Adult Basic Education/Adult Secondary Education

Adult Learning Theory

Classroom Inquiry/Action Research

Cultural Competency

Counseling and Postsecondary Education Transitions

Distance Education

English as a Second Language

Evaluation

Learner Persistence

Learning Disabilities

Professional Development

Workforce Transitions

Adult Basic Education/Adult Secondary Education

Numeracy

• Research on Adult Numeracy Practice [PDF]
  Authors: Sandra Kerka, The Ohio State University, and Erik Jacobson, CALPRO, May 2006
  Click Summary to view details.

  This annotated bibliography highlights studies that focus on adult numeracy practice and pedagogy, including studies of specific classroom strategies.

Reading Instruction

• Adult Education Literacy Instruction: A Review of the Research [PDF]
  Authors: John R. Kruidenier, Charles A. MacArthur, and Heide S. Wrigley, October 2010
  Produced by Literacy Information and Communication System/National Institute for Literacy
  Click Summary to view details.

  This report is a follow–up to the original review of adult education reading instruction, Research–Based Principles for Adult Basic Education Reading Instruction [PDF] (2002). This new report presents findings from an analysis of reading instruction research base. It is designed as a resource for adult educators and reading researchers.

• Research Digest Series on Evidence–Based Reading Instruction
  Author: Sally Ianiro, CALPRO, June 2007
  Click Summary to view details.

  To help learners improve their reading skills, adult educators can draw on a research base in reading instruction that has evolved over the past two decades. This series of research digests, published by the California Department of Education and produced by CALPRO, presents emerging principles from that research base, which encompasses research in adult literacy as well as applicable research in the kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) arena.
  The following four digests provide an overview of the research on each component area as well as suggested teaching strategies. Taken together, they provide current information on what the research reveals about reading instruction.

  • Overview of Research Digest Series on Evidence-Based Reading Instruction [PDF]
  • Research Digest No. 5—Alphabetics: Research and Teaching Strategies [PDF]
  • Research Digest No. 6—Fluency: Research and Teaching Strategies [PDF]
  • Research Digest No. 7—Vocabulary: Research and Teaching Strategies [PDF]
  • Research Digest No. 8—Reading Comprehension: Research and Teaching Strategies [PDF]

Adult Learning Theory

• Applying Adult Learning Theory: Self–Directed Learning and Transformational Learning in the Classroom [PDF]
  Author: Sandra Kerka, The Ohio State University, January 2005
  Produced by California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project
  Click Summary to view details.

  Among the foundational learning theories used to guide practice in adult education are self–directed learning and transformative learning. Although both have been widely discussed and researched, only a small number of studies focus specifically on applying these theories to the experiences of learners in Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Educational Development (GED), or English as a Second Language (ESL). This brief describes implications of this research for practice with ABE, GED, and ESL learners.

• Research on Participatory Approaches to Adult Basic and Literacy Education [PDF]
  Authors: Sandra Kerka, The Ohio State University, and Erik Jacobson, CALPRO, January 2005
  Click Summary to view details.

  This annotated bibliography highlights readings that speak to the problem of defining participatory education ("what is it?") and the methods for putting this theory into practice ("how do you do it?").

Classroom Inquiry/Action Research

• Inquiry/Research Compendium [PDF]
  Authors: Renee Sherman, Kevin Green, Linda Taylor, and Ingrid Greenberg, American Institutes for Research, May 1997
  Click Summary to view details.

  The purpose of this compendium is to help practitioners become more familiar with inquiry/research. This objective is accomplished by providing adult educators with ideas about research topics, ways to fund research projects, and project contact persons for practitioners interested in exploring methods of inquiry/research further. Research projects contained in the compendium are organized by states; and within each state, specific projects are briefly described.

Cultural Competency

• Culturally Relevant Practice [PDF]
  Author: Amy Park, CALPRO, June 2008
  Click Summary to view details.

  This digest explores issues of culture and culturally relevant practice in adult education programs and suggests strategies for educators. It highlights studies that identify issues of cultural difference, and provides recommendations for making the practice of adult education more culturally relevant.

Counseling and Postsecondary Education Transitions

• Counseling and Postsecondary Education Transitions [PDF]
  Authors: Cherise G. Moore, Ph.D, June 2011
  Click Summary to view details.

  This article examines the role counseling plays in adult learner transitions from adult education programs to postsecondary education. In recent years, there has been a growth in the research on adult learner transitions to postsecondary education. In this brief, the research findings and recommendations are shared on the role of counselors in successfully transitioning adult learners to postsecondary education and ensuring they are successful in meeting their educational goals of entering postsecondary education.

Distance Education

• Distance Education and E–Learning: New Options for Adult Basic and English Language Education [PDF]
  Authors: Susan Imel, The Ohio State University, and Erik Jacobson, CALPRO, May 2006
  Click Summary to view details.

  Electronic learning, also known as e–learning, is characterized by the use of electronic technology to support learning and deliver instruction. E-learning can take place in conventional classrooms where learners and teachers are present physically, but it is commonly thought of as a model in which teachers and students are separated by time and/or space. This brief reviews ways that e–learning is used in distance education and provides recommendations for programs interested in this approach.

English as a Second Language

• Adult English Language Learners with Limited Literacy [PDF]
  Authors: Martha Bigelow and Robin Lovrien Schwarz, September 2010
  Produced by Literacy Information and Communication System/National Institute for Literacy
  Click Summary to view details.

  This paper reviews a variety of research, including that on language acquisition, literacy development in adults and children, cognition and brain functioning, adult education, and professional development.

• The Impact of a Reading Intervention for Low–Literate Adult ESL Learners
  Authors: Larry Condelli, Stephanie Cronen, Johannes Bos, American Institutes for Research, and Fannie Tseng and Jacklyn Altuna, Berkeley Policy Associates, December 2010
  Click Summary to view details.

  The report describes the implementation of Sam and Pat at 66 English as a second language (ESL) literacy classes with 1,137 adult ESL learners across ten sites in four states, compares the instruction and student attendance in Sam and Pat classes with that in the standard adult ESL classes, and examines the impact of Sam and Pat on reading and English language outcomes.

• The Northwest Practitioner Knowledge Institute: Reports and Resources [PDF]
  Author: Erik Jacobson, CALPRO, May 2006
  Click Summary to view details.

  CALPRO collaborated with the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy and the Portland State University Lab School as part of the Northwest Practitioner Knowledge Institute. After an introduction to the Lab School's research, practitioners developed and implemented research-based instructional strategies in their classrooms. This brief provides an overview of the project, participating teachers’ first-hand accounts of their research projects, and related resources.

Evaluation

• Evaluating Professional Development: A Framework for Adult Education [PDF]
  Authors: Mark Kutner, Renee Sherman, John Tibbetts, and Larry Condelli, American Institutes for Research, May 1997
  Click Summary to view details.

  This monograph presents a suggested framework, and specific practical strategies and procedures, for evaluating the impact of professional development activities. Specifically, the monograph is designed to promote professional development evaluations by assisting individuals interested in sponsoring, conducting, and participating in evaluations, including state staff, professional development agency staff, local administrators, and instructors.

• Evaluating Professional Development Resources: Selection and Development Criteria [PDF]
  Authors: Renee Sherman, Mike Dlott, Heather Bamford, Jennifer McGivern, and Marisa Cohn, American Institutes for Research, August 2003
  Click Summary to view details.

  This publication is designed to help the field assess the quality of resources and materials used in professional development for instructors and administrators and to provide guidelines for the development of quality resources. Such resources may include train–the–trainer modules, how-to guides, e-learning courses, monographs, and research reports.

• How Teachers Change: A Study of Professional Development in Adult Education [PDF]
  Editors: Erik Jacobson, CALPRO, and Sandra Kerka, The Ohio State University, January 2005
  Click Summary to view details.

  This is a summary of Smith, C., Hofer, J., et al. (2003). How teachers change: A study of professional development in adult education.

• Understanding and Applying Research in the Classroom: A Guide for Today’s Educators
  Produced by Literacy Information and Communication System/National Institute for Literacy, 2010
  Click Summary to view details.

  This free 30–60 minute self-paced online course introduces users to information about scientific research and its relevance to educational decision making.

Learner Persistence

• The California Adult Education Learner Persistence Project [PDF]
  Produced by California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project, October 2007
  Click Summary to view details.

  This publication presents the outcomes of a multi-year initiative on enhancing adult learner persistence. It addresses three distinct but related efforts on learner persistence: (1) the adult learner persistence Web site developed by the California Department of Education, (2) a field-based research initiative (FBRI) on learner persistence, and (3) site-based study circles on learner persistence. The purpose of each of these efforts was the same: to make available to California adult educators information about current research findings on learner persistence and to invite them to use the findings to design and implement interventions to enhance the persistence of their adult learners.

• Learner Persistence in Adult Basic Education [PDF]
  Author: Sandra Kerka, The Ohio State University, January 2005
  Produced by California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project
  Click Summary to view details.

  This research digest gives an overview of persistence from the learner’s point of view and studies that have identified specific ways to support persistence. The findings provide insights for structuring local practice in ways that may help more learners reach their goals.

Learning Disabilities

• Learning Disabilities in the Workplace: A Professional Development Packet [PDF]
  Authors: Mary Ann Corley and John Tibbetts, American Institutes for Research, May 2003
  Click Summary to view details.

  This professional development packet includes a facilitator’s guide, participant handouts, and presentation slides for raising awareness of learning disabilities and the characteristics and consequences of those disabilities in the workplace.

• Learning to Achieve: A Review of the Research Literature on Employment Experiences and Outcomes for Youth and Adults with Learning Disabilities [PDF]
  Author: Juliana Taymans, TATC Consulting, October 2010
  Produced by Literacy Information and Communication System/National Institute for Literacy
  Click Summary to view details.

  This review of research literature is intended to focus on adults in the areas of employment, adult education, and career development.

• Literacy, Employment, and Youth with Learning Disabilities: Aligning Workforce Policies and Programs [PDF]
  Authors: Marianne Mooney, MPR Associates, and Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, American Institutes for Research
  Produced by Literacy Information and Communication System/National Institute for Literacy, September 2010
  Click Summary to view details.

  This report defines learning disabilities and discusses the implications of the need for higher literacy skills for youth with learning disabilities, describes current challenges, offers examples of program models, and addresses the implications for developing workforce programming, policies, and practices for youth.

Professional Development

Click on subheading to expand text.

Competencies

Components of Professional Development

Facilitation Skills

Graduate Programs

Mentoring

Workforce Transitions

• Contextualization Toolkit: A Tool for Helping Low-Skilled Adults Gain Postsecondary Certificates and Degrees [PDF]
  Author: Rebecca Arnold, Jobs for the Future, 2010
  Click Summary to view details.

  This Toolkit translates the insights from the research into lessons learned for adult educators especially those in community colleges. The toolkit describes how to integrate career subject matter with precollege skills development, allowing adult learners to get started more quickly on their chosen career path. It features examples of contextualized instruction, strategies for student engagement, and suggestions for sustaining a contextualized course or program.

• Integrating Curriculum: Lessons for Adult Education and Career Technical Education [PDF]
  Authors: Kathleen Chernus and Donna Fowler, MPR Associates
  Produced by Literacy Information and Communication System/National Institute for Literacy, September 2010
  Click Summary to view details.

  This paper describes several efforts to incorporate integrated curricula in adult education for career advancement and further training or postsecondary education. The authors conclude that three approaches have promising prospects for expanding integrated curriculum efforts already under way in adult education.

• SCANS–Related, Project–Based Instruction in Adult Education: A Professional Development Packet [PDF]
  Authors: John Tibbetts, Renee Sherman, Judy Crocker, and Arthur Evans, American Institutes for Research, February 2000
  Click Summary to view details.

  This professional development packet includes a facilitator's guide, participant handouts, and presentation slides on the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) workplace competencies and project–based instruction.

• Workplace Readiness Guide [PDF]
  Authors: Judith Crocker, John Tibbetts, Renee Sherman, and Michael Dlott, American Institutes for Research, May 2002
  Click Summary to view details.

  This guide helps agencies assess their ability to design and deliver a workplace education program. The guide is divided into two sections—the instruction and the program administrative characteristics needed for program success.