John R. Rachal

ANDRAGOGY'S DETECTIVES: A CRITIQUE OF THE PRESENT AND A PROPOSAL FOR THE FUTURE

The empirical literature examining the efficacy of andragogy remains, after over three decades, both inconclusive and beset by considerable variability in definition, resulting in differing approaches to andragogy’s implementation. This empirical record, residing largely in unread dissertations, is critiqued with a view toward establishing criteria for an operational, researchable, consensus-based definition of Knowles’ famous formulation. Seven such criteria are offered. Whether these—or other—criteria reach a kind of critical mass of agreement for future investigators is open for further discussion. But the current muddle of definitions and implementations has effectually stalled research. Unless that discussion reaches some approximate consensus, adult education’s most familiar and most debated theory will remain a fragmented article of faith at best, a fond illusion at worst.

Efficacy of a Computer-Assisted Instruction Program in a Prison Setting: An Experimental Study

The efficacy of using computer-assisted instruction (CAI) with inmates participating in a prison education program was examined through an experimental study. The researchers sought to address and correct many of the methodological flaws commonly present among studies that compare a CAI-plus-traditional-instruction combination to traditional-instruction alone. Seventy-one inmates were randomly assigned to either an experimental group that received a CAI-plus-traditional-instruction combination, or a control group that received traditional instruction only. Achievement scores of inmates in the experimental group were not significantly higher than those in the control group.

Computer-Assisted Instruction in Adult Basic and Secondary Education: A Review of the Experimental Literature, 1984-1992

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in the adult basic and secondary education setting continues to attract the attention of researchers attempting to examine its effects compared to traditional methods not including CAI. All of the reviewed studies utilized control (non-CAI) and experimental (CAI) groups, and most examined any differences in reading, math, and/or other areas of achievement for statistical significance. A few investigations examined attitudes towards computers as well as achievement gains. Of 12 studies meeting the criteria for review, six indicated no statistically significant differences in achievement, two had mixed results, one had significance favorable to CAI, one had significance favorable to traditional methods, and two failed to report statistical significance. Implications are discussed.

Adult Reading Achievement Comparing Computer-Assisted and Traditional Approaches: A Comprehensive Review of the Experimental Literature

Abstract Since the arrival of personal computers in 1977, several adult basic and secondary education (ABSE) researchers and practitioners have sought to examine the efficacy of computer‐assisted instruction (CAI) to teach reading in the ABSE setting. A much smaller number have utilized quasi‐experimental methods to compare an experimental (CAI) group to a group using more traditional instructional methods. Twenty‐one studies from 1979 to the present examined adult reading achievement or a closely related variable such as language arts by comparing CAI and non‐CAI groups of adults functioning at levels ranging from non‐readers to GED test‐takers. This study attempts to review this literature both to examine the current status of CAI research with this population and to provide program planners with information concerning the use of CAI. Despite considerable variability in design sophistication and clarity of reporting, ten of the 21 studies found no statistically significant differences between the two me...

We’ll Never Turn Back: Adult Education and the Struggle for Citizenship in Mississippi’s Freedom Summer

In the summer of 1964, several civil rights organizations, led by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), formed a coalition and conducted a voter registration and educational program in Mississippi which was originally called the Summer Project but became known later as Freedom Summer, Continuing the civil rights work that preceded it, Freedom Summer was distinguished by its organized, state-wide, and highly public attempt to promote its three-pronged educational program of Freedom Schools, community centers, and voter registration and by the recruitment of several hundred out-of-state student volunteers to implement the program. Adult education played a critical role in the schools, the centers, and the voter registration work and included literacy education, practical skills, and political awareness. Paulo Freire’s work in adult education in Brazil and his paradigm of critical consciousness provide an intriguing historical parallel as well as a useful theoretical frame from which to analyze the adult education component of the Summer Project. Confronted with verbal, legal, and sometimes violent hostility, Freedom Summer sought to use education and moral suasion to give democracy and citizenship a more genuine meaning.

We'll Never Turn Back: Adult Education and the Struggle for Citizenship in Mississippi's Freedom Summer

In the summer of 1964, several civil rights organizations, led by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, formed a coalition and conducted a voter registration and educational program in Mississippi, which became known as Freedom Summer Continuing the civil rights work that preceded it, Freedom Summer was distinguished by its organized, statewide, and highly public attempt to promote its three-pronged educational program of freedom schools, community centers, and voter registration, and by the recruitment of several hundred out-of-state student volunteers to implement the program. Adult education played a critical role in the schools, the centers, and the voter registration work, and included literacy education, practical skills, and political awareness. Paulo Freires work in adult education in Brazil and his paradigm of critical consciousness provide an intriguing historical parallel as well as a useful theoretical frame from which to analyze the adult education component of the Summer Project. Confronted with verbal, legal, and sometimes violent hostility, Freedom Summer sought to use education and moral suasion to give democracy and citizenship a more genuine meaning.

“When We Learn Better, We Do Better”: Describing Changes in Empowerment Through Photovoice Among Community Health Advisors in a Breast and Cervical Cancer Health Promotion Program in Mississippi and Alabama

As change agents in the community, community health advisors (CHAs) are a viable solution to bridge the gap between health service delivery systems and the community. With many CHAs members of the underserved and minority populations they serve, change and empowerment experienced by CHAs should be documented. This phenomenological study describes the empowerment change processes of 30 African American CHAs who participated in focus groups that used photovoice, and were part of a breast and cervical cancer health promotion program in Mississippi and Alabama. Using photos and narratives as primary research methods, these CHAs gave voice to an often-overlooked resource in the improvement of vulnerable populations in the education and promotion of the community’s health.

The Commission of Professors of Adult Education 2008 Standards as Evidenced in the Curricula of Doctoral Education in North America

In 2008, the Commission of Professors of Adult Education approved and published Standards for Graduate Programs in Adult Education, an update of the 1986 Standards. Using the program websites of the 37 North American programs ascertained to have doctoral programs in the field, this study evaluated all programs’ course descriptions for compliance with the nine “core topical areas” recommended for doctoral programs. Three evaluators (one new adult education PhD, one emeritus professor of adult education, and a professional evaluator and statistician with no background in adult education) found that collectively the 37 programs met 65.8% of standards by having courses which included the topical areas, with a 95.8% agreement among raters after discussion following independent assessments. All programs met at least two standards, but only two met all nine. Aggregate compliance data and implications for curricular review and development are presented.

Gutenberg, Literacy, and the Ancient Arts of Memory.

Adult educators have devoted considerable attention to the issues of memory and literacy, but very little of it has been historical in its perspective. The article surveys the spread of literate culture in Western Europe and especially England and the decline of the ancient arts of Memory, both greatly attributable to the advent of printing. The proliferation of print and the growth of literacy obviated the need for the ingenious mnemonic techniques of Cicero, Quintilian, and the anonymous author of Ad Herrenium, as well as the collective and sometimes mythic memory which served as historical archive. It is argued that these two strands of current adult education research-memory and literacy-not only have intriguing historical roots but are closely intertwined.

Community College and University Instructor Consistency in the Evaluation of Freshman English Themes.

Several researchers have noted the variability among teachers in the grading of essays. Previous research has not attempted, however, to compare separate institutional settings. Because the regular English composition course at public two‐year colleges is transferable to four‐year public colleges, a comparison of the grading predilections of English faculty from both settings was undertaken. Each instructor was asked to mark and grade a set of five themes (the instrument). Means and standard deviations were determined, and ANOVA indicated the grading differences between the two settings were significant at the .05 level on all five themes and the grand total means. Though relatively consistent among themselves, community college instructors (N=19) were more than a letter grade more lenient than university instructors (N = 17) when all grades from each setting, referred to as the grand total mean, were averaged. University graders were most consistent on what they considered the two worst themes, whereas c...