ABSTRACT
Summary: Insights from North American research about the continuing education of adults can help North American practitioners (teachers, administrators, policy-makers) increase their effectiveness, and can suggest similar developments for practitioners in other nations. The discussion is arranged under four headings — adults as learners, programme development, administration, and the field of continuing education.
Adult development and learning includes attention to developmental trends and adjustments regarding performance in family, work, community, and education; change events; personality; learning ability and dynamics; physical condition; and societal expectations.
Programme development includes attention to analysis of setting, assessment of needs, establishment of educational objectives, selection and organization of learning activities, and programme evaluation. Both planning and implementation are included.
Administration includes at least six general components in addition to programme development and agency functioning. They are personal qualities, attraction and retention of participants, acquisition and allocation of resources, staff selection and development, leadership and using research.
An understanding of the field of continuing education contributes to continuity, a sense of direction, constructive relationships with other providers, recognition of societal influences, and resource identification.
Each section concludes with suggestions for research, and the article itself concludes with suggestions regarding future directions with implications for research and policy. The references embrace most of the research on continuing education of adults that has been conducted in the United States and Canada.
