adult-education
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- PaperComputers & Education26 Jun 2026
Searching for predictors of presence, academic achievement and satisfaction in online adult education
Stefan Hrastinski, Stefan Stenbom, Helena Colliander, Andreas Fejes
This study examined predictors of presence, academic achievement, and satisfaction in online upper secondary education for adults in Sweden, using the Community of Inquiry framework. Factor analysis revealed that items from cognitive and teaching presence constructs loaded onto social presence, leading to revised factor labels. Academic achievement was primarily predicted by individual cognitive presence, while satisfaction was primarily predicted by individual teaching presence.
Original abstract
Little attention has been paid to adults pursuing online education at the upper secondary level. The aim of this article is to identify and describe predictors of presence, academic achievement, and satisfaction in online upper secondary education for adults. The study is grounded in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, which is based on three types of presence: teaching presence (TP), social presence (SP), and cognitive presence (CP). A survey was administered to adults who had completed, or were close to completing, an online upper secondary-level course in Sweden, yielding 672 responses. An exploratory factor analysis showed that items from the CP and TP constructs related to peer interaction and teacher guidance loaded onto the SP construct instead. Accordingly, the factors were labeled as individual TP (iTP), extended SP (eSP), and individual CP (iCP) to describe how the CoI framework is manifested in this context, characterized by substantial individual study and varying opportunities for social interaction. Multiple regression models explained a substantial proportion of the variance in iTP (adjusted R 2 = .58), eSP (adjusted R 2 = .68), and satisfaction (adjusted R 2 = .53), a more moderate proportion in iCP (adjusted R 2 = .36) and only a small proportion for academic achievement (adjusted R 2 = .13). Academic achievement was primarily associated with iCP ( β = .38), whereas student satisfaction was primarily associated with iTP ( β = .58). Key predictors included course introductions related to studying and technology, tutoring, synchronous online teaching, and collaborative course design.
- PaperERIC — ELT & TESOL1 Jan 2026
Beyond Describing Signs and Symptoms: Promoting Health Literacy to the Adult English Language Learner
Jan Adversario
The article distinguishes between personal and organizational health literacy, as defined by the CDC, and argues that adult educators can promote personal health literacy by integrating health-related content into English language instruction. It provides practical strategies for weaving health literacy into the curriculum to help adult English learners find, understand, and use health information.
Original abstract
The scope and definition of health literacy continues to expand and evolve. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies two types of health literacy: personal and organizational. Personal health literacy is defined as "the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others." Thus, it is different from organizational health literacy where the obligation falls on health providers and health systems to provide information to patients in ways that they can be understood. This article focuses on helping develop personal health literacy for adult English language learners and how adult educators can weave health literacy into their curriculum.
- PaperLanguage Learning & Technology1 Jan 2026
Teaching pronunciation online: A sociomaterial study of Swedish as a second language instruction in adult education
Andreas Lagerlöf
Using Actor–Network Theory, this study traces how human and non-human actors shape pronunciation instruction in online Swedish as a Second Language classes. Five analytic scenes reveal that camera and microphone affordances amplify articulatory modeling, prosody practice becomes distributed via audio files and chat, corrective feedback is constrained by interface design, assessment is redistributed over time, and domestic soundscapes affect what is hearable. The findings show pronunciation instruction as a sociomaterial practice emerging from the actors and infrastructures of the online classroom.
Original abstract
This paper examines how pronunciation instruction is enacted in online Swedish as a Second Language (SSL) within Municipal Adult Education (MAE). Using Actor–Network Theory (ANT), classroom observations and teacher interviews trace how human and non-human actors (e.g., teachers, students, platforms, cameras, microphones, recordings) shape instruction. Five analytic scenes show that: (1) close-up camera/microphone affordances amplify articulatory modeling; (2) prosody practice becomes an auditory, distributed activity coordinated via audio files and chat functions; (3) corrective feedback is configured by one-speaker-at-a-time interfaces and headphone listening; (4) assessment is redistributed over time; and (5) domestic soundscapes and connectivity contingencies unevenly condition what is hearable and assessable. In the paper, pedagogical implications grounded in these scene-based analyses are articulated. Pronunciation instruction is thus shown to emerge as a sociomaterial practice, enacted through the actors and infrastructures of the online classroom.