Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education)

Learning in Adulthood is one of those "classic" text/reference books i.e., the kind that you actually read and return to time and again. I am particularly taken by the way the authors summarize the major thinking in the various content areas. They extract the key thoughts of hundreds of research works, compare and contrast, synthesize. They are careful to present dissenting views. Most of their references are recent. I also like the fact that their own voices are heard and they are strong, experienced voices. This is an ideal source book for graduate students that are writing or will be writing a thesis or dissertation.

This book does a very good job in describing the history of adult learning processess, the various methods of same, and philosophical perspectives of how and why adults seek education in later life. It sets one up to make their own judgements on what is important to the field of adult education and how those important issues should be addressed. The book also makes good points about the probable effects of the changing demographics on educating older adults. Excellent read for teachers, students, sociologists, and counselers.

John Zapata
Plant City, Fl.

An all-inclusive study of adult learning by two of the field's leading writers, this text covers substantial ground in exploring the theory and practice of its subject. All facets of learning are covered: psychological, social context, process, theories, models, and key concepts. The book provides up-to-date information on topics such as andragogy, self-directed learning, and transformational learning, and on important background theories like post-modernism, feminism, emotional intelligence, spirituality, and critical theory. The text is enriched with tables and diagrams, 69 pages of references, and author and subject indices. The authors' personal reflections on ethics and the integration of theory and practice help enliven the factual chapters. This rich text is arguably the most important single-source resource in the field of adult learning. Never far from reach (I refer to it as my "bible"), seldom a day goes by when I do not refer to it for clarification of a theory or concept, to discover background reading, or to compare or cross-reference resources. Easy to read and offering depth as well as breadth, adult educators of all stripes-students at all levels, novice and veteran practitioners-can benefit from this book. I am pressed to think of a single negative remark-only that it will grow dated quickly if it is not regularly revised (nearly a decade lapsed between the 1st and 2nd editions), as the adult learning field is in a growth spurt and changing rapidly.

I'm doctoral student and I found this volume extremely useful for getting to the primary resources in the topics of interest. Previuosly I've studied the 2nd edition and it was very good. But the 3rd ed. I like ver much, as it expanded my approch to some new issues in adult education. I'd highly recommend this Guide to everyone who wants to get an understanding about tendencies in AE and who's watching for valuable reference resource in AE

I bought this book for a masters study class because it was half the price they were going to charge me at the book store. This book is well written and easy to read. I have read other books by Merriam and they were not this well put together, but I would recommend this book.