Adult Education Quarterly

There may be adult educators who wish to alleviate social inequalities but whose practices are wedded to human capital theory In this article, it is argued that educational practices based wholly or partly on human capital theory are unlikely to alleviate social inequities because the theory spawns pedagogical practices that are apolitical, adaptive, and individualistic. By alerting adult educators of the ominous pedagogical implications of human capital theory, it is hoped that they will distance themselves from it and embrace more socially responsible alternatives.

Although the ethics of practice has become increasingly visible in the adult education literature over the past two decades, little empirical research has been done to inform the dialogue and debate. The purpose of this study was to examine the views of adult education practitioners in British Columbia about the need for a code of ethics and about the ethical issues, concerns, and dilemmas experienced in their practice. The study was an approximate replication of research carried out in Indiana reported by McDonald and Wood. This study was undertaken to broaden the empirical database within adult education, provide further insight into the ethics of practice, and determine similarities and differences between Canadian and American adult educators in their encounters with ethical issues and their views about codes of ethics. Major findings confirm positive practitioner views about codes of ethics and are generally consistent with the findings reported by McDonald and Wood.

Building on the work of Cervero and Wilson and Yang, this multivariate study examined the relationships between contextual factors (power and conflict in the adult education planning relationship), individual factors (perceived problem-solving effectiveness and years of experience as an educational planner), and different influencing tactics used in adult education program planning. Participants were students and faculty members from multiple adult education graduate programs in North America. Results indicated that in conflicted planning situations, counteracting was favored as an influencing tactic over reasoning and consulting. In consensual planning situations, reasoning and consulting were favored, and counteracting was deemed ineffective. Program planners may benefit from a greater understanding of the power and influencing tactics used in different situations. Further work can better identify and measure the factors that are most critical when negotiating power and interests. Future research should focus on enhancing instrument reliability and validity, clarifying the theoretical model, and using a broader sample of program planners.

This study investigated aspects of metacognition and motivation that may distinguish the learning processes of adults in higher education from those of traditional-age students. Developmental changes in metacognitive and motivational variables and their relationship to course performance were examined for traditional-age (18-23 years) and nontraditional-age (24-64 years) male and female college students, who completed self-report measures of study skills, motivation, and memory ability. Older students reported more use of two higher level study strategies: generation of constructive information and hyperprocessing. Negative correlations, especially for male students, were found between reported use of several strategies and midterm course performance. Developmental changes in the efficiency of strategy use and the lack of a match between strategy use and the type of course assessment are discussed as possible explanations for these findings. Findings of the study suggest that educators in higher education will need to respond pedagogically to differences in the motivation and learning processes of nontraditional students.