Advancing Adult Education Research

Research on adult education presents many challenges, including high student and teacher attrition, small effect sizes, missing data due to open/rolling admissions, and extreme heterogeneity within the population. To address these challenges and discuss possible solutions, NCER convened a group six adult education researchers, two state directors, and five research methodologists in the spring of 2012. The panelists discussed the need for new adult education research, the difficulties that arise in conducting and interpreting it, and methodological approaches to designing and analyzing studies in these settings. The meeting summary captures this discussion and includes a list of remaining topics and questions posed by the panelists.