This study sought to understand how teachers of Maltese as a foreign language (MFL) develop intercultural capabilities by exploring the importance of intercultural competence (IC) to MFL teachers, the characteristics of interculturally competent MFL educators, and the ways in which educators develop IC. The study adopted the interpretivist…

Accurate spelling matters for L2 learners: It facilitates communication, affects other aspects of the writing process, and is an important assessment criterion. However, even in phonologically transparent writing systems like Spanish, L2 learners experience spelling difficulties. Nonetheless, explicit spelling instruction appears to be neglected…

The present study investigated EFL adult learners' reasons behind learning English in a new setting with a mixed-design research methodology. The subjects of this study were forty adult English language learners, 20 males and 20 females, who were learning English as a foreign language in a private English language school in Istanbul. Necessary…

Adult learners have identified financial challenges in their pursuit of a college education. While it is understood that tuition and other educational expenses are among these challenges, perspectives on daily financial challenges and their impact on college-going are not as heavily represented in the literature. The purpose of this study was to…

This article presents the development, results, validation, and implications of the TRansformative Outcomes and PrOcesses Scale (TROPOS), a 30-item, exploratory instrument to assess transformative learning (TL) among participants in educational programs. Core findings include a reliable ([alpha] = 0.884) and internally valid instrument with…

With the turmoil and conflict that has been present in recent times, it is imperative that new methods of teaching are explored in order to produce emotionally secure and connected individuals. Social-emotional learning and whole learner education has emerged as a strategy to ensure that students are actively engaged in learning, the school, and…

The purpose of this mixed-methods sequential explanatory study was to investigate the effects of watching text-relevant video segments on reading comprehension of a culturally unfamiliar text when technical words are present or absent. Therefore, 44 adult English Language Learners (ELLs) with higher-intermediate to advanced English language…

In a youth-oriented culture, individuals in midlife who are facing 30-40 years of life after full-time employment are redefining retirement. As people are healthier, living longer, and desire to contribute to society in meaningful ways, college and university administrators have the opportunity to create innovative programs that align with…

There are 44 million adults over the age of 24 who hold a high school diploma, and another 35 million adults who have some college credit, but have not earned their college degree. These numbers make adult learners a viable population to attract and matriculate at community colleges. Considering the impact adult learners would have on enrollment…

At the study site school for this research, the online curriculum in the current blended learning program was not promoting the desired student achievement outcomes. It was unknown if and how research-based best practices associated with blended learning were being implemented. This qualitative case study explored which elements of blended…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how military spouse learners in the online learning environment describe their experiences with cognitive dissonance and the ways they realign their cognition, attitudes, or behaviors of preconceived expectations with their actual experiences in the Southeastern United States. The…

This study sought to respond to the increased number of mature students in social work education and the understudied topic of their experiences. The research deployed semi- structured interviews and thematic analysis to explore the benefits, challenges, and needs of mature students (N = 19) over the age of 30 in a Canadian Bachelor of Social Work…

As student loans, the cost of college tuition, and even value of higher education remain at the forefront of public discussion, one thing remains true: Affordability is central to adult learners' academic success, and money is one of the primary reasons why adult learners stop out before they graduate. This report takes a deep dive into the…

This is the executive summary for the study "How They Pay: The Voices of Adult Learners on College Affordability, and How Institutions are Responding." The study is based on data from a national survey of 996 adult learners, in-depth interviews with 47 adults from 14 institutions, and interviews with financial aid personnel from six of…

Decades of research related to the experience of postsecondary students who are adults, work full-time, or have other life roles have not led to agreement in the field regarding who is a "nontraditional" college student. This study leverages nationally representative data to illuminate shifts in this student population in the 21st…