ESSERT, 1953

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Adult Education: An OverviewAuthor(s): Paul L. EssertSource: Review of Educational Research, Vol. 23, No. 3, Adult Education (Jun., 1953), pp. 195-201Published by: American Educational Research AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1169051 .Accessed: 28/09/2013 01:09

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CHAPTER I

Adult Education-An OverviewPAUL L. ESSERT

SINCE Spence's summary (37) of evidences of growing pubilc interest inadult education up to and including 1949, Overstreet's Mature Mind (33)has had wide popular as well as professional reading. This has been botha practical demonstration of public interest and a contributing factor toit, for it undoubtedly made an impression on adults of the nation thatmaturing in adulthood called for continuing study of one's self and hiscultural relationships.

In Chapter VII of this issue of the REVIEW, oule points out that onlya modest beginning has been made in adult education in the collection ofbasic data from which generalizations may be made about growth, eitherin quantity or quality of participation. However, during the period underreview some studies of a statistical nature have appeared together withsome less exact estimates, which make it safe to generalize-both overlong and short periods-that public interest in most areas of adult educa-tion is increasing.

Essert's study (17) of the growth trends in all specializations over the

past quarter of a century is helpful, tho based upon a synthesis of statis-tical and nonstatistical data. This study estimated an increase of adultparticipants in all forms of adult education, from approximately 14 millionin 1924 to 30 million in 1950, or over 100 percent increase. Essert con-cluded that wars, depressions, inflations, and other political and socialevents produced no serious changes in the general upward trend of num-bers of adults participating, but rather resulted in shifts in sources ofcontrol and support, and changes in interests of participants and uses ofthe learning experience.

A much more reliable study of growth in participation on a nationalscale, tho limited to urban public-school and junior-college adult educa-tion, was that of the NEA Division of Adult Education Service (31). Thisstudy estimated that in 1951 there were over 5 million people enrolled inadult-education offerings of public schools and public junior colleges.During the five-year period 1947 thru 1951 this represented an increaseof 51.2 percent in the public schools, while the junior-college enrolmentsin adult education more than doubled during the same period.

Studies of other agencies and areas of specialization more concernedwith qualitative than with quantitative analyses of trends have sometimesincluded some statistical data applicable to the period under review, orhave generalized that interest has increased without giving statisticaldocumentation. Some studies of this nature include reports by Lyle andKehm (29) on trends in education for family living; Prendergast andKessel (34) in the recreational fields; Kerrison (26) in labor education

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in universities and colleges; Leigh (27) in public libraries; and Bliss,Symons, and Schruben (11) in the cooperative extension services of

agriculture and home economics.

Qualitative Trends

Several efforts have been made to penetrate the evidence of growth innumbers of adults participating in education to discover underlying cur-rents of direction and purpose. Durrie (16) summarized observable trendsin a symposium of articles written by authorities in various fields ofspecialization, including the following: Coit and others (15) in workers'education, Calver (14) in fundamental education,

Shangold(36) in edu-

cation of the foreign-born, Weaver (42) in civil defense training, Hamlin(22) and Wilson (43) in rural education, Thayer and Wilkins (40) inadult vocational education, Lyle and Kehm (29) in education for homeand family living, Caliver (13) and Ruja (35) in health education,Prendergast and Kessel (34) in education for leisure, and Kaplan (24)in education relating to improvement of industrial relations.

From this symposium Durrie drew conclusions that the trends were inthe direction of: (a) greater emphasis upon the education of the individ-ual in relation to his cultural setting, (b) greater emphasis on communityand public affairs and human relations in group life, (c) a shift fromdetermining needs by random individual requests toward an attempt todiscover more basic and underlying needs, (d) deeper concern withdemocratic philosophy as well as its implementation, and (e) generalrecognition of the need for community organization of adult educationactivities.

The study of the NEA Division of Adult Education Service (31) gavesome statistical documentation to support a generalization that there areobservable trends toward increased emphasis upon adult education for

civic responsibility and fora

concern with the meaning and applicationof democracy in all phases of life. However, the study clearly showed thatthere is no tendency in the public schools to decrease offerings for voca-tional competence and in the recreational fields to attain the other objec-tives, but showed rather that there is a tendency to supplement adulteducation for enrichment of life and vocational competence witheducation for civic responsibility.

Current trends and practices on the international level, reported byUNESCO (41), furnished a basis of comparison of the characteristicsand goals of the movement in the United States with other nations. Viewedbroadly, there are no fundamental differences from Durrie's list (16),cited previously. The major differences are in point of departure, cul-tural interpretations, and implementations.

In general, it can be said that observers see adult education moving inthe direction of becoming a more dynamic force in modifying culturalchange, rather than simply responding to it after the fact. Studies relating

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June ~~ ~ ~ ?95DUL EDCTO-NOEVE

to the specific nature of this trend are treated more fully in remainingchapters of this volume. The trend in methodology seems to be toward

more objective understanding of the needs of the individual within hiscultural setting rather than either apart from the other. The point of de-parture for this methodology seems to be that of supplementing he effortsof the individual to mature within adult groups that already exist in thecommunity, as contrasted with previous emphasis upon forming new andartificial groups for adult education. Studies which amplify the nature ofthis trend are reported in Chapters II and IV. None of these trends arediscrete and probably do not represent alternatives as much as theyrepresent new and additional objectives of both learners and leaders.

Trends in Organization for Research

Institutions, organizations, agencies, and leaders involved in adult edu-cation have played a part in clarifying the trends in adult education duringthe period under review and have been affected by them. Chapter VII ofthis issue of the REVIEW xpands this observation. But since two agencieshave concurrently come into existence during the period, and have madesome significant beginnings toward strengthening research and communi-cation, this overview of the period would not be complete without citingsome of their studies and reports. These two agencies are the Adult Educa-tion Association of the U. S. A. and the Fund for Adult Education of theFord Foundation. While there have been other periods in adult educationwhen organized human resources have been joined by organized capital,neither the organization nor the capital has been as extensive or as con-cerned with improving the competency of leadership as seems to be thecase in this development.

These two vital forces for the improvement of adult education came intoofficial being at about the same time (3, 20), and while neither saw itsconcerns as limited

byor to those of the

other, theydid find much in

common. The projects which they have undertaken cooperatively representeither organization leading toward research or further identification ofresearch needed. These projects and developments o date were reported inthe respective organization's first annual reports (4, 19). Fletcher (18) alsodescribed the broad outline of the policies and program of the Fund forAdult Education.

Of particular interest was the emergence, from their joint efforts, of thenew magazine Adult Leadership. This journal was designed to reflectresearch in methodology in adult education, and has been devoted to par-ticular technics of the practicing adult educator. Some of the technicstreated in early issues were as follows: the group in the community (5),program planning (6), group leadership (7), using resources (8), andworking toward goals (9). In each instance the journal's operations com-mittee, special consultants, and staff carried on extensive research indetermining needs and interests of the field, analyzing, sifting, and

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organizing the best-known practice, and projecting and testing varioushypotheses.

Two other joint projects of the Adult Education Association and theFund for Adult Education should be mentioned because of their long-termpotentials for the organization of research and the stimulation of seriousstudy. The first of these was the organization of a council of nationalorganizations interested in adult education, to be affiliated with the AdultEducation Association (2). It was designed to perform the function ofsynthesis of various national groups in which adult education is a part ofa broader program, and will select and attack problems of adult educa-tion with organized research materials.

The second of these joint projects was the Area Conference OrganizationProject (1). This project was designed to stimulate and nourish organiza-tion at the local and regional levels for pooling and sharing best practicesand sound knowledge in adult education, for coordinating research oncommon problems related to particular local or regional environments,and for encouraging and implementing inservice education of leaders inadult education.

In addition to these joint studies of the Adult Education Association andthe Fund for Adult Education, each has independently undertaken researchand experimentation pertinent to adult education. Most of these are citedin the material of subsequent chapters of this REVIEW.

Needed Research

The period between 1949-1952 might be characterized as one in whichadult education was drawing the broad outlines of a program of moresubstantive research, to which organization of manpower and capital waslending substantial implementation.

This apparently optimistic generalization, however, should not be inter-

pretedto mean that there are not

many important questionsin adult

education in which there is little if any evidence of thoughtful researchand experimentation in the field. Blakely (10) has made it clear thatthere is grave question in the field as to whether it has properly interpretedneeds and motivations of adults in relation to our time. Bryson's analysis(12) of trends toward centralization in business, labor, and governmentraised the question of whether citizens' efforts to find creative, democraticexpression of personality in these areas are not illusionary motivations,even if we read them right. Hallenbeck (21) raised a related question:With all of our concern about methodology directed toward the participa-tion of the citizen in public affairs, do we really understand the natureof his attitudes and problems in participation? All of these and otherliterature dealing with the nature of our problems in a changing culturesuggest the need for genetic studies of the nature of adult growth in rela-tion to cultural change, the way the adult learns, and when and whathe learns.

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June 1953 ADULT EDUCATION-AN OVERVIEW

Psychological studies of adult-learning problems and motivations at anyparticular age level are important in understanding the adult-learningprocess and its unique characteristics. Illustrative of these are the studiesof Lorge (28), Nicholson (32), Zander (44), and other studies cited inChapter II and Chapter IV of this issue. But there is need for studies inadult education similar to the significant and growing body of researchin child growth and adolescent growth, studies which have done much tomake elementary and secondary education conscious of the organic,dynamic, and social nature of learning.

Practically no significant research is existent which deals with theproblems related to financing of adult education. Kempfer and Wood (25)collected some

financial practices in financing adult education in publicschools and colleges. Recent surveys of education, including that of theNEA Division of Adult Education Service (31), and various state andregional surveys (23, 30, 39) contained some estimates of cost in rela-tion to the total budget of institutions engaged in other activities, methodsof financing courses and classes, and other items of information. Stanley'sstudy (38) was unique in that it was probably the first attempt to estab-lish a measure of cost-quality relationship. Much more serious and exten-sive study is needed along this line before adult education can begin tosay what kind of adult education the taxpayer or the fee-payer will getfor his money.

Other types of research needed will appear in the chapters which follow.These chapters deal with some of the areas in which developments canmore adequately be documented han in others. The contributors have beenconsistently aware of the fact that adult education is still at a stage whereit must draw freely from documentation of thoughtful speculation as wellas that of tested experience.

Bibliography1. ADULT EDUCATION. Area Conference and Organization Project. Adult Educa-

tion 2: 145-46; April 1952.2. ADULT EDUCATION. Council of National Organizations Founded. Adult Educa-

tion 2: 143-45; April 1952.3. ADULT EDUCATION. Significance of Founding Assembly. Adult Education 1: 161-

63; June 1951.4. ADULT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE U. S. A. Year One, AEA. First Annual

Report. Chicago: the Association (743 North Wabash Avenue), 1952. 23 p.5. ADULT LEADERSHIP. The Group in the Community. Adult Leadership 1: 1-34;

October 1952.6. ADULT LEADERSHIP. Program Planning Issue. Adult Leadership 1: 1-34; May

1952.7. ADULT LEADERSHIP. Spotlight on Leadership. Adult Leadership 1: 1-34; June

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1952.9. ADULT LEADERSHIP. Working Toward Goals. Adult Leadership 1: 1-34; Sep-

tember 1952.10. BLAKELY, ROBERT J. Adult Education Needs a Philosophy and a Goal. Adult

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11. BLISS, RALPH K.; SYMONS, . B.; and SCHRUBEN, UKE M., compilers and editors.The Spirit and Philosophy of Extension Work. Washington, D. C.: GraduateSchool of the U. S. Department of Agriculture and Epsilon Sigma Phi, 1952.393 p.

12. BRYSON, LYMAN. The Next America. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1952.248 p.

13. CALIVER, AMBROSE. Fundamental Education. Adult Education 3: 25-27;November 1952.

14. CALVER, HOMER N. Public Health Education. Adult Education 2: 202-203;September 1952.

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16. DURRIE, PAUL H. Emerging Patterns of Growth. Adult Education 2: 186-87;September 1952.

17. ESSERT, PAUL L. Creative Leadership of Adult Education. New York: Prentice-Hall, 1951. 333 p.

18. FLETCHER, C. SCOTT. The Program of the Fund for Adult Education. AdultEducation 2: 59-66; December 1951.

19. FORD FOUNDATION FUND FOR ADULT EDUCATION. Annual Report, 1951. NewYork: the Foundation (655 Madison Avenue), 1951. 41 p.

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21. HALLENBECK, WILBUR C. Participation in Public Affairs: A Diagnosis of theProblem. Adult Education 2: 8-17; October 1951.

22. HAMLIN, HERBERT M. Agricultural Education in Public Schools. Adult Educa-cation 2: 189-92; September 1952.

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Education and the Future of Puerto Rico. New York: Teachers College, Colum-bia University, 1950. p. 110-15, 154-63, 189-94, 215-25, 268-75, 298-303, 324-32,387-405.

24. KAPLAN, ABBOTT. Education in Industrial Relations. Adult Education 2: 208-11;September 1952.

25. KEMPFER, HOMER H., and WooD, WILLIAM R. Financing Adult Education inSelected Schools and Community Colleges. U. S. Office of Education, FederalSecurity Agency, Bulletin 1952, No. 8. Washington, D. C.: Superintendent ofDocuments, Government Printing Office, 1952. 27 p.

26. KERRISON, RVINE L. H. Workers Education at the University Level. New Bruns-wick, N. J.: Rutgers University Press, 1951. 177 p.

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30. MORRISON, . CAYCE, nd KULP, CLAUDE ., directors. Buffalo Public Schools inthe Mid-Twentieth Century. Albany: New York State Education Department(University of the State of New York), 1951. p. 175-85.

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38. STANLEY, RALPH J. A Preliminary Appraisal of Financing Public School AdultEducation Programs in New York State. New York: Teachers College, Colum-bia University, 1951. 120 p. (Doctor's thesis)

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