency and adult learning influenced professional development in one suburban-rural school district in Litchfield County, Connecticut. Data represent findings on the perceptions of…

  3. Latest Evidence on the National Staff Development Council's Standards Assessment Inventory. Research Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vaden-Kiernan, Michael; Jones, Debra Hughes; McCann, Erin

    2009-01-01

    The National Staff Development Council (NSDC), a private, nonprofit association, has outlined high standards for educator professional learning. One demonstration of NSDC's commitment to the goal of ensuring all schools support and use high standards for professional learning is the organization's investment in developing an instrument to assess…

  4. Adult Learning in Nonformal Settings: Cultural Festivals as Spaces for Socially Situated Cognition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ambrosino, Audrey M.

    2009-01-01

    Recent years have witnessed a renewed interest in the role of museums and cultural festivals in adult learning. Once considered the keepers of physical and cultural history, there was only limited concern for if and how adults learned from these settings. The conventional view held that museums provided knowledge, and it was an individual's…

  5. 34 CFR 461.51 - What are the membership requirements of a State advisory council?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false What are the membership requirements of a State advisory council? 461.51 Section 461.51 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION STATE...

  6. 34 CFR 461.51 - What are the membership requirements of a State advisory council?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false What are the membership requirements of a State advisory council? 461.51 Section 461.51 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION STATE...

  7. 34 CFR 461.51 - What are the membership requirements of a State advisory council?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false What are the membership requirements of a State advisory council? 461.51 Section 461.51 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION STATE...

  8. 34 CFR 461.51 - What are the membership requirements of a State advisory council?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What are the membership requirements of a State advisory council? 461.51 Section 461.51 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION STATE...

  9. The 2015 Resuscitation Council of Asia (RCA) guidelines on adult basic life support for lay rescuers.

    PubMed

    Chung, Sung Phil; Sakamoto, Tetsuya; Lim, Swee Han; Ma, Mathew Huei-Ming; Wang, Tzong-Luen; Lavapie, Francis; Krisanarungson, Sopon; Nonogi, Hiroshi; Hwang, Sung Oh

    2016-08-01

    This paper introduces adult basic life support (BLS) guidelines for lay rescuers of the resuscitation council of Asia (RCA) developed for the first time. The RCA BLS guidelines for lay rescuers have been established by expert consensus among BLS Guidelines Taskforce of the RCA on the basis of the 2015 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science with Treatment Recommendations. The RCA recommends compression-only CPR for lay rescuers and emphasizes high-quality CPR with chest compression depth of approximately 5cm and chest compression rate of 100-120min(-1). Role of emergency medical dispatchers in helping lay rescuers recognize cardiac arrest and perform CPR is also emphasized. The RCA guidelines will contribute to help Asian countries establish and implement their own CPR guidelines in the context of their domestic circumstances. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Learning for the Future: Neighborhood Renewal through Adult and Community Learning. A Guide for Local Authorities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Merton, Bryan; Turner, Cheryl; Ward, Jane; White, Lenford

    This guide is intended to assist managers within England's local authority adult and community education services in supporting neighborhood renewal through adult and community learning (ACL). The guide's overall aim is to promote the skills, knowledge, and understanding that underpin the following items: (1) identification and development of…

  11. The Social Outcomes of Older Adult Learning in Taiwan: Evaluation Framework and Indicators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Li-Hui

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to explore the social outcomes of older adult learning in Taiwan. In light of our society's aging population structure, the task of establishing evaluation framework and indicators for the social outcomes of learning (SOL) as applied to older adults is urgent. In order to construct evaluation indicators for older adult…

  12. Determining a Difference in Self-Directed Learning Readiness Using the Survey of Adult Learning Traits

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ezell, Diana

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to measure the self-directed learning of educators and explore the differences between and among the variables of age, level of education, position, school district ratings, levels of poverty and affluence, and gender. The Survey of Adult Learning Traits (SALT) authored by Hogg was used as the instrument to measure…

  13. Using Adult Learning Principles as a Framework for Learning ICT Skills Needed for Research Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eyitayo, Oduronke Temitope

    2013-01-01

    Students in higher institutions need to carry out research projects. The focus of this paper explores a model to help students learn ICT skills needed for research projects. Generally students go through the "long and hard route" to learn and use ICT resources because they do not know how to do it. The paper explores the Adult Learning…

  14. Adult Learners' Understanding in Learning Islam Using Andragogy Approach: A Study in Kampung Siglap Mosque and Al-Zuhri Higher Learning Institute

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bin Kadir, Mohd Amin; Arifin, Syamsul; Latipun; Fuad, Ahmad Nur

    2016-01-01

    This study describes adult learners' understanding in learning Islam using andragogy approach in which the study was conducted in Kampung Siglap Mosque and Al-Zuhri Higher Learning Institute. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) educate his companions of who are adults from the shackles of "jahiliyyah," spiritual and intellectual…

  15. The Multicultural Café: Enhancing Authentic Interaction for Adult English Language Learners through Service Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Riley, Tracy; Douglas, Scott Roy

    2016-01-01

    While service learning platforms hold great potential for adult learners of English as an additional language (EAL), there has been little research to date related to the impact of these programs on adult newcomers' linguistic and social development. The Multicultural Café was a food service learning platform for adult EAL learners operated over a…

  16. The Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery and the WAIS-R in Assessment of Adults with Specific Learning Disabilities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Katz, Lynda; Goldstein, Gerald

    1993-01-01

    Compared intellectual (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale for Adults-Revised) and neuropsychological (Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery) assessment as valid methods of identifying learning disabilities in adults. Findings from 155 subjects revealed that both instruments were able to distinguish adults with and without learning disabilities.…

  17. Contemporary Perspectives in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning -- Andragogical Model of Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blaszczak, Iwona

    2013-01-01

    Nowadays, adult education and lifelong learning constitutes one of the most significant factors influencing economic growth and social development. Definitions such as "knowledge society" and "knowledge-based economy" exist in a great number of the Polish and European Union papers and documents and they are not only the…

  18. 76 FR 542 - Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council); Public Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-05

    .... SUMMARY: The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a meeting of the Ecosystem... development of an Ecosystem Fishery Management Plan (EFMP). At the September 2010 Council meeting, the EPDT and the Ecosystem Advisory Subpanel provided an initial report on EFMP development that included a...

  19. Identifying the Needs of Adult Women in Distance Learning Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Furst-Bowe, Julie

    A study examined reasons that adult female students are motivated to enroll in distance learning programs, described their perceptions of the courses, and identified barriers these women face as they attempt to progress through their degree programs. Results of focus groups with 40 returning adult women were analyzed. Their needs were grouped into…

  20. Numeracy Activities within VOX: The Norwegian Institute for Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kvalo, Svein

    2008-01-01

    In this article, the author introduces Vox, Norwegian Institute for Adult Learning, an agency of the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research that focuses mainly on improving basic skills in the adult population in the areas of literacy, numeracy and the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT). Vox is responsible for curriculum…

  1. General and Domain-Specific Self-Concepts of Adults with Learning Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelson, Jason M.

    2012-01-01

    The empirical literature investigating general and domain-specific self-concepts of adults with learning disabilities was examined using meta-analytic techniques. Eight inclusion criteria were developed to evaluate this literature and led to the inclusion of 22 studies. Results indicated that adults with learning disabilities reported lower…

  2. 77 FR 26743 - The Manufacturing Council: Work Session of the Manufacturing Council

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-07

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration The Manufacturing Council: Work Session.... ACTION: Notice of an Open Work Session. SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and agenda for an open work session of the Manufacturing Council (Council). The agenda may change to accommodate Council...

  3. 76 FR 37064 - Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council); Public Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-24

    ... meeting. SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a public meeting via webinar... meeting will be held via webinar. Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 North... Executive Director, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 348-1630. SUPPLEMENTARY...

  4. The Effects of Phonotactic Probability and Neighborhood Density on Adults' Word Learning in Noisy Conditions

    PubMed Central

    Storkel, Holly L.; Lee, Jaehoon; Cox, Casey

    2016-01-01

    Purpose Noisy conditions make auditory processing difficult. This study explores whether noisy conditions influence the effects of phonotactic probability (the likelihood of occurrence of a sound sequence) and neighborhood density (phonological similarity among words) on adults' word learning. Method Fifty-eight adults learned nonwords varying in phonotactic probability and neighborhood density in either an unfavorable (0-dB signal-to-noise ratio [SNR]) or a favorable (+8-dB SNR) listening condition. Word learning was assessed using a picture naming task by scoring the proportion of phonemes named correctly. Results The unfavorable 0-dB SNR condition showed a significant interaction between phonotactic probability and neighborhood density in the absence of main effects. In particular, adults learned more words when phonotactic probability and neighborhood density were both low or both high. The +8-dB SNR condition did not show this interaction. These results are inconsistent with those from a prior adult word learning study conducted under quiet listening conditions that showed main effects of word characteristics. Conclusions As the listening condition worsens, adult word learning benefits from a convergence of phonotactic probability and neighborhood density. Clinical implications are discussed for potential populations who experience difficulty with auditory perception or processing, making them more vulnerable to noise. PMID:27788276

  5. The Effects of Phonotactic Probability and Neighborhood Density on Adults' Word Learning in Noisy Conditions.

    PubMed

    Han, Min Kyung; Storkel, Holly L; Lee, Jaehoon; Cox, Casey

    2016-11-01

    Noisy conditions make auditory processing difficult. This study explores whether noisy conditions influence the effects of phonotactic probability (the likelihood of occurrence of a sound sequence) and neighborhood density (phonological similarity among words) on adults' word learning. Fifty-eight adults learned nonwords varying in phonotactic probability and neighborhood density in either an unfavorable (0-dB signal-to-noise ratio [SNR]) or a favorable (+8-dB SNR) listening condition. Word learning was assessed using a picture naming task by scoring the proportion of phonemes named correctly. The unfavorable 0-dB SNR condition showed a significant interaction between phonotactic probability and neighborhood density in the absence of main effects. In particular, adults learned more words when phonotactic probability and neighborhood density were both low or both high. The +8-dB SNR condition did not show this interaction. These results are inconsistent with those from a prior adult word learning study conducted under quiet listening conditions that showed main effects of word characteristics. As the listening condition worsens, adult word learning benefits from a convergence of phonotactic probability and neighborhood density. Clinical implications are discussed for potential populations who experience difficulty with auditory perception or processing, making them more vulnerable to noise.

  6. White matter structure changes as adults learn a second language.

    PubMed

    Schlegel, Alexander A; Rudelson, Justin J; Tse, Peter U

    2012-08-01

    Traditional models hold that the plastic reorganization of brain structures occurs mainly during childhood and adolescence, leaving adults with limited means to learn new knowledge and skills. Research within the last decade has begun to overturn this belief, documenting changes in the brain's gray and white matter as healthy adults learn simple motor and cognitive skills [Lövdén, M., Bodammer, N. C., Kühn, S., Kaufmann, J., Schütze, H., Tempelmann, C., et al. Experience-dependent plasticity of white-matter microstructure extends into old age. Neuropsychologia, 48, 3878-3883, 2010; Taubert, M., Draganski, B., Anwander, A., Müller, K., Horstmann, A., Villringer, A., et al. Dynamic properties of human brain structure: Learning-related changes in cortical areas and associated fiber connections. The Journal of Neuroscience, 30, 11670-11677, 2010; Scholz, J., Klein, M. C., Behrens, T. E. J., & Johansen-Berg, H. Training induces changes in white-matter architecture. Nature Neuroscience, 12, 1370-1371, 2009; Draganski, B., Gaser, C., Busch, V., Schuirer, G., Bogdahn, U., & May, A. Changes in grey matter induced by training. Nature, 427, 311-312, 2004]. Although the significance of these changes is not fully understood, they reveal a brain that remains plastic well beyond early developmental periods. Here we investigate the role of adult structural plasticity in the complex, long-term learning process of foreign language acquisition. We collected monthly diffusion tensor imaging scans of 11 English speakers who took a 9-month intensive course in written and spoken Modern Standard Chinese as well as from 16 control participants who did not study a language. We show that white matter reorganizes progressively across multiple sites as adults study a new language. Language learners exhibited progressive changes in white matter tracts associated with traditional left hemisphere language areas and their right hemisphere analogs. Surprisingly, the most significant changes

  7. The Learning Industry. Education for Adult Workers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eurich, Nell P.

    This study focuses on the connection between education and the world of work and the urgency of the endeavor to educate the work force. Part I considers the resources for adult learning in the United States, with a focus on the major providers outside the traditional education system. Technological resources that can extend educational…

  8. Springfield: Education for Adults with Learning Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Logan, Ellis

    2002-01-01

    The present paper gives an overview of some of the modular day courses offered and, in some cases, developed by tutors at a former hospital school providing education to adults with severe learning disabilities. The aims of the courses were cognitive and personal development, as well as aesthetic and spiritual enrichment. Art history was offered…

  9. Implicit learning in children and adults with Williams syndrome.

    PubMed

    Don, Audrey J; Schellenberg, E Glenn; Reber, Arthur S; DiGirolamo, Kristen M; Wang, Paul P

    2003-01-01

    In comparison to explicit learning, implicit learning is hypothesized to be a phylogenetically older form of learning that is important in early developmental processes (e.g., natural language acquisition, socialization)and relatively impervious to individual differences in age and IQ. We examined implicit learning in a group of children and adults (9.49 years of age)with Williams syndrome (WS)and in a comparison group of typically developing individuals matched for chronological age. Participants were tested in an artificial-grammar learning paradigm and in a rotor-pursuit task. For both groups, implicit learning was largely independent of age. Both groups showed evidence of implicit learning but the comparison group outperformed the WS group on both tasks. Performance advantages for the comparison group were no longer significant when group differences in working memory or nonverbal intelligence were held constant.

  10. Teaching caring and competence: Student transformation during an older adult focused service-learning course.

    PubMed

    Brown, Karen M; Bright, Leslie M

    2017-11-01

    Innovative teaching strategies develop nurses' knowledge, skills, and attitudes while simultaneously integrating the art of caring and transforming attitudes toward adults over age 65. The study's purpose was to explore students' experiences and attitudes toward older adults with cognitive and/or physical limitations as well as the effects on students' knowledge and skills during a baccalaureate nursing, course which included a service-learning experience. Service-learning synthesizes meaningful community service, academic instruction, and reflection. Participants included baccalaureate students enrolled in a service-learning nursing course focused on older adults. This retrospective, qualitative, phenomenological study used reflective journals and an online survey to explore baccalaureate nursing students' experiences toward older adults with cognitive and/or physical limitations. Themes included initial attitudes of anticipation, apprehension, anxiety, and ageist stereotypes. Final attitudes included a "completely changed perspective" of caring, compassion, and respect indicative of a rewarding, "life-changing" experience. Participants cited enhanced learning, especially in the areas of patient-centered care, collaboration, communication, advocacy, empathy, assessment skills, and evidence-based practice. This innovative teaching strategy led to transformed attitudes toward older adults, reduced fear of older adult populations, an increased desire to work with older adults, and the ability to form a transpersonal, caring relationship while enhancing nursing knowledge and skills. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. "We Had a Blast!": An Empirical Affirmation of Blended Learning as the Preferred Learning Mode for Adult Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Asunka, Stephen

    2017-01-01

    As many important issues pertaining to blended learning within the Sub-Saharan African context remain unexplored, this study implemented a blended learning approach in a graduate level course at a private university in Ghana, with the objective of exploring adult learners' attitudes, experiences and behaviors towards this learning approach, as…

  12. Adult Education through World Collaboration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cassara, Beverly Benner, Ed.

    This book contains the following papers about development/delivery of adult education through the efforts of multinational and bilateral government donors and the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE): "Preface" (Beverly Benner Cassara); "Introduction: Adult Education and Democracy" (Francisco Vio Grossi);…

  13. Enhancing the Standard of Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century via Qualitative School-Based Supervision in Secondary Schools in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ebele, Uju F.; Olofu, Paul A.

    2017-01-01

    The study focused on enhancing the standard of teaching and learning in the 21st century via qualitative school-based supervision in secondary schools in Abuja municipal area council. To guide the study, two null hypotheses were formulated. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The sample of the study constituted of 270 secondary…

  14. 76 FR 54740 - Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council); Public Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-02

    ... the Ecosystem Plan Development Team (EPDT) which is open to the public. DATES: The EPDT will meet on... Ecosystem Plan (FEP). The EPDT will primarily address Council requests from the June 2011 Council meeting where the Council approved a draft purpose and need statement and moved to develop an ecosystem plan...

  15. Factors Related to Learning Occurring in an Adult Education Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Okoro, Daniel; Miller, Larry E.

    A study examined the factors related to learning occurring in an adult education program. A purposeful sample of Ohio counties and 151 participants in a specific 1993-1993 adult education program who self-selected to participate in the study was used. A descriptive ex post facto study design was used. Pretests-posttests were administered to…

  16. Infants are superior in implicit crossmodal learning and use other learning mechanisms than adults

    PubMed Central

    von Frieling, Marco; Röder, Brigitte

    2017-01-01

    During development internal models of the sensory world must be acquired which have to be continuously adapted later. We used event-related potentials (ERP) to test the hypothesis that infants extract crossmodal statistics implicitly while adults learn them when task relevant. Participants were passively exposed to frequent standard audio-visual combinations (A1V1, A2V2, p=0.35 each), rare recombinations of these standard stimuli (A1V2, A2V1, p=0.10 each), and a rare audio-visual deviant with infrequent auditory and visual elements (A3V3, p=0.10). While both six-month-old infants and adults differentiated between rare deviants and standards involving early neural processing stages only infants were sensitive to crossmodal statistics as indicated by a late ERP difference between standard and recombined stimuli. A second experiment revealed that adults differentiated recombined and standard combinations when crossmodal combinations were task relevant. These results demonstrate a heightened sensitivity for crossmodal statistics in infants and a change in learning mode from infancy to adulthood. PMID:28949291

  17. Prolonged Perceptual Learning of Positional Acuity in Adult Amblyopia

    PubMed Central

    Li, Roger W; Klein, Stanley A; Levi, Dennis M

    2009-01-01

    Amblyopia is a developmental abnormality that results in physiological alterations in the visual cortex and impairs form vision. It is often successfully treated by patching the sound eye in infants and young children, but is generally considered to be untreatable in adults. However, a number of recent studies suggest that repetitive practice of a visual task using the amblyopic eye results in improved performance in both children and adults with amblyopia. These perceptual learning studies have used relatively brief periods of practice; however, clinical studies have shown that the time-constant for successful patching is long. The time-constant for perceptual learning in amblyopia is still unknown. Here we show that the time-constant for perceptual learning depends on the degree of amblyopia. Severe amblyopia requires more than 50 hours (≈35,000 trials) to reach plateau, yielding as much as a five-fold improvement in performance at a rate of ≈1.5% per hour. There is significant transfer of learning from the amblyopic to the dominant eye, suggesting that the learning reflects alterations in higher decision stages of processing. Using a reverse correlation technique, we document, for the first time, a dynamic retuning of the amblyopic perceptual decision template and a substantial reduction in internal spatial distortion. These results show that the mature amblyopic brain is surprisingly malleable, and point to more intensive treatment methods for amblyopia. PMID:19109504

  18. Localism: The Changing Picture for Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lamb, Penny

    2012-01-01

    The rapidly changing picture on localism and the government's focus on local economic growth have significant implications for adult learning and skills providers in England. Government now sees a sense of place as key to economic growth and recognises the need for a renewed debate on how business and state interact with localities. There is a…

  19. Digital Distinction: Badges Add a New Dimension to Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ady, Kellie; Kinsella, Keli; Paynter, Amber

    2015-01-01

    As a part of a professional learning team, educators are constantly looking for new approaches and designs that promote deeper adult learning. This article describes how educators at Cherry Creek School District in Colorado developed a digital badge system that recognizes the work teachers are doing, supports a culture and climate of celebration,…

  20. Older Adults' Training Courses: Considerations for Course Design and the Development of Learning Materials

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    du Plessis, Karin; Anstey, Kaarin J.; Schlumpp, Arianne

    2011-01-01

    Demographic trends indicate that older adults live longer and maintain active lifestyles. The majority are educated and many enjoy the stimulation that ongoing learning opportunities present. In order for these older adults to benefit from learning opportunities, circumstances specific to these individuals (e.g. age-related decline) need to be…

  1. Individual differences in adult foreign language learning: the mediating effect of metalinguistic awareness.

    PubMed

    Brooks, Patricia J; Kempe, Vera

    2013-02-01

    In this study, we sought to identify cognitive predictors of individual differences in adult foreign-language learning and to test whether metalinguistic awareness mediated the observed relationships. Using a miniature language-learning paradigm, adults (N = 77) learned Russian vocabulary and grammar (gender agreement and case marking) over six 1-h sessions, completing tasks that encouraged attention to phrases without explicitly teaching grammatical rules. The participants' ability to describe the Russian gender and case-marking patterns mediated the effects of nonverbal intelligence and auditory sequence learning on grammar learning and generalization. Hence, even under implicit-learning conditions, individual differences stemmed from explicit metalinguistic awareness of the underlying grammar, which, in turn, was linked to nonverbal intelligence and auditory sequence learning. Prior knowledge of languages with grammatical gender (predominantly Spanish) predicted learning of gender agreement. Transfer of knowledge of gender from other languages to Russian was not mediated by awareness, which suggests that transfer operates through an implicit process akin to structural priming.

  2. Helping Learning Disabled Adults through Special Tutorial Techniques. Final Report. 1992-1993.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reading Area Community Coll., PA.

    A project offered special training to instructors and volunteer tutors for adult basic education classes in recognizing and helping adults who are enrolled in adult education programs with learning disabilities. These instructors and tutors were taught the necessary skills through a series of three 3-hour inservice sessions. The regular…

  3. Exploring the Icebergs of Adult Learning: Findings of the First Canadian Survey of Informal Learning Practices.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Livingstone, D. W.

    The extent and distribution of self-reported learning activities in the current Canadian adult population was estimated on the basis of data collected during a 1998 telephone survey of a sample of 1,562 Canadian adults. Random digital dialing was used to give all provinces, households, and individuals within households an equal chance of…

  4. Action Learning as an Element within an Assessed and Supported Year in Employment for Newly Qualified Social Workers: A Three-Role Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wells, Carol; Animashaun, Ikedola; Gibb, Anneliese

    2017-01-01

    The assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE) is employer-led and provides a programme to support and assess newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) working with children and families and adults during their first year of employment. Action learning was brought into Cambridgeshire County Councils ASYE programme as a 12-month pilot from…

  5. Project DyAdd: Implicit Learning in Adult Dyslexia and ADHD

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Laasonen, Marja; Väre, Jenni; Oksanen-Hennah, Henna; Leppämäki, Sami; Tani, Pekka; Harno, Hanna; Hokkanen, Laura; Pothos, Emmanuel; Cleeremans, Axel

    2014-01-01

    In this study of the project DyAdd, implicit learning was investigated through two paradigms in adults (18-55 years) with dyslexia (n?=?36) or with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, n?=?22) and in controls (n?=?35). In the serial reaction time (SRT) task, there were no group differences in learning. However, those with ADHD exhibited…

  6. Assessment of Prior Learning in Adult Vocational Education and Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aarkrog, Vibe; Wahlgren, Bjarne

    2015-01-01

    The article deals about the results of a study of school-based Assessment of Prior Learning of adults who have enrolled as students in a VET college in order to qualify for occupations as skilled workers. Based on examples of VET teachers' methods for assessing the students' prior learning in the programs for gastronomes, respectively child care…

  7. The Use of ICT by Adults with Learning Disabilities in Day and Residential Services

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parsons, Sarah; Daniels, Harry; Porter, Jill; Robertson, Christopher

    2006-01-01

    The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by adults with learning disabilities has been positively promoted over the past decade. More recently, policy statements and guidance from the UK government have underlined the importance of ICT for adults with learning disabilities specifically, as well as for the population in general,…

  8. Engaging Micro-Businesses: A Guide for Learning Providers Delivering Skills Provision for Unemployed Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, 2012

    2012-01-01

    This guide is primarily aimed at skills providers for unemployed adults, but will also be of interest to learning providers that wish to engage micro-businesses for the purpose of delivering other forms of provision such as apprenticeships and work-based learning through full cost recovery. The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education…

  9. Learning for Life: White Paper on Adult Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department of Education and Science, Dublin (Ireland).

    Previously ignored, lifelong learning became a governing principle of Irish educational policy in 2000. Participation trends in education were assessed including early school leaving by males, poor educational levels of older adults, low literacy levels throughout the population, and educational barriers experienced by women. Resulting government…

  10. Vocationalism Varies (A Lot): A 12-Country Multivariate Analysis of Participation in Formal Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boeren, Ellen; Holford, John

    2016-01-01

    To encourage adult participation in education and training, contemporary policy makers typically encourage education and training provision to have a strongly vocational (employment-related) character, while also stressing individuals' responsibility for developing their own learning. Adults' motivation to learn is not, however, purely…

  11. Through the Looking Glass: Adult Education through the Lens of the Australian Journal of Adult Learning over Fifty Years

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Roger; Morrison, Anne

    2011-01-01

    In this paper we review fifty years of articles published in Australian Journal of Adult Learning in its various iterations. We examine the different roles of the journal: to illuminate the history and trends of adult education authors; to be the flagship of the adult education profession in Australia; to reflect on significant national events;…

  12. An Adult Learner's Learning Style Should Inform but Not Limit Educational Choices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barry, Margot; Egan, Arlene

    2018-01-01

    Adult learners are attracted to learning opportunities (e.g. course offers) which seem promising in terms of allowing them to match their choices to their own perceived predispositions. To find out more about their personal learning style, some adult learners may fill in a questionnaire designed by researchers who aim (and claim) to enable both…

  13. 78 FR 26616 - Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council); Public Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-07

    ... Superior Trawl, 55 State Street, Narragansett, RI 02882, telephone: (401) 263-3671. The Cape May, NJ...-1816. Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. State Street, Suite 201, Dover...., Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901...

  14. Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy in Adults with Learning Disability: Current Uptake and Adjustments to Facilitate Equality of Access

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pilling, Rachel F.

    2015-01-01

    Equality of access to health care for adults with learning disability has been in the spotlight in the UK in recent years due to publication of several reports. Adults with learning disability are thought to account for a significant proportion of the diabetic population in the UK. A list of adults known to the learning disability health…

  15. Adult Learning Strategies in an Onsite Training Program in Tunisia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ayachi, Zeineb

    2015-01-01

    The new market place has dictated on adults the use of English as it is the first international language used in business. However, learning a foreign language becomes more and more complicated as the learner gets older, is in a mature command of L1 and L2, and does not have enough time to learn due to professional responsibilities. Contrary to…

  16. Learning for Economic Self-Sufficiency: Constructing Pedagogies of Hope among Low-Income, Low-Literate Adults. Adult Education Special Topics: Theory, Research and Practice in LifeLong Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alfred, Mary V., Ed.

    2010-01-01

    In a most timely volume addressing many of the connections among current fiscal and employment crises to adult education, Learning for Economic Self-Sufficiency highlights the problems and challenges that low-literate adults encounter in various environments. Moreover, this book presents strategies for addressing the chronic illiteracy among…

  17. Sabemos y Podemos: Learning for Social Action. Adult Education Curriculum. English Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Rachel

    This adult education curriculum, part of the Aprender Es Poder (To Learn Is Power) program, explores the themes of school success for Latino children, expands the work options and improves the working conditions of Latino adults, and identifies community issues. It is meant to be a resource for English as a Second Language Literacy and adult basic…

  18. Adult Learning in the Caribbean at the Beginning of a New Century.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramsay, Angela

    2001-01-01

    To encourage male participation in adult learning, especially education aimed at antiviolence, parenting skills, and attitudes toward women, adult educators should use creative marketing strategies. Knowledge of marketing principles should be applied to both program design and promotion. (SK)

  19. A Vision of E-Learning for America's Workforce: Report of the Commission on Technology and Adult Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Society for Training and Development, Alexandria, VA.

    In 2000, the American Society for Training and Development and the National Governors Association convened the Commission on Technology and Adult Learning. The 31-member commission included representatives of the business, government, and education sectors. They formulated a vision for the future of e-learning in the United States and identified…

  20. The Contribution of Adult Learning to Health and Social Capital. Wider Benefits of Learning Research Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feinstein, Leon; Hammond, Cathie; Woods, Laura; Preston, John; Bynner, John

    Researchers investigated effects of adult learning (AL) on a range of measures of health and social capital and cohesion. Data from the National Child Development Study relating to almost 10,000 adults born in Britain in 1958 were used, with focus on changes in their lives between age 33 in 1991 and 42 in 2000. Findings indicated AL played an…

  1. Cartographical Imaginations: Spatiality, Adult Education and Lifelong Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edwards, Richard; Cervero, Ron; Clarke, Julia; Morgan-Klein, Brenda; Usher, Robin; Wilson, Arthur

    Recent empirical and theoretical literature in cultural geography, feminist and postcolonial philosophy, cultural studies, and political economy, was explored in an examination of the significance of spatiality to the changes taking place in the policy, practice, and study of adult education and lifelong learning. The following were among the key…

  2. Writing Our Way: Giving Voice to Adult Learning. Adult Higher Education Alliance Annual Conference Proceedings (41st, Orlando, Florida, March 9-10, 2017)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elufiede, Kemi, Ed.; Flynn, Bonnie, Ed.; Olson, Joann S., Ed.

    2017-01-01

    The 41st annual conference of the Adult and Higher Education Alliance (AHEA) was held at the University of Central Florida in March 2017 and explored the theme, "Writing Our Way: Giving Voice to Adult Learning." Papers in these proceedings include: (1) Transformative Learning Following Job Loss-A Dissertation Renewal (Robert Benway); (2)…

  3. Fostering a New Model of Multigenerational Learning: Older Adult Perspectives, Community Partners, and Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dauenhauer, Jason; Steitz, David W.; Cochran, Lynda J.

    2016-01-01

    Intergenerational service-learning initiatives are an increasingly common educational practice designed to engage college students and older adults with one another. The growth of the baby boomer population and a growing interest in lifelong learning opportunities among older adults have the potential to create new models of multigenerational…

  4. Exposure to swainsonine impairs adult neurogenesis and spatial learning and memory.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jiutao; Song, Lingzhen; Zhang, Qi; Zhang, Wei; An, Lei; Zhang, Yamei; Tong, Dewen; Zhao, Baoyu; Chen, Shulin; Zhao, Shanting

    2015-01-05

    Swainsonine (SW) is an indolizidine triol plant alkaloid isolated from the species Astragalus, colloquially termed locoweed. Ingestion induces severe neurological symptoms of livestock and wildlife, including ataxia, trembling, exaggerated fright reactions. Toxicity to the central and peripheral nervous system is caused by inhibition of lysosomal a-mannosidase (AMA) and accumulation of intracellular oligosaccharide. However, the effects of SW on adult neurogenesis and cognition have remained unclear. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine the effects of SW on adult neurogenesis and learning as well as memory performance in adult mice. SW (10μg/mL in drinking water) was administered orally to mice for 4 weeks. Our results showed that SW reduced proliferation and survival of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in culture, and in the hippocampus of adult mice. In addition, exposure to SW led to down-regulation of doublecortin (DCX) and synaptophysin (SYP) in the hippocampus. However, caspase 3 and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) levels were significantly increased in SW-treated mice. Finally, SW-treated mice exhibited deficits in hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory. Our findings suggest that SW affects adult neurogenesis and cognitive function. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Gaze-contingent reinforcement learning reveals incentive value of social signals in young children and adults

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Tim J.; Senju, Atsushi

    2017-01-01

    While numerous studies have demonstrated that infants and adults preferentially orient to social stimuli, it remains unclear as to what drives such preferential orienting. It has been suggested that the learned association between social cues and subsequent reward delivery might shape such social orienting. Using a novel, spontaneous indication of reinforcement learning (with the use of a gaze contingent reward-learning task), we investigated whether children and adults' orienting towards social and non-social visual cues can be elicited by the association between participants' visual attention and a rewarding outcome. Critically, we assessed whether the engaging nature of the social cues influences the process of reinforcement learning. Both children and adults learned to orient more often to the visual cues associated with reward delivery, demonstrating that cue–reward association reinforced visual orienting. More importantly, when the reward-predictive cue was social and engaging, both children and adults learned the cue–reward association faster and more efficiently than when the reward-predictive cue was social but non-engaging. These new findings indicate that social engaging cues have a positive incentive value. This could possibly be because they usually coincide with positive outcomes in real life, which could partly drive the development of social orienting. PMID:28250186

  6. Gaze-contingent reinforcement learning reveals incentive value of social signals in young children and adults.

    PubMed

    Vernetti, Angélina; Smith, Tim J; Senju, Atsushi

    2017-03-15

    While numerous studies have demonstrated that infants and adults preferentially orient to social stimuli, it remains unclear as to what drives such preferential orienting. It has been suggested that the learned association between social cues and subsequent reward delivery might shape such social orienting. Using a novel, spontaneous indication of reinforcement learning (with the use of a gaze contingent reward-learning task), we investigated whether children and adults' orienting towards social and non-social visual cues can be elicited by the association between participants' visual attention and a rewarding outcome. Critically, we assessed whether the engaging nature of the social cues influences the process of reinforcement learning. Both children and adults learned to orient more often to the visual cues associated with reward delivery, demonstrating that cue-reward association reinforced visual orienting. More importantly, when the reward-predictive cue was social and engaging, both children and adults learned the cue-reward association faster and more efficiently than when the reward-predictive cue was social but non-engaging. These new findings indicate that social engaging cues have a positive incentive value. This could possibly be because they usually coincide with positive outcomes in real life, which could partly drive the development of social orienting. © 2017 The Authors.

  7. Adult Learning--Providing Equal Opportunities or Widening Differences? The Polish Case

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kocór, Marcin; Worek, Barbara

    2017-01-01

    Educational activity among adults is not only a key factor of social development but also one of the most important priorities of public policies. Although large sums have been earmarked and numerous actions undertaken to encourage adult learning, many people remain educationally passive, a particularly acute problem in Poland. We point to the…

  8. Learning to Listen: A Guide to Methods of Adult Nonformal Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vella, Jane Kathryn

    Intended to aid field workers in nonformal adult education programs, this guide indicates ways of listening to a group or a community, approaches to sharing rather than transmitting, and methods of problem-posing education. The first chapter examines the importance of respect as a learning principle in adult nonformal education and explores some…

  9. Greening the Net Generation: Outdoor Adult Learning in the Digital Age

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walter, Pierre

    2013-01-01

    Adult learning today takes place primarily within walled classrooms or in other indoor settings, and often in front of various types of digital screens. As adults have adopted the digital technologies and indoor lifestyle attributed to the so-called "Net Generation," we have become detached from contact with the natural world outdoors.…

  10. Use of Language Learning Strategies by Spanish Adults for Business English

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Judge, Jeffrey Wallace

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this phenomenological study was to explore the language learning strategies (LLSs) of Spanish adults in a business context. The research questions examined the specific LLSs used by Spanish adults in business communication tasks. In addition, this study addressed the cultural influences on LLSs from the Spanish educational system along…

  11. An Assessment of the Army Officer Education System From an Adult Learning Perspective

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-05-26

    learning 2 Brockett, Ralph, and Roger Hiemstra. "Bridging the Theory -Practice Gap in Self-Directed... Learning ." In Self-Directed Learning : From Theory to Practice, edited by S. Brookfield. New Directions for Continuing Education No. 25. (San...offers conclusions and recommendations about the Army Officer Education System based on analysis from adult learning theory . Statement of the

  12. Perceptual Learning of Intonation Contour Categories in Adults and 9- to 11-Year-Old Children: Adults Are More Narrow-Minded.

    PubMed

    Kapatsinski, Vsevolod; Olejarczuk, Paul; Redford, Melissa A

    2017-03-01

    We report on rapid perceptual learning of intonation contour categories in adults and 9- to 11-year-old children. Intonation contours are temporally extended patterns, whose perception requires temporal integration and therefore poses significant working memory challenges. Both children and adults form relatively abstract representations of intonation contours: Previously encountered and novel exemplars are categorized together equally often, as long as distance from the prototype is controlled. However, age-related differences in categorization performance also exist. Given the same experience, adults form narrower categories than children. In addition, adults pay more attention to the end of the contour, while children appear to pay equal attention to the beginning and the end. The age range we examine appears to capture the tail-end of the developmental trajectory for learning intonation contour categories: There is a continuous effect of age on category breadth within the child group, but the oldest children (older than 10;3) are adult-like. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  13. Perceptual learning of intonation contour categories in adults and 9 to 11-year-old children: Adults are more narrow-minded

    PubMed Central

    Kapatsinski, Vsevolod; Olejarczuk, Paul; Redford, Melissa A.

    2015-01-01

    We report on rapid perceptual learning of intonation contour categories in adults and 9- to 11-year-old children. Intonation contours are temporally extended patterns whose perception requires temporal integration and therefore poses significant working memory challenges. Both children and adults form relatively abstract representations of intonation contours: previously encountered and novel exemplars are categorized together equally often, as long as distance from the prototype is controlled. However, age-related differences in categorization performance also exist. Given the same experience, adults form narrower categories than children. In addition, adults pay more attention to the end of the contour while children appear to pay equal attention to the beginning and the end. The age range we examine appears to capture the tail-end of the developmental trajectory for learning intonation contour categories: there is a continuous effect of age on category breadth within the child group, but the oldest children (older than 10;3) are adult-like. PMID:26901251

  14. Legal and definitional issues affecting the identification and education of adults with specific learning disabilities in adult education programs.

    PubMed

    Taymans, Juliana M

    2012-01-01

    Although the exact prevalence is not determined, a noticeable subset of individuals who enroll in adult education and training programs have either diagnosed or undiagnosed specific learning disabilities (SLD). Understanding SLD is important basic information for adult educators to inform program policies as well as determine effective instructional practices. This article discusses the development of definitions of SLD and current agreement on the nature of SLD relevant to working with adults. It concludes with implications for adult education programs.

  15. Lifelong Learning and Adult Education. Special Issue in Memory of CIHED Advisory Board Member J. Roby Kidd.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    CIHED Newsletter, 1982

    1982-01-01

    This newsletter deals with lifelong learning and adult and continuing education. Included in the issue are the following articles: "The Learning Society," by Solveig M. Turner; "Adult Education at the Beginning of the 1980s," by J. Roby Kidd; "Lifelong Learning in an International Perspective: Selected Case Studies,"…

  16. Socio-cognitive profiles for visual learning in young and older adults

    PubMed Central

    Christian, Julie; Goldstone, Aimee; Kuai, Shu-Guang; Chin, Wynne; Abrams, Dominic; Kourtzi, Zoe

    2015-01-01

    It is common wisdom that practice makes perfect; but why do some adults learn better than others? Here, we investigate individuals’ cognitive and social profiles to test which variables account for variability in learning ability across the lifespan. In particular, we focused on visual learning using tasks that test the ability to inhibit distractors and select task-relevant features. We tested the ability of young and older adults to improve through training in the discrimination of visual global forms embedded in a cluttered background. Further, we used a battery of cognitive tasks and psycho-social measures to examine which of these variables predict training-induced improvement in perceptual tasks and may account for individual variability in learning ability. Using partial least squares regression modeling, we show that visual learning is influenced by cognitive (i.e., cognitive inhibition, attention) and social (strategic and deep learning) factors rather than an individual’s age alone. Further, our results show that independent of age, strong learners rely on cognitive factors such as attention, while weaker learners use more general cognitive strategies. Our findings suggest an important role for higher-cognitive circuits involving executive functions that contribute to our ability to improve in perceptual tasks after training across the lifespan. PMID:26113820

  17. 75 FR 52929 - President's Export Council: Meeting of the President's Export Council

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-30

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration President's Export Council: Meeting of the President's Export Council AGENCY: International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce...: The President's Export Council will convene its next meeting via live webcast on the Internet at http...

  18. Participation in Learning and Wellbeing among Older Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jenkins, Andrew

    2011-01-01

    The objective of this research was to identify the effects of participation in learning on the subjective wellbeing of older adults. Data were from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), a large-scale, nationally representative survey of those aged 50 and above. The survey contains several wellbeing measures and information on three…

  19. Adjusting the Fulcrum: How Prior Learning Is Recognized and Regarded in University Adult Education Contexts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kawalilak, Colleen; Wihak, Wihak

    2013-01-01

    Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) offers adults formal recognition for learning obtained through non-formal and informal means. The practice reflects both equity and economic development concerns (Keeton, 2000). In the field of Adult Education as a formal study, however, tensions exist between honouring the learner and honouring the…

  20. Physiological Factors in Adult Learning and Instruction. Research to Practice Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Verner, Coolie; Davison, Catherine V.

    The physiological condition of the adult learner as related to his learning capability is discussed. The design of the instructional process, the selection of learning tasks, the rate at which instruction occurs, and the nature of the instructional setting may all be modified by the instructor to accomodate the variable physiological conditions of…

  1. Learning across Distance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cowan, Kristina

    2009-01-01

    A 2008 report, "Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning," commissioned by North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) and others, defines online learning as "teacher-led education that takes place over the Internet, with the teacher and student separated geographically." The term "distance learning" includes online education, but is…

  2. Learning as Transformation: Critical Perspectives on a Theory in Progress. The Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mezirow, Jack, Ed.

    Stemming from a 1998 Columbia University conference on transformative learning, this 3-part book contains 12 articles that examine the concept of how adults learn to change ("transform") their frames of reference. The following are included in Part One: Developing Concepts of Transformative Learning: "Learning To Think Like an Adult: Core Concepts…

  3. Assessment-Oriented Learning and Adult Work--An International Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Higher Education in Europe, 1984

    1984-01-01

    A recently begun longitudinal study of a trend toward credentialism or qualifications-orientation among adult students in six countries (India, Japan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and England) is described. The development of measures of student learning orientations for different cultures is discussed. (MSE)

  4. Perceptual learning improves adult amblyopic vision through rule-based cognitive compensation.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jun-Yun; Cong, Lin-Juan; Klein, Stanley A; Levi, Dennis M; Yu, Cong

    2014-04-01

    We investigated whether perceptual learning in adults with amblyopia could be enabled to transfer completely to an orthogonal orientation, which would suggest that amblyopic perceptual learning results mainly from high-level cognitive compensation, rather than plasticity in the amblyopic early visual brain. Nineteen adults (mean age = 22.5 years) with anisometropic and/or strabismic amblyopia were trained following a training-plus-exposure (TPE) protocol. The amblyopic eyes practiced contrast, orientation, or Vernier discrimination at one orientation for six to eight sessions. Then the amblyopic or nonamblyopic eyes were exposed to an orthogonal orientation via practicing an irrelevant task. Training was first performed at a lower spatial frequency (SF), then at a higher SF near the cutoff frequency of the amblyopic eye. Perceptual learning was initially orientation specific. However, after exposure to the orthogonal orientation, learning transferred to an orthogonal orientation completely. Reversing the exposure and training order failed to produce transfer. Initial lower SF training led to broad improvement of contrast sensitivity, and later higher SF training led to more specific improvement at high SFs. Training improved visual acuity by 1.5 to 1.6 lines (P < 0.001) in the amblyopic eyes with computerized tests and a clinical E acuity chart. It also improved stereoacuity by 53% (P < 0.001). The complete transfer of learning suggests that perceptual learning in amblyopia may reflect high-level learning of rules for performing a visual discrimination task. These rules are applicable to new orientations to enable learning transfer. Therefore, perceptual learning may improve amblyopic vision mainly through rule-based cognitive compensation.

  5. Using Adult Learning Theory for New-Hire Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woodard, Chris A.

    2007-01-01

    To test if adult learning theory can inform a training program for newly-hired employees in industry, a training program was set up using Knowles' concepts of andragogy. Evaluation results from before and after the new training program indicate that the perceptions of those in the new training program changed in a positive direction. This…

  6. Adults' Learning about Science in Free-Choice Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rennie, Leonie J.; Williams, Gina F.

    2006-01-01

    This paper synthesizes findings from three studies to answer a general question: What do casual, adult visitors learn about science from their science-related experiences in free-choice settings? Specifically we asked whether there are changes in how people think about science in their daily lives, the nature and use of scientific knowledge, and…

  7. A Study of Career Development, Learning Motivation, and Learning Satisfaction of Adult Learners in Unconventional Scheduling Graduate Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chu, Hui-Chin; Hsieh, Mei-Chi; Chang, Shan-Chih

    2007-01-01

    The study aimed at investigating the relationships among career development, learning motivation, and learning satisfaction of adult learners in master's programs at S University. Questionnaires were distributed with 211 valid returns (71%). The results indicated that some of the demographics are factors affecting both of the learners' learning…

  8. Sleep Deprivation During Early-Adult Development Results in Long-Lasting Learning Deficits in Adult Drosophila

    PubMed Central

    Seugnet, Laurent; Suzuki, Yasuko; Donlea, Jeff M.; Gottschalk, Laura; Shaw, Paul J.

    2011-01-01

    Study Objectives: Multiple lines of evidence indicate that sleep is important for the developing brain, although little is known about which cellular and molecular pathways are affected. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether the early adult life of Drosophila, which is associated with high amounts of sleep and critical periods of brain plasticity, could be used as a model to identify developmental processes that require sleep. Subjects: Wild type Canton-S Drosophila melanogaster. Design; Intervention: Flies were sleep deprived on their first full day of adult life and allowed to recover undisturbed for at least 3 days. The animals were then tested for short-term memory and response-inhibition using aversive phototaxis suppression (APS). Components of dopamine signaling were further evaluated using mRNA profiling, immunohistochemistry, and pharmacological treatments. Measurements and Results: Flies exposed to acute sleep deprivation on their first day of life showed impairments in short-term memory and response inhibition that persisted for at least 6 days. These impairments in adult performance were reversed by dopamine agonists, suggesting that the deficits were a consequence of reduced dopamine signaling. However, sleep deprivation did not impact dopaminergic neurons as measured by their number or by the levels of dopamine, pale (tyrosine hydroxylase), dopadecarboxylase, and the Dopamine transporter. However, dopamine pathways were impacted as measured by increased transcript levels of the dopamine receptors D2R and dDA1. Importantly, blocking signaling through the dDA1 receptor in animals that were sleep deprived during their critical developmental window prevented subsequent adult learning impairments. Conclusions: These data indicate that sleep plays an important and phylogenetically conserved role in the developing brain. Citation: Seugnet L; Suzuki Y; Donlea JM; Gottschalk L; Shaw PJ. Sleep deprivation during early-adult development results in

  9. Proactive and retroactive transfer of middle age adults in a sequential motor learning task.

    PubMed

    Verneau, Marion; van der Kamp, John; Savelsbergh, Geert J P; de Looze, Michiel P

    2015-03-01

    We assessed the effects of aging in the transfer of motor learning in a sequential manual assembly task that is representative for real working conditions. On two different days, young (18-30 years) and middle-aged adults (50-65 years) practiced to build two products that consisted of the same six components but which had to be assembled in a partly different order. Assembly accuracy and movement time during tests, which were performed before and after the practice sessions, were compared to determine proactive and retroactive transfer. The results showed proactive facilitation (i.e., benefits from having learned the first product on learning the second one) in terms of an overall shortening of movement time in both age-groups. In addition, only the middle-aged adults were found to show sequence-specific proactive facilitation, in which the shortening of movement time was limited to components that had the same the order in the two products. Most likely, however, the sequence-specific transfer was an epiphenomenon of the comparatively low rate of learning among the middle-aged adults. The results, however, did reveal genuine differences between the groups for retroactive transfer (i.e., effects from learning the second product on performance of the first). Middle-aged adults tended to show more pronounced retroactive interference in terms of a general decrease in accuracy, while younger adults showed sequence-specific retroactive facilitation (i.e., shortening of movement times for components that had the same order in the two products), but only when they were fully accurate. Together this suggests that in the learning of sequential motor tasks the effects of age are more marked for retroactive transfer than for proactive transfer. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Transformative Learning, Adult Learners and the September 11 Terrorism Incidents in North America.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Theresia

    Despite their tremendous tragedy, the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, have also produced a juncture for transformative learning. Several transformative learning opportunities that may enable some adult learners find and use knowledge as the tool to transcend a tragedy into a learning experience have been identified. Although…

  11. Learning through Teaching: Exploring What Conservatoire Students Learn from Teaching Beginner Older Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perkins, Rosie; Aufegger, Lisa; Williamon, Aaron

    2015-01-01

    Music is increasingly recognised as important in facilitating healthy ageing, yet little is known of what musicians themselves learn when they teach older adults. This article reports the practices of the "Rhythm for Life" project at the Royal College of Music in the UK, in which conservatoire students taught 10-week programmes of group…

  12. The General Medical Council: frame of reference or arbiter of morals?

    PubMed Central

    Hill, D

    1977-01-01

    Many members of the public think of the General Medical Council (GMC) as the body which tries doctors: the doctors' law courts, as it were. And, except in the more sober of newspapers and news reports, the 'offences ' which receive the most publicity are those concerning alleged improper relations between doctors and patients. Professor Sir Denis Hill, in the following paper, which he read in the spring of this year to the annual conference of the London Medical Group devoted to a discussion of human sexuality, chose to examine the whole function of the General Medical Council as a frame of moral reference for doctors. Judging allegations of professional misconduct by doctors is the function of the Council's Disciplinary Committee. Judging sexual misconduct forms only a small part of their work. The GMC's responsibility covers the whole notion of morals and morality as it concerns doctors in their professional work. Sir Denis Hill stresses the modern thinking that morality must be learned and that attitudes are always shifting as society alters its norms of what is moral conduct. That is not to say that all that was previously considered not to be moral has now become acceptable but rather that other concepts have entered the field of moral debate. Therefore the GMC must constantly review the frame of reference it offers to doctors and the public may be surprised to learn that that process is never static. Sir Denis Hill in this paper is speaking personally and not as a member of the General Medical Council or of any of that body's special committees. PMID:926129

  13. Facing Learning Disabilities in the Adult Years. Understanding Dyslexia, ADHD, Assessment, Intervention, and Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shapiro, Joan; Rich, Rebecca

    This text provides information on learning disabilities in adults and offers practical ways to compensate. Chapters address: (1) definitions of learning disability; (2) etiology of learning disabilities; (3) our cognitive or thinking systems; (4) different assessment settings and some of the tests used to diagnose a learning disability; (5)…

  14. Adult Basic Skills Instructor Training and Experiential Learning Theory.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marlowe, Mike; And Others

    1991-01-01

    Competency-based training workshops based on Kolb's experiential learning theory were held for North Carolina adult basic education teachers; 251 attended 1-day sessions and 91 a week-long summer institute. Topics included interpersonal communication, reading, numeracy, language arts, math, assessment, and program evaluation. (SK)

  15. Does language help regularity learning? The influence of verbalizations on implicit sequential regularity learning and the emergence of explicit knowledge in children, younger and older adults.

    PubMed

    Ferdinand, Nicola K; Kray, Jutta

    2017-03-01

    This study aimed at investigating the ability to learn regularities across the life span and examine whether this learning process can be supported or hampered by verbalizations. For this purpose, children (aged 8-10 years) and younger (aged 19-30 years) and older (aged 70-80 years) adults took part in a sequence learning experiment. We found that verbalizing sequence-congruent information during learning is a powerful tool to generate explicit knowledge and it is especially helpful for younger adults. Although recent research suggests that implicit learning can be influenced by directing the participants' attention to relevant aspects of the task, verbalizations had a much weaker influence on implicit than explicit learning. Our results show that verbalizing during learning slows down reaction times (RTs) but does not influence the amount of implicit learning. Especially older adults were not able to overcome the cost of the dual-task situation. Younger adults, in contrast, show an initial dual-tasking cost that, in the case of a helpful verbalization, is overcome with practice and turns into a RT and learning benefit. However, when the verbalization is omitted this benefit is lost, that is, better implicit learning seems to be confined to situations in which the supporting verbalization is maintained. Additionally, we did not find reliable age differences in implicit learning in the no verbalization groups, which speaks in favor of age-invariant models of implicit learning across the life span. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  16. Advocacy for active transport: advocate and city council perspectives

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Effective advocacy is an important part of efforts to increase population participation in physical activity. Research about effective health advocacy is scarce, however, the health sector can learn from the experiences and knowledge of community advocates and those who are on the receiving end of this advocacy. The aim of this study is to explore advocacy for active transport from the perspectives of community advocates and representatives from City councils. Methods Cycling and walking advocates were identified from the local contact list of Cycling Advocates Network and Living Streets Aotearoa. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with cycle and walking advocates from throughout New Zealand. Advocates also nominated a suitable council officer at their local City council to be interviewed. Interviews were recorded and transcribed and categories of responses for each of the questions created. Results Several processes were used by advocates to engage with council staff, including formal council submissions, meetings, stakeholder forums and partnership in running community events promoting active transport. Several other agencies were identified as being influential for active transport, some as potential coalition partners and others as potential adversaries. Barriers to improving conditions for active transport included a lack of funding, a lack of will-power among either council staff or councillors, limited council staff capacity (time or training) and a culture of providing infrastructure for motor vehicles instead of people. Several suggestions were made about how the health sector could contribute to advocacy efforts, including encouraging political commitment, engaging the media, communicating the potential health benefits of active transport to the general public and being role models in terms of personal travel mode choice and having workplaces that support participation in active transport. Conclusions There is potential for the

  17. Contribution of organizational strategy to verbal learning and memory in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

    PubMed

    Roth, Robert M; Wishart, Heather A; Flashman, Laura A; Riordan, Henry J; Huey, Leighton; Saykin, Andrew J

    2004-01-01

    Statistical mediation modeling was used to test the hypothesis that poor use of a semantic organizational strategy contributes to verbal learning and memory deficits in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Comparison of 28 adults with ADHD and 34 healthy controls revealed lower performance by the ADHD group on tests of verbal learning and memory, sustained attention, and use of semantic organization during encoding. Mediation modeling indicated that state anxiety, but not semantic organization, significantly contributed to the prediction of both learning and delayed recall in the ADHD group. The pattern of findings suggests that decreased verbal learning and memory in adult ADHD is due in part to situational anxiety and not to poor use of organizational strategies during encoding. ((c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)

  18. The Impact of Presentation Format on Younger and Older Adults' Self-Regulated Learning.

    PubMed

    Price, Jodi

    2017-01-01

    Background/Study Context: Self-regulated learning involves deciding what to study and for how long. Debate surrounds whether individuals' selections are influenced more by item complexity, point values, or if instead people select in a left-to-right reading order, ignoring item complexity and value. The present study manipulated whether point values and presentation format favored selection of simple or complex Chinese-English pairs to assess the impact on younger and older adults' selection behaviors. One hundred and five younger (M age  = 20.26, SD = 2.38) and 102 older adults (M age  = 70.28, SD = 6.37) participated in the experiment. Participants studied four different 3 × 3 grids (two per trial), each containing three simple, three medium, and three complex Chinese-English vocabulary pairs presented in either a simple-first or complex-first order, depending on condition. Point values were assigned in either a 2-4-8 or 8-4-2 order so that either simple or complex items were favored. Points did not influence the order in which either age group selected items, whereas presentation format did. Younger and older adults selected more simple or complex items when they appeared in the first column. However, older adults selected and allocated more time to simpler items but recalled less overall than did younger adults. Memory beliefs and working memory capacity predicted study time allocation, but not item selection, behaviors. Presentation format must be considered when evaluating which theory of self-regulated learning best accounts for younger and older adults' study behaviors and whether there are age-related differences in self-regulated learning. The results of the present study combine with others to support the importance of also considering the role of external factors (e.g., working memory capacity and memory beliefs) in each age group's self-regulated learning decisions.

  19. Organizational Change, Leadership, and the Transformation of Continuing Professional Development: Lessons Learned From the American College of Cardiology.

    PubMed

    Beliveau, Mary Ellen; Warnes, Carole A; Harrington, Robert A; Nishimura, Rick A; O'Gara, Patrick T; Sibley, Janice B; Oetgen, William J

    2015-01-01

    There is a need for a transformational change in clinical education. In postgraduate medical education we have traditionally had a faculty-centric model. That is, faculty knew what needed to be taught and who were the best teachers to teach it. They built the agenda, and worked with staff to follow Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) accreditation criteria and manage logistics. Changes in the health care marketplace now demand a learner-centric model-one that embraces needs assessments, identification of practice gaps relative to competency, development of learning objectives, contemporary adult learning theory, novel delivery systems, and measurable outcomes. This article provides a case study of one medical specialty society's efforts to respond to this demand. © 2015 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on Continuing Medical Education, Association for Hospital Medical Education.

  20. 75 FR 70905 - President's Export Council: Meeting of the President's Export Council

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-19

    ... Council will convene its next meeting via live webcast on the Internet at http:[sol][sol]whitehouse.gov[sol]live. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: J. Marc Chittum, President's Export Council, Room 4043...'s Export Council Web site at http:[sol][sol]trade.gov[sol]pec[sol]peccomments.asp; or Paper...

  1. Development of graphomotor fluency in adults with ADHD: Evidence of attenuated procedural learning.

    PubMed

    Duda, Thomas A; Casey, Joseph E; McNevin, Nancy

    2015-12-01

    The present study sought to determine if adults with ADHD demonstrate reduced graphomotor learning relative to controls. Twenty-eight control adults (n=14) and adults with ADHD (n=14) were recruited and wrote a novel grapheme on a digitizing tablet 30 times. Participants with ADHD were counterbalanced on and off stimulant medication. Control participants, F(1,13)=13.786, p=.003, ω(2)partial=.460, and participants with ADHD on medication, F(1,13)=10.462, p=.007, ω(2)partial=.387, demonstrated significant improvement in graphomotor fluency with equivalent practice whereas participants with ADHD off medication did not, F(1,12)=0.166, NS. Results indicate that graphomotor program learning in adults with ADHD may occur more slowly than typically developing peers. Findings have implications for providing accommodations to adults with ADHD, potential benefits of stimulant medication, and using digitizing technology as a neuropsychological assessment instrument. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Career Development and Occupational Studies: A Supplement to the Adult Education Resource Guide and Learning Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peavey, Kay S.; Krieger, Alan

    This publication focuses on New York's learning standards for career development and occupational studies (CDOS) in adult education: career development, integrated learning, universal foundation skills, and career majors. A section on the adult learner provides information on engaging learners to increase motivation. The next section focuses on…

  3. Indicators of choking risk in adults with learning disabilities: a questionnaire survey and interview study.

    PubMed

    Thacker, Alice; Abdelnoor, Adam; Anderson, Claire; White, Sarah; Hollins, Sheila

    2008-01-01

    Feeding and swallowing impairments are key predictors of increased morbidity and mortality in adults with learning disabilities. This postal survey and interview study sought to identify risk factors in adults with learning disabilities who have histories of choking. A total of 2000 questionnaires were sent to carers of all adults with learning disabilities registered as service users by three local health authorities. (A 'service user' may be using any specialist learning disability health or social care facility with day, residential or therapeutic services). Of the 674 service users for whom surveys were returned, 47 were living in hospital, 396 were living in residential or group homes and 208 were living with relatives, or in their own homes. Eighteen subjects who had reported serious or repeated episodes of choking were interviewed in depth in their residences or workplaces. Responses were subjected to frequency analyses. Personal characteristics were analysed. Choking patterns were differentiated by food texture. A total of 34% of questionnaires on 674 service users were returned; 42% of respondents reported one or more choking episodes. There was a significantly greater occurrence of choking among people with more severe learning disability, with Down syndrome, people who had an incomplete dentition or were taking a greater number of psychotropic drugs. Antisocial eating habits learnt in institutional settings presented an additional choking hazard for some individuals. Choking is a serious hazard for many adults with learning disabilities. This study establishes many of the characteristics associated with swallowing problems in this population. Clinicians and carers should benefit from awareness of these predictors, leading to better management of eating behaviours and habits. A choking and swallowing risk assessment should be included in routine health assessments of adults with learning disability, paying especial attention to the condition of a person

  4. Age-Differences in Environment Route Learning: The Role of Input and Recall-Test Modalities in Young and Older Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meneghetti, Chiara; Borella, Erika; Gyselinck, Valerie; De Beni, Rossana

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this research was to examine age-related differences in young and older adults in route learning, using different types of learning and recall test modalities. A sample of young adults (20-30 years old) and older adults (60-70 years old) learned a city route by using either a map or a description; they then performed a verification…

  5. 78 FR 12294 - Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council); Public Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-22

    ... meetings. SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils will convene a Science.... to 4 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 12, 2013. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Gulf of Mexico.... Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL...

  6. Research on Adult Learning and Memory: Retrospect and Prospect.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hultsch, David F.; Pentz, C. A.

    1980-01-01

    Descriptions of cognitive development are determined by the metamodel on which theories and data are based. The associative and information processing approaches have generated much of the research on adult learning and memory. A contextual approach, emphasizing perceiving, comprehending, and remembering, is emerging in the present historical…

  7. Adult Learning Innovations: Vehicles for Social and Economic Progress.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hilton, William J.

    The cost-effective use of communications technologies to extend adult learning opportunities is one way state policymakers can face the challenge of responding to growing demands for essential public services. The major new educational technologies that are available are television, radio, telephone, computers, communications satellites, and…

  8. Adult Education and Lifelong Learning within UNESCO: CONFINTEA, Education for All, and beyond

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duke, Chris; Hinzen, Heribert

    2012-01-01

    There can no longer be any doubt that adult education within lifelong learning is a key factor for economic and social development, as well as being a human right. New policies for adult education must now result in coherent forms of laws and legislation clearly spelling out ways and means for financing adult education. These must involve the…

  9. Adult learning theories: implications for learning and teaching in medical education: AMEE Guide No. 83.

    PubMed

    Taylor, David C M; Hamdy, Hossam

    2013-11-01

    There are many theories that explain how adults learn and each has its own merits. This Guide explains and explores the more commonly used ones and how they can be used to enhance student and faculty learning. The Guide presents a model that combines many of the theories into a flow diagram which can be followed by anyone planning learning. The schema can be used at curriculum planning level, or at the level of individual learning. At each stage of the model, the Guide identifies the responsibilities of both learner and educator. The role of the institution is to ensure that the time and resources are available to allow effective learning to happen. The Guide is designed for those new to education, in the hope that it can unravel the difficulties in understanding and applying the common learning theories, whilst also creating opportunities for debate as to the best way they should be used.

  10. Self-Directed Learning Readiness, Internet Self-Efficacy and Preferences towards Constructivist Internet-Based Learning Environments among Higher-Aged Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chu, R. J-C.; Tsai, C-C.

    2009-01-01

    This article examines several research questions to establish a theory model for explaining factors that influence adult learners' preferences for constructivist Internet-based learning environments (CILE). Data were gathered from 541 individual participants enrolled in adult education institutes in Taiwan for structural equation modelling (SEM)…

  11. The Council for Exceptional Children's Position on Special Education Teacher Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council for Exceptional Children (NJ3), 2012

    2012-01-01

    The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) recognizes the importance of special education teachers in the education of all children and youth. Special educators have always believed that children's individual learning needs should drive instruction; indeed, pedagogy is the heart of special education practice. One way to judge a special education…

  12. The Council for Exceptional Children's Position on Special Education Teacher Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    TEACHING Exceptional Children, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) recognizes the importance of special education teachers in the education of all children and youth. Special educators have always believed that children's individual learning needs should drive instruction; indeed, pedagogy is the heart of special education practice. One way to judge a special education…

  13. Perceptual Learning Improves Adult Amblyopic Vision Through Rule-Based Cognitive Compensation

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Jun-Yun; Cong, Lin-Juan; Klein, Stanley A.; Levi, Dennis M.; Yu, Cong

    2014-01-01

    Purpose. We investigated whether perceptual learning in adults with amblyopia could be enabled to transfer completely to an orthogonal orientation, which would suggest that amblyopic perceptual learning results mainly from high-level cognitive compensation, rather than plasticity in the amblyopic early visual brain. Methods. Nineteen adults (mean age = 22.5 years) with anisometropic and/or strabismic amblyopia were trained following a training-plus-exposure (TPE) protocol. The amblyopic eyes practiced contrast, orientation, or Vernier discrimination at one orientation for six to eight sessions. Then the amblyopic or nonamblyopic eyes were exposed to an orthogonal orientation via practicing an irrelevant task. Training was first performed at a lower spatial frequency (SF), then at a higher SF near the cutoff frequency of the amblyopic eye. Results. Perceptual learning was initially orientation specific. However, after exposure to the orthogonal orientation, learning transferred to an orthogonal orientation completely. Reversing the exposure and training order failed to produce transfer. Initial lower SF training led to broad improvement of contrast sensitivity, and later higher SF training led to more specific improvement at high SFs. Training improved visual acuity by 1.5 to 1.6 lines (P < 0.001) in the amblyopic eyes with computerized tests and a clinical E acuity chart. It also improved stereoacuity by 53% (P < 0.001). Conclusions. The complete transfer of learning suggests that perceptual learning in amblyopia may reflect high-level learning of rules for performing a visual discrimination task. These rules are applicable to new orientations to enable learning transfer. Therefore, perceptual learning may improve amblyopic vision mainly through rule-based cognitive compensation. PMID:24550359

  14. 34 CFR 412.4 - What is the National Network of Directors Council?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the National Network of Directors Council? 412...) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL NETWORK FOR CURRICULUM COORDINATION IN VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION General § 412.4 What is the National Network of Directors...

  15. 34 CFR 412.4 - What is the National Network of Directors Council?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What is the National Network of Directors Council? 412...) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL NETWORK FOR CURRICULUM COORDINATION IN VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION General § 412.4 What is the National Network of Directors...

  16. The Processes that Promote Learning in Adult Mentoring and Coaching Dyadic Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marx, Michael J.

    2009-01-01

    This is a study of 10 adults participating in one-to-one mentoring and/or coaching. Participants were selected for interviewing through a purposive sampling process from leading international mentoring and coaching organizations. Selection criteria included (a) being an adult, (b) participating in a dyadic learning, and (c) regarding that…

  17. Fixing or Changing the Pattern? Reflections on Widening Adult Participation in Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGivney, Veronica

    Participation in adult learning in the United Kingdom in 1996-2001 was analyzed by reviewing practitioners' views, the findings of national surveys conducted by the National Institute for Adult Continuing Education, and the findings from other surveys and research conducted over the past decade. The key conclusions analysis established that the…

  18. Perceptual Learning of Intonation Contour Categories in Adults and 9- to 11-Year-Old Children: Adults Are More Narrow-Minded

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kapatsinski, Vsevolod; Olejarczuk, Paul; Redford, Melissa A.

    2017-01-01

    We report on rapid perceptual learning of intonation contour categories in adults and 9- to 11-year-old children. Intonation contours are temporally extended patterns, whose perception requires temporal integration and therefore poses significant working memory challenges. Both children and adults form relatively abstract representations of…

  19. Factors Influencing Adult Learners' Decision to Drop Out or Persist in Online Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Ji-Hye; Choi, Hee Jun

    2009-01-01

    The number of adult learners who participate in online learning has rapidly grown in the last two decades due to online learning's many advantages. In spite of the growth, the high dropout rate in online learning has been of concern to many higher education institutions and organizations. The purpose of this study was to determine whether…

  20. The Impact of Spiritual Learning on the Lives of Adults in Postsecondary Martial Arts Educational Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ingram, Jeffrey G.

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated whether spiritual learning impacts the lives of adult learners in martial arts educational programs. The impact of spirituality has been claimed as a meaningful connection; however, it is not currently known how spiritual learning impacts the lives and experiences of adult learners with these programs. Spiritual learning…

  1. 34 CFR 461.53 - May a State establish an advisory body other than a State advisory council?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false May a State establish an advisory body other than a State advisory council? 461.53 Section 461.53 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION...

  2. 34 CFR 461.53 - May a State establish an advisory body other than a State advisory council?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false May a State establish an advisory body other than a State advisory council? 461.53 Section 461.53 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION...

  3. 34 CFR 461.53 - May a State establish an advisory body other than a State advisory council?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false May a State establish an advisory body other than a State advisory council? 461.53 Section 461.53 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION...

  4. 34 CFR 461.53 - May a State establish an advisory body other than a State advisory council?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false May a State establish an advisory body other than a State advisory council? 461.53 Section 461.53 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION...

  5. 34 CFR 461.53 - May a State establish an advisory body other than a State advisory council?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false May a State establish an advisory body other than a State advisory council? 461.53 Section 461.53 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION...

  6. Implicit Learning of Predictive Relationships in Three-element Visual Sequences by Young and Old Adults

    PubMed Central

    Howard, James H.; Howard, Darlene V.; Dennis, Nancy A.; Kelly, Andrew J.

    2008-01-01

    Knowledge of sequential relationships enables future events to be anticipated and processed efficiently. Research with the serial reaction time task (SRTT) has shown that sequence learning often occurs implicitly without effort or awareness. Here we report four experiments that use a triplet-learning task (TLT) to investigate sequence learning in young and older adults. In the TLT people respond only to the last target event in a series of discrete, three-event sequences or triplets. Target predictability is manipulated by varying the triplet frequency (joint probability) and/or the statistical relationships (conditional probabilities) among events within the triplets. Results revealed that both groups learned, though older adults showed less learning of both joint and conditional probabilities. Young people used the statistical information in both cues, but older adults relied primarily on information in the second cue alone. We conclude that the TLT complements and extends the SRTT and other tasks by offering flexibility in the kinds of sequential statistical regularities that may be studied as well as by controlling event timing and eliminating motor response sequencing. PMID:18763897

  7. Patterns of Learning in a Sample of Adult Returners to Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Anthony; Johnston, Bill; McDonald, Alexandra

    2014-01-01

    This article presents empirical research exploring adult returner students' patterns of learning via qualitative analysis of a series of semi-structured interviews. Interviewees' comments shed light on the relation between patterns of learning on the one hand, and study skills, epistemological issues and attitudes to peer interaction on the other.…

  8. Input Variability Facilitates Unguided Subcategory Learning in Adults

    PubMed Central

    Eidsvåg, Sunniva Sørhus; Austad, Margit; Asbjørnsen, Arve E.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose This experiment investigated whether input variability would affect initial learning of noun gender subcategories in an unfamiliar, natural language (Russian), as it is known to assist learning of other grammatical forms. Method Forty adults (20 men, 20 women) were familiarized with examples of masculine and feminine Russian words. Half of the participants were familiarized with 32 different root words in a high-variability condition. The other half were familiarized with 16 different root words, each repeated twice for a total of 32 presentations in a high-repetition condition. Participants were tested on untrained members of the category to assess generalization. Familiarization and testing was completed 2 additional times. Results Only participants in the high-variability group showed evidence of learning after an initial period of familiarization. Participants in the high-repetition group were able to learn after additional input. Both groups benefited when words included 2 cues to gender compared to a single cue. Conclusions The results demonstrate that the degree of input variability can influence learners' ability to generalize a grammatical subcategory (noun gender) from a natural language. In addition, the presence of multiple cues to linguistic subcategory facilitated learning independent of variability condition. PMID:25680081

  9. Input Variability Facilitates Unguided Subcategory Learning in Adults.

    PubMed

    Eidsvåg, Sunniva Sørhus; Austad, Margit; Plante, Elena; Asbjørnsen, Arve E

    2015-06-01

    This experiment investigated whether input variability would affect initial learning of noun gender subcategories in an unfamiliar, natural language (Russian), as it is known to assist learning of other grammatical forms. Forty adults (20 men, 20 women) were familiarized with examples of masculine and feminine Russian words. Half of the participants were familiarized with 32 different root words in a high-variability condition. The other half were familiarized with 16 different root words, each repeated twice for a total of 32 presentations in a high-repetition condition. Participants were tested on untrained members of the category to assess generalization. Familiarization and testing was completed 2 additional times. Only participants in the high-variability group showed evidence of learning after an initial period of familiarization. Participants in the high-repetition group were able to learn after additional input. Both groups benefited when words included 2 cues to gender compared to a single cue. The results demonstrate that the degree of input variability can influence learners' ability to generalize a grammatical subcategory (noun gender) from a natural language. In addition, the presence of multiple cues to linguistic subcategory facilitated learning independent of variability condition.

  10. Online learning from input versus offline memory evolution in adult word learning: effects of neighborhood density and phonologically related practice.

    PubMed

    Storkel, Holly L; Bontempo, Daniel E; Pak, Natalie S

    2014-10-01

    In this study, the authors investigated adult word learning to determine how neighborhood density and practice across phonologically related training sets influence online learning from input during training versus offline memory evolution during no-training gaps. Sixty-one adults were randomly assigned to learn low- or high-density nonwords. Within each density condition, participants were trained on one set of words and then were trained on a second set of words, consisting of phonological neighbors of the first set. Learning was measured in a picture-naming test. Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling and spline regression. Steep learning during input was observed, with new words from dense neighborhoods and new words that were neighbors of recently learned words (i.e., second-set words) being learned better than other words. In terms of memory evolution, large and significant forgetting was observed during 1-week gaps in training. Effects of density and practice during memory evolution were opposite of those during input. Specifically, forgetting was greater for high-density and second-set words than for low-density and first-set words. High phonological similarity, regardless of source (i.e., known words or recent training), appears to facilitate online learning from input but seems to impede offline memory evolution.

  11. The role of feedback in implicit and explicit artificial grammar learning: a comparison between dyslexic and non-dyslexic adults.

    PubMed

    Schiff, Rachel; Sasson, Ayelet; Star, Galit; Kahta, Shani

    2017-10-01

    The importance of feedback for learning has been firmly established over the past few decades. The question of whether feedback plays a significant role in the statistical learning abilities of adults with dyslexia, however, is currently unresolved. Here, we examined the role of feedback in grammaticality judgment, type of structural knowledge, and confidence rating in both typically developed and dyslexic adults. We implemented two artificial grammar learning experiments: implicit and explicit. The second experiment was directly analogous to the first experiment in all respects except training format: the standard memorization instruction was replaced with an explicit rule-search instruction. Each experiment was conducted with and without performance feedback. While both groups showed significantly improved learning in the feedback-based explicit artificial grammar learning task, only the typically developed adults demonstrated higher levels of conscious structural knowledge. The present study demonstrates that the basis for the grammaticality judgment of adults with dyslexia differs from that of typically developed adults, regardless of increase in the level of explicitness.

  12. Identifying a Common Set of Key Competences for Adult Learning Staff: An Inventory of European Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buiskool, Bert-Jan; Broek, Simon

    2011-01-01

    Professional development and improvement in the quality of adult learning staff has been recognized as a priority at a European level. However, at European and national levels there is no clear view on the standard competences needed to fulfill the professional tasks in adult learning. In some European countries competence profiles and standards…

  13. Post-literacy and Second State Adult Learning in India.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogers, Alan

    2002-01-01

    Surveys the work accomplished in post-literacy in India as part of the National Literacy Mission. Argues that post-literacy has become an arena of struggle between individual and group goals. Uses interviews and discussions to explore this field. Outlines the concerns being voiced in India about adult literacy learning. (CAJ)

  14. Glossary of Adult Learning in Europe. A.E. Monographs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Federighi, Paolo, Ed.

    This document presents detailed "definitions" of more than 150 key terms covering the lexicon currently being used in the field of adult learning in 20 European countries. The document begins with an introduction that discusses the glossary's theoretical and historical references and includes 14 references and a 16-item bibliography. The…

  15. Spirituality of South Asian Women: Implications for Adult Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marshall, Jody L.

    The implications of the spirituality of South Asian women for adult learning were examined through semistructured interviews of five South Asian women who resided in Canada. The women, who included students, working professionals, mothers, and single women, originated from Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and were from Hindu, Moslem, and…

  16. Learning Theories & Their Application to Science Instruction for Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bass, Christa

    2012-01-01

    It has become apparent through the work of many researchers and practitioners that adults learn differently than their younger counterparts in the educational system. This is especially important to those educators teaching in colleges and universities in the sciences. Biology education in the post-secondary setting is inundated with teachers who…

  17. Adults with self-reported learning disabilities in Slovenia: findings from the international adult literacy survey on the incidence and correlates of learning disabilities in Slovenia.

    PubMed

    Magajna, Lidija; Kavkler, Marija; Ortar-Krizaj, Martina

    2003-11-01

    This study of adults with self-reported learning disabilities (SRLD) in Slovenia is part of a larger secondary analysis of the data from the International Literacy Survey project (IALS). The purpose of the study was to examine the characteristics of 79 (2.68%) individuals who reported experiencing learning disabilities and compare them to the general population on a variety of indicators of educational background, employment status, and reading and writing activities at work and at home. The proficiency scores of the SRLD individuals were lower in all three literacy domains (prose, document and quantitative literacy). In prose literacy 77.9% of SRLD adults performed at Level 1 and only 7.8% reached the level necessary for a modern technological society. Experiencing learning disabilities was not related to gender or age, however, results showed significant differences between the levels achieved by older and younger people with SRLD. In SRLD groups aged 40 years and above, no one achieved more than the second level of literacy in any domain. Learning disabilities were reported more frequently in rural areas. SRLD groups achieve significantly lower educational attainment, and lower employment status, with a preference for manual labour or craft. These findings are of critical importance. SRLD people report that poorer literacy skills are an obstacle to their progression in employment. In the Slovene sample, the SRLD group stands out for low scores in quantitative literacy. Results show that they are less active, pick up information only auditorily or in short written form. They need more frequent help from relatives in literacy activities. Interpretation of the IALS data on SRLD presents many problems. These include amongst others, problems in terminology, different background factors, and the validity of self-report measures. However, the study also raises many interesting challenges for future research and policy. Increasing the availability of support, assistance

  18. Planned Pregnancy, Planned Parenting: Enabling Choice for Adults with a Learning Disability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conder, Jennifer; Mirfin-Veitch, Brigit; Sanders, Jackie; Munford, Robyn

    2011-01-01

    For adults with learning disabilities, becoming a parent can fulfil childhood dreams to take their place in society through a highly valued social role. Recent research aimed at describing the experience of parents with a learning disability suggests that there are barriers to successful planning for both pregnancy and parenthood. However, with…

  19. "...But What Should I Study? And How Will that Help Me and My Company?" Looking at the Use of Educational Advising for Employer-Funded Tuition Programs. Learning Smart, Working Smart. Forum & News, Winter 2007

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wax, Dorothy; Chodorow, Adele

    2007-01-01

    During the spring of 2006, CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning) conducted a national Career Advising Survey (CAS) to better understand the current state of employer-provided education and career advising or coaching benefits. The CAS research gleaned detailed information about the design, administration, use and effectiveness of…

  20. Texts in Tension: Negotiating Jewish Values in the Adult Jewish Learning Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woocher, Meredith L.

    2004-01-01

    In this paper, the author begins with a brief classroom scene that illustrates a number of significant features of contemporary American Jewish life. The engagement of adult students with Jewish text study is an example and outgrowth of the flourishing of programs of adult Jewish learning over the past two decades. Thousands of similar Jewish…

  1. Dispositional Factors Affecting Motivation during Learning in Adult Basic and Secondary Education Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mellard, Daryl F.; Krieshok, Thomas; Fall, Emily; Woods, Kari

    2013-01-01

    Research indicates that about a quarter of adult students separate from formal adult basic and secondary education (ABE/ASE) programs before completing one educational level. This retrospective study explores individual dispositional factors that affect motivation during learning, particularly students' goals, goal-directed thinking and action…

  2. A role for adult TLX-positive neural stem cells in learning and behaviour.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Chun-Li; Zou, Yuhua; He, Weimin; Gage, Fred H; Evans, Ronald M

    2008-02-21

    Neurogenesis persists in the adult brain and can be regulated by a plethora of external stimuli, such as learning, memory, exercise, environment and stress. Although newly generated neurons are able to migrate and preferentially incorporate into the neural network, how these cells are molecularly regulated and whether they are required for any normal brain function are unresolved questions. The adult neural stem cell pool is composed of orphan nuclear receptor TLX-positive cells. Here, using genetic approaches in mice, we demonstrate that TLX (also called NR2E1) regulates adult neural stem cell proliferation in a cell-autonomous manner by controlling a defined genetic network implicated in cell proliferation and growth. Consequently, specific removal of TLX from the adult mouse brain through inducible recombination results in a significant reduction of stem cell proliferation and a marked decrement in spatial learning. In contrast, the resulting suppression of adult neurogenesis does not affect contextual fear conditioning, locomotion or diurnal rhythmic activities, indicating a more selective contribution of newly generated neurons to specific cognitive functions.

  3. Online incidental statistical learning of audiovisual word sequences in adults: a registered report.

    PubMed

    Kuppuraj, Sengottuvel; Duta, Mihaela; Thompson, Paul; Bishop, Dorothy

    2018-02-01

    Statistical learning has been proposed as a key mechanism in language learning. Our main goal was to examine whether adults are capable of simultaneously extracting statistical dependencies in a task where stimuli include a range of structures amenable to statistical learning within a single paradigm. We devised an online statistical learning task using real word auditory-picture sequences that vary in two dimensions: (i) predictability and (ii) adjacency of dependent elements. This task was followed by an offline recall task to probe learning of each sequence type. We registered three hypotheses with specific predictions. First, adults would extract regular patterns from continuous stream (effect of grammaticality). Second, within grammatical conditions, they would show differential speeding up for each condition as a factor of statistical complexity of the condition and exposure. Third, our novel approach to measure online statistical learning would be reliable in showing individual differences in statistical learning ability. Further, we explored the relation between statistical learning and a measure of verbal short-term memory (STM). Forty-two participants were tested and retested after an interval of at least 3 days on our novel statistical learning task. We analysed the reaction time data using a novel regression discontinuity approach. Consistent with prediction, participants showed a grammaticality effect, agreeing with the predicted order of difficulty for learning different statistical structures. Furthermore, a learning index from the task showed acceptable test-retest reliability ( r  = 0.67). However, STM did not correlate with statistical learning. We discuss the findings noting the benefits of online measures in tracking the learning process.

  4. Online incidental statistical learning of audiovisual word sequences in adults: a registered report

    PubMed Central

    Duta, Mihaela; Thompson, Paul

    2018-01-01

    Statistical learning has been proposed as a key mechanism in language learning. Our main goal was to examine whether adults are capable of simultaneously extracting statistical dependencies in a task where stimuli include a range of structures amenable to statistical learning within a single paradigm. We devised an online statistical learning task using real word auditory–picture sequences that vary in two dimensions: (i) predictability and (ii) adjacency of dependent elements. This task was followed by an offline recall task to probe learning of each sequence type. We registered three hypotheses with specific predictions. First, adults would extract regular patterns from continuous stream (effect of grammaticality). Second, within grammatical conditions, they would show differential speeding up for each condition as a factor of statistical complexity of the condition and exposure. Third, our novel approach to measure online statistical learning would be reliable in showing individual differences in statistical learning ability. Further, we explored the relation between statistical learning and a measure of verbal short-term memory (STM). Forty-two participants were tested and retested after an interval of at least 3 days on our novel statistical learning task. We analysed the reaction time data using a novel regression discontinuity approach. Consistent with prediction, participants showed a grammaticality effect, agreeing with the predicted order of difficulty for learning different statistical structures. Furthermore, a learning index from the task showed acceptable test–retest reliability (r = 0.67). However, STM did not correlate with statistical learning. We discuss the findings noting the benefits of online measures in tracking the learning process. PMID:29515876

  5. APA Council Reports.

    PubMed

    2017-10-01

    At the fall component meetings of the American Psychiatric Association in Arlington, Va., September 13-16, 2017, the APA councils heard reports from their components. Following are summaries of the activities of the councils and their components.

  6. ``We also wanted to learn'': Narratives of change from adults literate in African languages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trudell, Joel; Cheffy, Ian

    2017-10-01

    This article discusses the impact of literacy programmes on those who learned to read and write in their own African languages. It draws on adult learners' reflections on the significance of literacy and numeracy in their everyday lives as evidenced in interviews conducted in 2014 and 2015 in rural sites in five African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Ghana. The research approach was influenced by the Most Significant Change (MSC) method of monitoring and evaluation, which collects and examines narratives that reveal beneficiaries' perceptions of change related to a given programme. This study emulates this approach in that it seeks to learn about perceived changes attributed to literacy acquisition from the perspectives of the beneficiaries, without imposing pre-established indicators. In the rural adult learners' view, literacy enabled lifelong learning outcomes that rivalled the results of primary schooling. Literacy programme graduates demonstrated extensive ongoing learning after they learned to read, write and calculate, consequently acquiring new literacy practices and new understandings of themselves. Even though many of those interviewed had been unable to attend school, they viewed the practices of reading and writing that they developed outside of school as equivalent to the practices of adults who had been educated in primary school.

  7. Examination of the teaching styles of nursing professional development specialists, part II: correlational study on teaching styles and use of adult learning theory.

    PubMed

    Curran, Mary K

    2014-08-01

    This article, the second in a two-part series, details a correlational study that examined the effects of four variables (graduate degrees in nursing education, professional development training in adult learning theory, nursing professional development [NPD] certification, and NPD specialist experience) on the use of adult learning theory to guide curriculum development. Using the Principles of Adult Learning Scale, 114 NPD specialists tested the hypothesis that NPD specialists with graduate degrees in nursing education, professional development training in adult learning theory, NPD certification, and NPD experience would use higher levels of adult learning theory in their teaching practices to guide curriculum development than those without these attributes. This hypothesis was rejected as regression analysis revealed only one statistically significant predictor variable, NPD certification, influenced the use of adult learning theory. In addition, analysis revealed NPD specialists tended to support a teacher-centered rather than a learner-centered teaching style, indicating NPD educators are not using adult learning theory to guide teaching practices and curriculum development.

  8. Enhancing Young Adult Learning through Interpretive Skills Training: A Case Study of Student Tour-Guide Interns at a University Photography Center

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chien, Ting Fang

    2017-01-01

    This case study explores the application of interpretive strategies as tools to facilitate transformative learning and advance young adults' abilities in various learning contexts. While much of the literature on adult museum program education focuses on older adults' learning, this study emphasizes the impact of interpretive skills training at a…

  9. Mimicking Infants' Early Language Experience Does Not Improve Adult Learning Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hudson Kam, Carla L.

    2018-01-01

    Adult learners know that language is for communicating and that there are patterns in the language that need to be learned. This affects the way they engage with language input; they search for form-meaning linkages, and this effortful engagement could interfere with their learning, especially for things like grammatical gender that often have at…

  10. Help me if I can't: Social interaction effects in adult contextual word learning.

    PubMed

    Verga, Laura; Kotz, Sonja A

    2017-11-01

    A major challenge in second language acquisition is to build up new vocabulary. How is it possible to identify the meaning of a new word among several possible referents? Adult learners typically use contextual information, which reduces the number of possible referents a new word can have. Alternatively, a social partner may facilitate word learning by directing the learner's attention toward the correct new word meaning. While much is known about the role of this form of 'joint attention' in first language acquisition, little is known about its efficacy in second language acquisition. Consequently, we introduce and validate a novel visual word learning game to evaluate how joint attention affects the contextual learning of new words in a second language. Adult learners either acquired new words in a constant or variable sentence context by playing the game with a knowledgeable partner, or by playing the game alone on a computer. Results clearly show that participants who learned new words in social interaction (i) are faster in identifying a correct new word referent in variable sentence contexts, and (ii) temporally coordinate their behavior with a social partner. Testing the learned words in a post-learning recall or recognition task showed that participants, who learned interactively, better recognized words originally learned in a variable context. While this result may suggest that interactive learning facilitates the allocation of attention to a target referent, the differences in the performance during recognition and recall call for further studies investigating the effect of social interaction on learning performance. In summary, we provide first evidence on the role joint attention in second language learning. Furthermore, the new interactive learning game offers itself to further testing in complex neuroimaging research, where the lack of appropriate experimental set-ups has so far limited the investigation of the neural basis of adult word learning in

  11. Travel and Transportation. An Adult Competency Education Learning Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wallace, Virginia

    This instructional unit on travel and transportation is one of six Adult Competency Education Learning Modules designed for use in a program of competency-based instruction for students with intermediate reading level ability. It is self-contained and designed for immediate classroom use. Each of five lessons contains these types of materials:…

  12. Drama in Education and Self-Directed Learning for Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karavoltsou, Athina A.; O'Sullivan, Carmel

    2011-01-01

    Drama in Education (DIE), as an artistic and educational experience, is sufficiently evidenced in the literature as a dialogical, liberating practice of education. This article discusses a practitioner research project in a second chance adult education school in Greece, where the use of a DIE teaching and learning approach was explored in an…

  13. APA Council Reports.

    PubMed

    2015-10-01

    At the fall component meetings of the American Psychiatric Association in Crystal City, Va., September 9-12, 2015, the APA councils heard reports from their components. Following are summaries of the activities of the councils and their components.

  14. APA Council Reports.

    PubMed

    2016-10-01

    At the fall component meetings of the American Psychiatric Association in Crystal City, Va., September 14-17, 2016, the APA councils heard reports from their components. Following are summaries of the activities of the councils and their components.

  15. The Mobile Learning Network: Getting Serious about Games Technologies for Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Petley, Rebecca; Parker, Guy; Attewell, Jill

    2011-01-01

    The Mobile Learning Network currently in its third year, is a unique collaborative initiative encouraging and enabling the introduction of mobile learning in English post-14 education. The programme, funded jointly by the Learning and Skills Council and participating colleges and schools and supported by LSN has involved nearly 40,000 learners and…

  16. Adolescent development, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function, and programming of adult learning and memory.

    PubMed

    McCormick, Cheryl M; Mathews, Iva Z

    2010-06-30

    Chronic exposure to stress is known to affect learning and memory in adults through the release of glucocorticoid hormones by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In adults, glucocorticoids alter synaptic structure and function in brain regions that express high levels of glucocorticoid receptors and that mediate goal-directed behaviour and learning and memory. In contrast to relatively transient effects of stress on cognitive function in adulthood, exposure to high levels of glucocorticoids in early life can produce enduring changes through substantial remodeling of the developing nervous system. Adolescence is another time of significant brain development and maturation of the HPA axis, thereby providing another opportunity for glucocorticoids to exert programming effects on neurocircuitry involved in learning and memory. These topics are reviewed, as is the emerging research evidence in rodent models highlighting that adolescence may be a period of increased vulnerability compared to adulthood in which exposure to high levels of glucocorticoids results in enduring changes in adult cognitive function. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. 18 CFR 701.51 - The Council.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false The Council. 701.51 Section 701.51 Conservation of Power and Water Resources WATER RESOURCES COUNCIL COUNCIL ORGANIZATION Headquarters Organization § 701.51 The Council. Decisions of the Council are made as hereinafter described in...

  18. 18 CFR 701.51 - The Council.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false The Council. 701.51 Section 701.51 Conservation of Power and Water Resources WATER RESOURCES COUNCIL COUNCIL ORGANIZATION Headquarters Organization § 701.51 The Council. Decisions of the Council are made as hereinafter described in...

  19. 18 CFR 701.51 - The Council.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 2 2013-04-01 2012-04-01 true The Council. 701.51 Section 701.51 Conservation of Power and Water Resources WATER RESOURCES COUNCIL COUNCIL ORGANIZATION Headquarters Organization § 701.51 The Council. Decisions of the Council are made as hereinafter described in...

  20. 18 CFR 701.51 - The Council.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false The Council. 701.51 Section 701.51 Conservation of Power and Water Resources WATER RESOURCES COUNCIL COUNCIL ORGANIZATION Headquarters Organization § 701.51 The Council. Decisions of the Council are made as hereinafter described in...

  1. 18 CFR 701.51 - The Council.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false The Council. 701.51 Section 701.51 Conservation of Power and Water Resources WATER RESOURCES COUNCIL COUNCIL ORGANIZATION Headquarters Organization § 701.51 The Council. Decisions of the Council are made as hereinafter described in...

  2. A Model for Integrating Ambulatory Surgery Centers Into an Academic Health System Using a Novel Ambulatory Surgery Coordinating Council.

    PubMed

    Ishii, Lisa; Pronovost, Peter J; Demski, Renee; Wylie, Gill; Zenilman, Michael

    2016-06-01

    An increasing volume of ambulatory surgeries has led to an increase in the number of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Some academic health systems have aligned with ASCs to create a more integrated care delivery system. Yet, these centers are diverse in many areas, including specialty types, ownership models, management, physician employment, and regulatory oversight. Academic health systems then face challenges in integrating these ASCs into their organizations. Johns Hopkins Medicine created the Ambulatory Surgery Coordinating Council in 2014 to manage, standardize, and promote peer learning among its eight ASCs. The Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality provided support and a model for this organization through its quality management infrastructure. The physician-led council defined a mission and created goals to identify best practices, uniformly provide the highest-quality patient-centered care, and continuously improve patient outcomes and experience across ASCs. Council members built trust and agreed on a standardized patient safety and quality dashboard to report measures that include regulatory, care process, patient experience, and outcomes data. The council addressed unintentional outcomes and process variation across the system and agreed to standard approaches to optimize quality. Council members also developed a process for identifying future goals, standardizing care practices and electronic medical record documentation, and creating quality and safety policies. The early success of the council supports the continuation of the Armstrong Institute model for physician-led quality management. Other academic health systems can learn from this model as they integrate ASCs into their complex organizations.

  3. Assessing Students' Learning of Internal Controls: Closing the Loop

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Amer, T. S.; Mohrweis, Lawrence C.

    2009-01-01

    This study describes the multifaceted components of an assessment process. The paper explains a novel approach in which an advisory council participated in a "fun," hands-on activity to rank-order learning outcomes. The top ranked learning competency, as identified by the advisory council, was the need for students to gain a better…

  4. Migrant Adult Learners and Digital Literacy: Using DBR to Support Teaching and Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vanek, Jenifer B.

    2017-01-01

    This research explores the difficulties faced by many migrant, refugee, and immigrant adults confronted with technological ubiquity in economically developed countries. Preparing migrant adult learners for the digital world by building digital literacy skills can help to maintain home language proficiency, support English language learning, and…

  5. Andragogy for Teen and Young Adult Learners with Intellectual Disabilities: Learning, Independence, and Best Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bowman, Stephanie L.; Plourde, Lee A.

    2012-01-01

    Teens and young adults with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) meet the criteria of teen and adult learners chronologically, but may be deficient in many other areas of teen and adult learning. The spectrum of intellectual and adaptive capabilities among teens and adults with ID is vast, with each individual being unique. There are specific teaching…

  6. Subcategory learning in normal and language learning-disabled adults: how much information do they need?

    PubMed

    Richardson, Jessica; Harris, Laurel; Plante, Elena; Gerken, Louann

    2006-12-01

    The purpose of this experiment was to determine if nonreferential morphophonological information was sufficient to facilitate the learning of gender subcategories (i.e., masculine vs. feminine) in individuals with normal language (NL) and those with a history of language-based learning disabilities (HLD). Thirty-two adults listened for 18 min to a familiarization set of Russian words that included either 1 (single-marked) or 2 (double-marked) morphophonological markers indicating gender. Participants were then tested on their knowledge of both trained and untrained members of each gender subcategory. Testing indicated that morphophonological information is sufficient for lexical subcategory learning in both NL and HLD groups, although the HLD group had lower overall accuracy. The HLD group benefited from double-marking relative to single-marking for subcategory learning. The results demonstrated that learning through implicit mechanisms occurred after a relatively brief exposure to the language stimuli. In addition, the weaker overall learning by the HLD group was facilitated when multiple cues to linguistic subcategory were available in the input group members received.

  7. 75 FR 60411 - The Manufacturing Council: Meeting of the Manufacturing Council

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-30

    ...., Washington, DC, 20230, telephone: 202-482-4501, e-mail: [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration The Manufacturing Council: Meeting of the Manufacturing Council AGENCY: International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce...

  8. 78 FR 56658 - Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council); Public Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-13

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XC864 Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council); Public Meeting AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of public...

  9. Learned Attention in Adult Language Acquisition: A Replication and Generalization Study and Meta-Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ellis, Nick C.; Sagarra, Nuria

    2011-01-01

    This study investigates associative learning explanations of the limited attainment of adult compared to child language acquisition in terms of learned attention to cues. It replicates and extends Ellis and Sagarra (2010) in demonstrating short- and long-term learned attention in the acquisition of temporal reference in Latin. In Experiment 1,…

  10. Relationship between Health Literacy and Self-Directed Learning Readiness of Older Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dennis, Robin Justice

    2017-01-01

    The primary purpose of this study was to determine if the health literacy level of older adults, age 65 and older, and the self-directed learning readiness score were correlated. After data cleaning, the number of cases was below the recommended rule of thumb. Deletion of cases indicated by the analyst of the self-directed learning readiness score…

  11. What Pace Is Best? Assessing Adults' Learning from Slideshows and Video

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sage, Kara

    2014-01-01

    When acquiring information from a 2D platform, self-control and/or optimal pacing may help reduce cognitive load and enhance learning outcomes. In the present research, adults viewed novel action sequences via one of four learning media: (1) self-paced slideshows, where viewers advanced through slides at their own pace by clicking a mouse, (2)…

  12. Mindfulness, Adult Learning and Therapeutic Education: Integrating the Cognitive and Affective Domains of Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hyland, Terry

    2010-01-01

    Although it has been given qualified approval by a number of philosophers of education, the so-called "therapeutic turn" in education has been the subject of criticism by several commentators on post-compulsory and adult learning over the last few years. A key feature of this alleged development in recent educational policy is said to be the…

  13. Adult Learning and the Teaching of Evaluation: A Study of an Experiential Learning Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Preskill, Hallie

    The paper describes the development of a course on evaluation in business and industry, offered as part of a Master's program in Human Resource Development. Since the average age of the students was 36, special emphasis was placed on structuring the class to increase relevance to the students' working lives and to ways adults learn best. A brief…

  14. A neonicotinoid impairs olfactory learning in Asian honey bees (Apis cerana) exposed as larvae or as adults

    PubMed Central

    Tan, Ken; Chen, Weiwen; Dong, Shihao; Liu, Xiwen; Wang, Yuchong; Nieh, James C.

    2015-01-01

    Xenobiotics such as the neonicotinoid pesticide, imidacloprid, are used globally, but their effects on native bee species are poorly understood. We studied the effects of sublethal doses of imidacloprid on olfactory learning in the native honey bee species, Apis cerana, an important pollinator of agricultural and native plants throughout Asia. We provide the first evidence that imidacloprid can impair learning in A. cerana workers exposed as adults or as larvae. Adults that ingested a single imidacloprid dose as low as 0.1 ng/bee had significantly reduced olfactory learning acquisition, which was 1.6-fold higher in control bees. Longer-term learning (1-17 h after the last learning trial) was also impaired. Bees exposed as larvae to a total dose of 0.24 ng/bee did not have reduced survival to adulthood. However, these larval-treated bees had significantly impaired olfactory learning when tested as adults: control bees exhibited up to 4.8-fold better short-term learning acquisition, though longer-term learning was not affected. Thus, sublethal cognitive deficits elicited by neonicotinoids on a broad range of native bee species deserve further study. PMID:26086769

  15. Academic Learning Teams in Accelerated Adult Programs: Online and On-Campus Students' Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Favor, Judy K.; Kulp, Amanda M.

    2015-01-01

    This article reports adult students' (N = 632) perceptions of long-functioning academic learning teams in accelerated online and on-campus business cohort groups in six constructs: attraction to team, performance expectation alignment, workload distribution, intra-team conflict, preference for teamwork, and impact on learning. Comparisons between…

  16. Engaging Education: Integrating Work, Technology and Learning for Adults.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC.

    This guide is for Neighborhood Networks center staff and volunteers who want to learn how centers across the country are helping adults meet work force demands. It provides resources to work force development programs so examples can be tailored to meet the needs of other communities. It focuses on challenges that integrating academics and job…

  17. Radical Learning for Liberation. Maynooth Adult and Community Education Occasional Series Number 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Connolly, Brid, Ed.; Fleming, Ted, Ed.; McCormack, David, Ed.; Ryan, Anne, Ed.

    The six articles in this first issue comprise a critical discourse about theories, practices, and research with the intent of realizing the potential of adult learning to bring about social change. "Adult Education and Empowerment for Individual and Community Development" (Jack Mezirow) outlines and updates the author's transformation…

  18. Word learning in adults with second-language experience: effects of phonological and referent familiarity.

    PubMed

    Kaushanskaya, Margarita; Yoo, Jeewon; Van Hecke, Stephanie

    2013-04-01

    The goal of this research was to examine whether phonological familiarity exerts different effects on novel word learning for familiar versus unfamiliar referents and whether successful word learning is associated with increased second-language experience. Eighty-one adult native English speakers with various levels of Spanish knowledge learned phonologically familiar novel words (constructed using English sounds) or phonologically unfamiliar novel words (constructed using non-English and non-Spanish sounds) in association with either familiar or unfamiliar referents. Retention was tested via a forced-choice recognition task. A median-split procedure identified high-ability and low-ability word learners in each condition, and the two groups were compared on measures of second-language experience. Findings suggest that the ability to accurately match newly learned novel names to their appropriate referents is facilitated by phonological familiarity only for familiar referents but not for unfamiliar referents. Moreover, more extensive second-language learning experience characterized superior learners primarily in one word-learning condition: in which phonologically unfamiliar novel words were paired with familiar referents. Together, these findings indicate that phonological familiarity facilitates novel word learning only for familiar referents and that experience with learning a second language may have a specific impact on novel vocabulary learning in adults.

  19. Word learning in adults with second language experience: Effects of phonological and referent familiarity

    PubMed Central

    Kaushanskaya, Margarita; Yoo, Jeewon; Van Hecke, Stephanie

    2014-01-01

    Purpose The goal of this research was to examine whether phonological familiarity exerts different effects on novel word learning for familiar vs. unfamiliar referents, and whether successful word-learning is associated with increased second-language experience. Method Eighty-one adult native English speakers with various levels of Spanish knowledge learned phonologically-familiar novel words (constructed using English sounds) or phonologically-unfamiliar novel words (constructed using non-English and non-Spanish sounds) in association with either familiar or unfamiliar referents. Retention was tested via a forced-choice recognition-task. A median-split procedure identified high-ability and low-ability word-learners in each condition, and the two groups were compared on measures of second-language experience. Results Findings suggest that the ability to accurately match newly-learned novel names to their appropriate referents is facilitated by phonological familiarity only for familiar referents but not for unfamiliar referents. Moreover, more extensive second-language learning experience characterized superior learners primarily in one word-learning condition: Where phonologically-unfamiliar novel words were paired with familiar referents. Conclusions Together, these findings indicate that phonological familiarity facilitates novel word learning only for familiar referents, and that experience with learning a second language may have a specific impact on novel vocabulary learning in adults. PMID:22992709

  20. Reward-based spatial learning in unmedicated adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

    PubMed

    Marsh, Rachel; Tau, Gregory Z; Wang, Zhishun; Huo, Yuankai; Liu, Ge; Hao, Xuejun; Packard, Mark G; Peterson, Bradley S; Simpson, H Blair

    2015-04-01

    The authors assessed the functioning of mesolimbic and striatal areas involved in reward-based spatial learning in unmedicated adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Functional MRI blood-oxygen-level-dependent response was compared in 33 unmedicated adults with OCD and 33 healthy, age-matched comparison subjects during a reward-based learning task that required learning to use extramaze cues to navigate a virtual eight-arm radial maze to find hidden rewards. The groups were compared in their patterns of brain activation associated with reward-based spatial learning versus a control condition in which rewards were unexpected because they were allotted pseudorandomly to experimentally prevent learning. Both groups learned to navigate the maze to find hidden rewards, but group differences in neural activity during navigation and reward processing were detected in mesolimbic and striatal areas. During navigation, the OCD group, unlike the healthy comparison group, exhibited activation in the left posterior hippocampus. Unlike healthy subjects, participants in the OCD group did not show activation in the left ventral putamen and amygdala when anticipating rewards or in the left hippocampus, amygdala, and ventral putamen when receiving unexpected rewards (control condition). Signal in these regions decreased relative to baseline during unexpected reward receipt among those in the OCD group, and the degree of activation was inversely associated with doubt/checking symptoms. Participants in the OCD group displayed abnormal recruitment of mesolimbic and ventral striatal circuitry during reward-based spatial learning. Whereas healthy comparison subjects exhibited activation in this circuitry in response to the violation of reward expectations, unmedicated OCD participants did not and instead over-relied on the posterior hippocampus during learning. Thus, dopaminergic innervation of reward circuitry may be altered, and future study of anterior/posterior hippocampal