38th Annual
Adult Education Research
Conference Proceedings

Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, Oklahoma
May 16-18, 1997

	Credits and Proceeding's ISBN
	Welcome letter from Program Chair, Bob Nolan
	Welcome letter from OSU Dean, College of Education Ann Candler Lotven
	Welcome letter from 1997 Steering Committee

Credits and Proceeding's ISBN

Papers compiled by:

Robert E. Nolan
Heath Chelesvig

Additional copies of the conference proceedings can be obtained from:

Robert Nolan, Associate Professor
Occupational and Adult Education
College of Education
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
(405) 744-9190

Library of Congress No. ISSN 1088-6524

1997

Welcome letter from Program Chair -
Bob Nolan

May 16, 1997

Dear AERC Participants:

On behalf of the local arrangements committee, welcome to Oklahoma State University and Stillwater. We are delighted to have the opportunity to host the 38th Annual Adult Education Research Conference. Special thanks for the planning and implementation of the local arrangements go to Tom Collins, Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate College; Ann Candler Lotven, Dean of the College of Education and Greg Bowes, Head of the School of Occupational and Adult Education. Without their real, financial support we could not have hosted this conference.

The local planning committee was composed of Greg Bowes, Bob Nolan, and Heath Chelesvig from Occupational and Adult Education; Billy Chambers, and Glenna Williams from Cooperative Extension; Timm Bliss, Brenda Bose, and Brenda Soloman from Education Extension, Irene Karpiak from the University of Oklahoma and Larry Keene from the Oklahoma Department of Vocational Technical Education. This committee has been meeting to plan the conference since January, 1996. Needless to say, we are all very excited about your being here to share your expertise and insights related to adult education and learning.

In addition, local arrangements for this conference are the result of the dedicated labor of graduate students who volunteered their time and energy to make the conference enjoyable physically as well as intellectually. Special thanks are due to Shirley Dolines and Geneva Warren who coordinated the volunteer effort. Thanks also to Sandra Vigil, David Nagle, Ralph Spencer, Susan Miller, Joe Loving, Jiping Zhang, Janie Bretanus, Yahya Mat Som, Jacqueline Malone, Martha Olsen, Monique Miles, Regina Robertson, Harlan Ballard, Jean Byers, Jan Jones, Debbie Blanke, Cheryl Stanley, Carolyn Brown, Brenda Dorsey and Pauline Harris.

Volunteers can be identified by their name tags. Please impose upon them to make your stay at Oklahoma State University as enjoyable as possible.

Sincerely,

Robert Nolan, Program Chair

Oklahoma State University
College of Education
School of Occupational and Adult Education
204 Willard Hall
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078-4045
405-744-6275
FAX 405-744-7758

Welcome letter from the Dean, College of Education -
Ann Candler Lotven

May 16, 1997

Dear AERC Participants:

Faculty and students in the School of Occupational and Adult Education and our entire College of Education welcome you to our campus. We are pleased to have this opportunity to showcase the work and spirit of adult education researchers from across North America and around the globe.

We are embarking upon a new era for our College; one which is built upon the cornerstone of collegial scholarship. We believe that our recently remodeled home, Willard Hall, illustrates our commitment to renewal and growth. Your individual effort to that growth, through your papers at AERC and participation in academic critique, helps us move forward.

Thank you for sharing your expertise and experiences with colleagues and faculty from OSU and Oklahoma. I am confident that learning about our research and program development will be equally valuable.

The success of this conference is due to many collaborators. In addition to the national steering committee, I would like to recognize Professor Robert Nolan's leadership in this venture. Dr. Nolan's initiative brought the 38th Adult Education Research Conference to OSU. The local planning committee has labored diligently to organize a high quality conference. Support from the university wide Office of Research has added to our resource base and our ability to add some important "extras" for conference participants.

Our most important challenge is to create knowledge and stimulate academic discourse about that knowledge. Welcome to a conference which promises a rich opportunity for growth and renewal. This is at the foundation of our vision for the College of Education at OSU. We are pleased to be partners with you in this work.

We hope you enjoy your stay at OSU, in Stillwater and in Oklahoma.

Cordially,

Ann Candler Lotven, Dean
College of Education

Oklahoma State University
College of Education
Office of the Dean
339 Willard Hall
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078-4033
405-744-9465
FAX 405-744-6399

Welcome letter from the 1997 AERC Steering Committee

Dear AERC Participants

May 16, 1997

Welcome to the 38th Annual Adult Education Research Conference. The 1996-97 Steering Committee in collaboration with Oklahoma State University planned what we think will be an excellent conference both in the quality of the papers and in the design/process of the conference itself.

AERC is a unique conference where adult educators from all over the world come to share their research. The conference is meant to be an opportunity to engage with theory and practice in new and exciting ways. It also fosters professional collaboration among scholars and students who generate research and utilize research findings in adult education. Historically AERC is one of the most prestigious adult education conferences to which researchers can present. The focus has been on innovative research methodologies as well as substantive findings that can further the field of knowledge. In the pages that follow, some of the finest research going on in the area of adult education will be presented in summary form.

Each year the Adult Education Research conference is hosted by a university willing to volunteer its space and time. Since AERC is a North American Conference, every two or three years, the conference is held in Canada. This year the Steering committee adjudicated papers for both AERC and the International Conference at the University of London in July. The impact North American adult educators are having world wide is significant.

To the many student and staff volunteers at Oklahoma State who have worked hard to make this AERC a special experience for all participants, we extend our thanks. We hope you will have a stimulating and rewarding experience dialoguing with new and old colleagues on the growing proliferation of adult education research.

AERC Steering Committee

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