Adult Learning
Adult Learning is an important voice in the scholarship of adult learning and teaching. As a practitioner-oriented journal, it is committed to advancing the practice of adult education through innovative articles with a problem-solving emphasis. Published articles address the most current challenges in educating adults across various contexts, including, for example, higher education, health care, government, community and nonprofit organizations, and business and technology. The audience includes those who teach adults; design, manage, and evaluate programs; and researchers on adult learning, development and teaching practices.
We publish research articles focused on reporting the importance to practice; literature reviews; conceptual and theoretical pieces; and quality accounts of innovations in practice as peer reviewed articles. We also publish short personal reflections and descriptions of resources useful to educators of adults.
Adult Learning publishes original manuscripts on the practical challenges of educating adults.
Our purpose is to provide a forum for practitioners and researchers to share their insights, research findings, resources and questions that arise from the practice of educating adults.
The journal publishes a variety of articles. We publish reports on research drawing on a variety of approaches and methodologies, but with a clear focus on the importance to practice; literature reviews; conceptual and theoretical pieces; and quality accounts of innovations in practice as peer reviewed articles. We also publish short personal reflections and descriptions of resources useful to educators of adults.
Adult Learning is important reading for both academics and professionals engaged in the education of adults in a variety of settings and professional fields including, for example:
• Community organizations
• Healthcare
• Higher education
• International settings
• Professional development in pre-school and schools
• Workforce development
• Business
• Government
Types of Articles Published
I. Refereed Articles
We seek a variety of articles that make current research, theoretical issues, and literature reviews relevant to practitioners. We also seek thoughtful descriptions of innovative practices in teaching, programming and administration. Submissions should follow the Style & Formatting guidelines below.
Two to 3 individuals fro our Editorial Board review refereed manuscripts. We adhere to a double-blind peer reviewing process. Reviewers make one of the following recommendations: Accept, Conditional Accept (upon revisions), Revise and Resubmit, and Reject. Authors generally receive a decision within 6 to 10 weeks of manuscript submission.
• Research articles and literature reviews
The editors are very interested in publishing manuscripts that clearly link research or theory to practice. We publish qualitative, action, and quantitative and research studies and literature reviews that have direct implications for the practice. Published works are written so that readers can apply the findings to their own practice of educating adults.
Manuscripts should be between 4,000-4,500 words.
• Conceptual and theoretical articles
Articles in this section explore current issues and challenges practitioners face in the education of adults. The purpose of these pieces is to develop new or critique existing theory in order to contribute to practice.
Manuscripts should be between 3,000-5,000 words.
• Innovations in practice
To address the rapid social changes in this historical era and corresponding challenges faced by those who educate adults, articles published as Innovations in Practice present innovative and cutting-edge teaching and learning practices in the education of adults. They provide enough detail and evidence of effectiveness that practitioners can use them to inform teaching, program planning, or adult education administration.
Manuscripts should be between 2,000-3,000 words.
II. Personal Reflections
Articles in this session are thoughtful reflections on and discussions of important learning and teaching issues to educators of adults. They may be first-person narratives and resulting insights on thought-provoking experiences in teaching adults or examinations of taken-for-granted practices about adult learning, teaching, program design and management in adult education.
Manuscripts should be between 1,200-1,500 words.
III. Resources
The Resources section is for reviews and descriptions of books, YouTube videos, TEDtalks, 99 Percent videos, RSA animations, documentaries, resource manuals, workbooks and other useful materials for teaching adults.
Full reviews should be 500-750 words.
Notifications of new resources should be no more than 200 words.
IV. Special Issues
The Adult Learning editors welcome your suggestions for special issues. Past special issues have been varied, e.g. workforce education, mentoring, older adult learners, adult literacy, adult development, adult learners with disabilities, instructional technology, intercultural education, learning to learn, and the philosophy of adult education. Special issue editors work with authors on the content and form of manuscripts.
Davin Carr-Chellman | University of Dayton, USA |
Lilian H. Hill | University of Southern Mississippi, USA |
Carol Rogers-Shaw | University of Dayton, USA |
Dorca Kisare-Ressler | University of Minnesota, USA |
Catherine A. Cherrstrom | Texas State University, USA |
Kelly McKenna | Colorado State University, USA |
Rachel L. Wlodarsky | Cleveland State University, USA |
Michael Porterfield | McKendree University, USA |
Geleana Drew- Alston | North Carolina A&T University, USA |
Susan Barcinas | North Carolina State University, USA |
Lisa M. Baumgartner | Texas State University – San Marcos, USA |
Alisa Belzer | Rutgers University, USA |
Jim Berger | Georgia College and State University (replace Western Kentucky University) |
Marcie Boucouvalas | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA |
Corrine Brion | University of Dayton, USA |
Ann Brooks | Texas State University-San Marcos, USA |
Simone C. O. Conceição | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA |
Leslie Cordie | Auburn University, USA |
Joellen E. Coryell | Texas State University - San Marcos, USA |
Thomas D. Cox | University of Central Florida, USA |
Steven Frye | Tennessee Technological University, USA |
Julie Galliart | Kansas State University, USA |
Michelle Lynn Glowacki-Dudka | Ball State University, USA |
Edith Gnanadass | University of Memphis, USA |
Shibao Guo | University of Calgary, Canada |
Pi-Chi Han | National Kaohsiung Normal University, Taiwan |
Catherine A. Hansman | Cleveland State University, USA |
Sharon H. Herbers | University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, USA |
Paulette Isaac-Savage | University of Missouri-St. Louis, USA |
Leann Kaiser | Colorado State University, USA |
Merih Ugurel Kamisli | TED University, Turkey |
Haijun Kang | Kansas State University, USA |
Lisa Kirkpatrick | St. Edward's University |
Clarena Larrotta | Texas State University-San Marcos, USA |
Tennille Lasker-Scott | Arkansas Tech University |
Randee Lipson Lawrence | National-Louis University, USA |
Ming-yeh Lee | San Francisco State University, USA |
Alan Mandell | Empire State College, USA |
Larry B. Martin | University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, USA |
Lisa R. Merriweather | University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA |
Mitsunori Misawa | The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA |
Joann Olson | University of Houston, Victoria, USA |
Carole E. Pearce | Walden University, USA |
Maria Plakhotnik | National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russia |
Robert F. Reardon | Texas State University-San Marcos, USA |
Robin Redmon Wright | Penn State Harrisburg, USA |
Delores Rice | Texas A&M University-Commerce |
Petra Robinson | Louisiana State University, USA |
Elice C. Rogers | Cleveland State University, USA |
Amy D. Rose | Northern Illinois University, USA |
Dionne Rosser-Mims | Troy University, USA |
Michael L. Rowland | University of Kentucky, USA |
Stephen Schmidt | East Carolina University, USA |
Ellen Scully-Russ | The George Washington University, USA |
Arlene F. Serrano | Texas State University, USA |
Todd Sherron | Texas State University, USA |
Mattyna L. Stephens | Texas State University, USA |
Gabriele Strohschen | DePaul University, USA |
Qi Sun | University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA |
Ann L. Swartz | Penn State Harrisburg, USA |
Jonathan E. Taylor | Troy University, USA |
Rachel Wlodarsky | Cleveland State University, USA |
Susan M. Yelich Biniecki | Kansas State University, USA |
Jill Zarestky | Colorado State University, USA |
Manuscript submission guidelines can be accessed on Sage Journals.