The Role of the Adult Educator in Eliminating Internal Psychological Barriers in Adult Learning

Abstract

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and significance of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and review and report on education activities in foreign countries. NCES activities are designed to address high priority education data needs; provide consistent, reliable, complete, and accurate indicators of education status and trends; and report timely, useful, and high quality data to the U.S. Department of Education, the Congress, the states, other education policymakers, practitioners, data users, and the general public. We strive to make our products available in a variety of formats and in language that is appropriate to a variety of audiences. You, as our customer, are the best judge of our success in communicating information effectively.

Peer Assessment in Adult Education: Challenges and Opportunities

“…-PA increases awareness of the subject, including that didn't understand or overlooked; -PA informs whether everyone understands in the same way thus reducing misunderstandings (Goulão & Menedez, 2015); -PA shows the ability to interpret tasks and solutions differently based on own experience, and different ways of thinking (Kilickaya, 2017); -others' performance in PA can be an example of improving own work (Reinholz, 2016); -in PA new knowledge is applied in practice both when carrying out a task and when assessing peer task; -PA encourages valuable and interesting discussions about task, experience (Panadero, Jonsson, & Alqassab, 2018); -PA provides a view from the sidelines because it's hard to spot the flaws of own work (Van der Berg, Admiraal, & Pilot, 2006); -PA is an opportunity to learn to listen the objective criticism and to improve communication (Gennip, Segers, & Tillema, 2009). The set of peer assessment challenges similarly obtained from statements: -PA difficulty with unfamiliar people because it's impossible to know how they to take criticism (Rowe & Fitness, 2018); PA is risky for people with low self-esteem (Rowe & Fitness, 2018); -lack of communication skills (Topping, 2017); -excitement on how others will assess the work; -inappropriate PA: too loyal or too harsh criticism, lack of objectivity or lack of knowledge on the specific nature of the sector (Gennip, Segers, & Tillema, 2009); It appears that some of the opportunities are also identified as challenges because adult learners have very different skill levels and experience (Hodgson, & Kambouri, 1999;Ivanova, 2016;Pastogianni & Koutsoukos, 2018). These sets of peer assessment characteristics allow conclusions and recommendations to be drawn up.…”

“…For adult learners it is difficult to accept that previously acquired knowledge and adopted concepts no longer apply. Changing of knowledge, awareness and skills is a difficult and often painful process (Pastogianni & Koutsoukos, 2018). The impact of emotional experiences on motivation and behavior is discussed.…”

“…In regards to different roles of adult educator, it is specified that it is important to become an active contributor on improving the context for adults as lifelong learners by research (Hodgson & Kambouri, 1999;Pastogianni & Koutsoukos, 2018).…”

How mathematical dispositions of adult learners play a role in their STEM choices

“…However, just like their traditional counterparts, adult learners as a group are likely to possess some unproductive dispositions toward learning. Pastogianni and Koutsoukos (2018) explain that many adult learners possess psychological barriers, or unproductive dispositions, ranging from crystallized perspectives on the learning process to test‐ and performance anxiety. Adult learners can also internalize ageist societal stereotypes regarding their memory, fit in higher education, and technological skills (Chonody, 2015; Fragosa & Fonseca, 2022; Sabri et al., 2022; Simi & Matusitz, 2016).…”

“…Students who hold a growth mindset in mathematics are significantly more likely to have higher mathematics achievement outcomes (Blackwell et al., 2007; Boaler, 2013; Dweck, 2014). While the literature on adult learners’ mindset in mathematics is sparse, the work by Pastogianni and Koutsoukos (2018) suggests they may be more likely to hold a fixed mindset.…”