Research on social emotional learning (SEL) and employability skills has shown positive outcomes for learners over the past three decades. They both represent skills and competencies that are important for adult learners in gaining workplace success. However, rather than focusing on each set of competencies separately in instruction, adult…

This study used PIAAC process data to examine time-related allocation patterns (time for the first action, total time, last action) of low-skilled, relative to higher-skilled, adults on digital literacy items. Results suggest that less-skilled (Level 2) and higher skilled adults (Levels 3-5) exhibited similar time allocation patterns; however,…

History tells the Civil Rights struggle through the lens of Selma, Alabama. Bloody Sunday, an event that galvanized a generation, provided the background for an interdisciplinary team of scholars, educators, local historians, and community members to focus on place-based learning experiences and explore civil rights education. The Selma event is…

Prior learning assessment (PLA) supports student persistence, shortens time-to-degree, and boosts degree completion, particularly for post-traditional (adult or non-traditional) students and underserved populations. This proceeding examines an innovative approach to PLA using block credit. Administered within the award-winning Department of…

Nearly all incarcerated adults will eventually be released to reenter communities and rebuild their lives. The literature indicates half of re-entering adults return to prison within five years and recidivism is higher for adults with low education attainment. The aim of this paper is to add to existing knowledge on incarcerated adult…

A legislatively regulated and self-regulating profession, such as nursing, holds its members (registered nurses) accountable to the public it serves for the continuous development of the competencies they profess to hold. A requirement for competency is lifelong learning and can be evidenced through certification. In this paper, the…

The research team examined the associations between adult education and training (AET) participation, educational attainment, literacy skills, gender, race, and ethnicity among the U.S. adult population aged 25- to 65-years old (n = 5,450). As more women and racial/ethnic minorities make educational and economic advancements, it is important to…

Research on adult English learners (ELs) typically focuses on language-related skills. However, adult ELs may also need instruction in numeracy to navigate daily life or understand health information. Little is known about how ELs use numeracy skills in their home lives and connections of skill use with related electronic numeracy skills. This…

The need for adult education and training (AET) is substantial, as labour markets require advanced skills. We used data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) for Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United States (U.S.) to compare participation in AET by high- and low-skilled adults.…

Despite a highly developed U.S. adult education system, 90% of adults aged 20 years and older considered the least educated did not participate recently in formal or nonformal education. What are nonparticipants' characteristics, learning backgrounds, and skill levels? What predicts their likelihood of "not" participating in recent…

This paper investigates how the peer agent's learning competency affects English learners' reading, engagement, system self-efficacy, and attitudes toward the peer agent in a trialogue-based intelligent tutoring system (ITS). Participants learned a summarizing reading strategy in the compare-contrast text structure in the ITS. Results detected the…

This study examined how literacy skills and nativity status (foreign-born vs. U.S. born) are associated with motivation to learn (MtL). Nationally representative data (N = 8,670) of adults between the ages of 18 years old and older years were obtained from the 2012/2014 Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). Structural…

The demand for adult training opportunities is substantial as labor markets often require adult workers to obtain advanced skills. Opportunities to obtain advanced skills are often pursued by high-income and high-skilled workers whereas low-skilled or low-income adult workers are less likely to participate. For this study, we used data from the…

Because Literacy and Essential Skills are so important to economic development, it is vital to know the competencies needed by the educators who deliver Literacy and Essential Skills programming. Likewise, Literacy and Essential Skills are crucial for labour market attachment. Low-skilled work has been most affected by technological change. There…

The high dependence on technology for economic activities in developed countries stresses the importance of lifelong learning in order to equip adult workers with the skills required to perform work related tasks, and also increase labor force participation. We use data from the 2012/2014 Program for the International Assessment of Adult…