What drives working adults to be lifelong learners? Determinants and patterns of adult education participation in the United States

With the recent shifts in the global economy, many scholars and policymakers are in broad agreement on the importance of lifelong learning practices in the occupational sphere. In response, there has been growing academic interest in adult education participation in which working adults acquire knowledge and skills to fulfill the ever-changing needs of the world of work. Many researchers have revealed that participating in adult education provides a wide array of benefits for individuals, organizations, and society. Yet, despite the increased research efforts, empirical findings are still inconclusive on what contextual factors most decisively or relatively importantly contribute to determining and patterning working adults’ participation in adult education. In this context, this study is conducted to present a holistic picture of adult education participation. To that end, the purpose of this study is to re-examine the determinants and patterns of adult education participation of working adults by leveraging emerging analytic techniques to capture population-level insights on (1) what drives participation in adult education and (2) how discrete patterns in adult education participation emerge. The data is drawn from the 2017 U.S. Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). The total sample size was 1,283 respondents aged 25 to 65 years old who had work experience in the last 12 months. Outcome measures were formal adult education and training (AET), non-formal AET, and informal learning, all of which indicate three major pillars of adult education participation. The selected 19 independent variables represent working adults’ individual-level (i.e., demographic information, human capital, and learning-related socio-psychological states) and work-related contexts. Through the random forest classifiers (RFCs) technique, one of the machine learning algorithms, this study identified important factors associated with participation in adult education. In addition, latent class analysis (LCA) was applied to investigate discrete patterns of adult education participation among sub-groups of working adults that share similar profiles of individual-level and work-related characteristics. According to the results obtained from RFCs models, first, skills proficiency and/or utilization appeared to be the far most critical influencers across every type of adult education participation. Second, education level and monthly income were the common salient predictors across types of adult education participation. Third, predictors explaining adult education participation somewhat varied depending on the types of adult education. By applying the LCA approach, this study identified four latent classes of working adults in adult education participation: (1) low-participation learners, (2) high-participation learners, (3) informal learners, and (4) structured learners. Moreover, the results demonstrated that the broader separation of working adults’ participation in adult education itself was strongly affected by situational and institutional contexts, whereas individual preference or selection across types of adult education relies on personal demographics and human capital. Based on the findings, this study concluded with several discussions and implications for research, policy, and practice

Learning experiences and college access of American workers: Evidence from PIAAC

Using the U.S. data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), this study aims to explore how work-related learning experiences of working adults influence their sub-baccalaureate or baccalaureate degree-seeking in higher education institutions (HEIs). Given many jobs in the U.S. that require higher education credentials, we examined how formal and informal work-related learning experiences are associated with the college access of working adults who have a high school diploma. The multinomial logistic regression results show that work flexibility, distance learning, and private learning experience are positively related to working adults’ college access. Based on the findings, implications for policy and practice were discussed on how industry and organizations could support working adults’ learning opportunities in the workplace and HEIs

Towards a Typology of Learning Workers: Latent Class Analysis of Adult Education Participation in the United States

This study identifies a typology of learning workers by investigating profiles of individuals participating in adult education. Using latent class analysis, we examined four classes and their associations with covariates

The Determinants of Adult Education and Training Participation in the US: A Machine Learning Approach

This study aims to explore the determinants of adult education and training (AET) participation of working adults. Through random forest analysis, we discovered important factors contributing to AET participation

An Analysis of Research Trends in Brain-based Learning in Adult Education and HRD Fields: The Content Analysis and Network Text Analysis

The purpose of this study is to address the trends of the research on brain-based learning and to present an integrative theoretical framework to provide new insights and future directions in adult education and HRD fields. Based on the neuroscientific perspective, the implications of which the ways to conceptually broaden educational research and practice were discussed

Rapid Hydrothermal Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanowires by Annealing Methods on Seed Layers

Well-aligned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire arrays were successfully synthesized on a glass substrate using the rapid microwave heating process. The ZnO seed layers were produced by spinning the precursor solutions onto the substrate. Among coatings, the ZnO seed layers were annealed at 100°C for 5 minutes to ensure particle adhesion to the glass surface in air, nitrogen, and vacuum atmospheres. The annealing treatment of the ZnO seed layer was most important for achieving the high quality of ZnO nanowire arrays as ZnO seed nanoparticles of larger than 30 nm in diameter evolve into ZnO nanowire arrays. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed a single-crystalline lattice of the ZnO nanowires. Because of their low power (140 W), low operating temperatures (90°C), easy fabrication (variable microwave sintering system), and low cost (90% cost reduction compared with gas condensation methods), high quality ZnO nanowires created with the rapid microwave heating process show great promise for use in flexible solar cells and flexible display devices

Application of Virtual and Augmented Reality to the Field of Adult Education

This research reviews the extant literature and web resources on Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to provide new insights and future direction of adult learning. Based on the review, we discuss implications for research and practice on the use of VR and AR in the field of Adult Education

The ascending reticular activating system from pontine reticular formation to the thalamus in the human brain

Introduction: Action of the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) on the cerebral cortex is responsible for achievement of consciousness. In this study, we attempted to reconstruct the lower single component of the ARAS from the reticular formation (RF) to the thalamus in the normal human brain using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Methods: Twenty six normal healthy subjects were recruited for this study. A 1.5-T scanner was used for scanning of diffusion tensor images, and the lower single component of the ARAS was reconstructed using FMRIB software. We utilized two ROIs for reconstruction of the lower single component of the ARAS: the seed ROI - the RF of the pons at the level of the trigeminal nerve entry zone, the target ROI - the intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus at the level of the commissural plane. Results: The reconstructed ARAS originated from the pontine RF, ascended through the mesencephalic tegmentum just posterior to the red nucleus, and then terminated on the intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus. No significant differences in fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, and tract number were observed between hemispheres (P>0.05) Conclusion: We reconstructed the lower single component of the ARAS from the RF to the thalamus in the human brain using DTI. The results of this study might be of value for the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with impaired consciousness. © 2013 Yeo, Chang and Jang.1

Characteristics of the aberrant pyramidal tract in comparison with the pyramidal tract in the human brain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aberrant pyramidal tract (APT) refers to the collateral pathway of the pyramidal tract (PT) through the medial lemniscus in the midbrain and pons. Using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT), we investigated the characteristics of the APT in comparison with the PT in the normal human brain.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In thirty-four (18.3%, right hemisphere: 20, left hemisphere: 14) of the 186 hemispheres, the APTs separated from the PT at the upper midbrain level, descended through the medial lemniscus from the midbrain to the pons, and then rejoined with the PT at the upper medulla. Nine (26.5%) of the 34 APTs were found to originate from the primary somatosensory cortex without a primary motor cortex origin. Values of fractional anisotropy (FA) and tract volume of the APT were lower than those of the PT (<it>P </it>< 0.05); however, no difference in mean diffusivity (MD) value was observed (<it>P ></it>0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We found that the APT has different characteristics, including less directionality, fewer neural fibers, and less origin from the primary motor cortex than the PT.</p