Adult Education in the 1980s (Becky Moening)

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Adult Education in the 1980’s

Introduction:

                The 1980’s in the United States proved to be a decade of change. The 70’s brought us recreational drugs while the 80’s saw those same drugs turn to addictive and deadly substances. First Lady Nancy Reagan started the “Just Say No” campaign that is still used today (ushistory.org). The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) became widely known as a killer, not just in the U.S. but all over the world. We also saw changes in entertainment.  The expanded role of cable television revolutionized many standard homes in the U.S. Throughout the 1980’s, not only did more families have cable television but VCR’s (video recorders) became popular and families could now record their favorite shows to watch later. The evolution of the home with electronics did not stop with the television. Apple’s first personal computer became affordable in the 80’s leading to many homes with the use of this technology (Kupczynski & Hooper).  With all of these changes in electronics and in health and wellness, the changes seemingly also spilled over into adult education.

Highlights:

There were many changes in the 1980’s in the United States in different facets of society. This includes many modifications in the area of adult education.  Here we will talk about seven of these particular changes.

1.) Literacy – The crisis in literacy had become a main focus of the Reagan presidency. The 1980’s saw illiteracy as a disability. Illiteracy was associated with poverty and adults who could not read were viewed as a loss of valuable resources.  Immigrants, elderly and Native Americans were just a few of the groups who needed special attention in this area (Rose). It was no longer acceptable to be illiterate. It was now a threat to society. Adult education and education in general would need to focus on literacy.

2.) New Writing Processes – The 1980’s saw new writing processes brought to life by Flower and Hayes, only to be criticized by many. Flower and Hayes recognized the problem solving process that needed to be included when writing in order for someone to be a successful writer. There was also the literacy crisis that mirrored the struggles with writing. Bereiter and Scardamalia came around in 1987 with an alternative writing process that took the best of Flower and Hayes and improved on it (Gillespie). This allows adults to learn methods of writing while working toward literacy.

3.) Personal Computers – Apple’s first personal computer came about in the 1970’s. However, it wasn’t until the 1980’s that this personal computer became affordable to a typical American family (Kupcqynski and Hooper). The welcoming of a personal computer into the home changed the way people communicated, kept records, and researched data. As time passed, more and more research materials began appearing on the internet, allowing Americans to research from their homes without the use of a hardback book. This allowed for information to be gained in a more convenient way and the shift to the digital age had begun.

4.) Focus on Teaching – Before the 1980’s, the focus on teaching had been education. In the 1980’s, the focus on teaching turned to learning (Knowles). Education was no longer the goal; learning was the goal. It was not enough to just teach material. It was important to show how (and what) adults were learning. The output was now more important than the input.

5.) Women’s and Workers’ Education – The 1980’s saw adult education expand to women as well as workers (Merriam and Brockett, p. 58). On the job training became fundamental to a company’s growth. Women were becoming more prevalent in society and in the world of adult education.

6. Added “Continuing” – Adult education had been the descriptor leading up to the 1980’s. At this time, the term continuing education started being used (Merriam and Brockett, p. 11). Many people thought adult education and continuing education were synonyms. However, because of slight differences, the U.S. adopted the new term of adult and continuing education which is still used in many places today.

7. Retraining – The U.S. is constantly battling in the global market and as the working situation changes, so must the workers. Adults must continuously be adapting to fit the needs in the present day’s job market. The 1980’s saw an increase in retraining of adult workers to help the U.S. compete in the ever-changing global market (Merriam and Brockett, . 9).

Influential Factors:

                All changes happen for a reason. The 1980’s had several factors that caused changes in adult education. Apps talked about six of these influences that led to changes in adult education in the 1980’s.

1. Increase in Median Age of Population – The population of the U.S. was getting older and therefore more must be expected from the growing number of adults. The global market changes and therefore adults need to be retrained to fit the current needs.

2. Inflation – The 1980’s saw the consumer price index rise from 82.4 (annual for 1980) to 124 (annual for 1989) (Quantitative Reasoning, p. 40). This is a difference of 41.6 and means goods that would have cost $82.40 in 1980 would then have cost $124 in 1989, $41.60 more for the same goods. This put a burden on many American families.

3. Consumerism – The 1980’s found many more Americans become materialistic. Students now wanted to attend college simply to make a lot of money in order to buy more things (Consumerism).

4. Status of women – Women were making gains in the working world throughout the 1980’s. It was becoming common to see women putting forth effort in the field of education in similar fashions as men.

5. Political conservatism – Reagan was the president and Americans were settled in tradition. That was not only political, but educational as well. Liberal tradition education was promoted by Adler and Bloom in the 1980’s. Education should include reading classics (Merriam and Brockett, p. 34)!

6. Public Disenchantment with Current State of Education – A Nation at Risk was published in 1983 and caused a tremendous amount of educational reform at the local, state and federal levels. The public believed the U.S. was failing the children due to the lacking of statistical evidence that the U.S. was keeping up with global competitors. This publication made 38 recommendations over 5 categories. The public dissatisfaction with the education of the children carried over into adult and continuing education.

Implications:

                Any time there is conflict, change occurs and a new norm is set. The 1980’s saw conflict in society and education that caused modifications to society and new legislation to be passed. Also, the 1980’s saw the new digital age emerge.

1.) The Adult Education Act was revised in the 1980’s (Rose). This act identified special groups that needed attention such as immigrants, the elderly and Native Americans, to name a few. It also provided an alternative track to high school completion. The focus of grade level completion was changed to a competency-based approach that is continuing to grow in adult education today. The Adult Education Act also called for greater community input into programming. The community members were being asked to take an active role in adult education as volunteers in the private sector.

2. Literacy issues were a main focal point in the 1980’s. The realization of the concerns from the 1980’s led to National Literacy Act of 1991 (Rose). This act called for national and state agencies to create programs to educate illiterate Americans and end the literacy crisis that was the center of attention in the 1980’s.

3. The mainstreaming of the personal computer gave rise to the digital age. Average Americans were now completing tasks on their personal computer as never before. Research materials were starting to appear on the internet and accessing information was becoming more convenient.

Conclusion:

                The 1980’s were a decade of change. Society saw changes in perspective of drugs, home entertainment and education. These changes provided the American people with new and exciting opportunities. The 1980’s were the home to the literacy crisis which drove adult education legislation (Rose). Many of the adult educational issues of the 1980’s are still present in the United States today.

Table 1:

Areas	Summary
Social Background	1. drugs went from recreational to deadly 2. entertainment in the home upgraded with cable, VCR and home computer
Highlights	1. Literacy crisis 2. New writing processes/models to help with literacy 3. Personal computers in the home of the average American 4. Change in the focus of teaching from education to learning 5. Women’s and workers’ education increased 6. Adult and Continuing Education – name change 7. Retraining adult workers to better serve the U.S. in the global market
Influential Factors	1. Increase in median age of population 2. Inflation 3. Consumerism 4. Status of women 5. Political conservatism 6. Public disenchantment with current state of education
Implications	1. Adult Education Act revised in the 1980’s 2. National Literacy Act (1991) came out of the concerns of the 1980’s 3. Digital Age was born with the introduction of the personal computer into the American family homes

Sources:

Apps, Jerold W. (June 30, 1980). Lifelong Learning: The Adult Years. V3 n10 p. 4-7.

Consumerism. (2014).  Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumerism.

Gillespie, Marilyn K. (2005). Research in Writing: Implications for Adult Literacy Education. V2 c3.

                Retrieved from: www.ncsall.net.

Knowles, Malcolm S. (1980). The Modern Practice of Adult Education. Cambridge. Retrieved from:

                www.cumc.columbia.edu.

Kupcqynski, L. & Hooper, B. The Internet as a Path to Adult Learning. Johns Hopkins: School of

                Education. Retrieved from: www.education.jhu.edu.

Life in the 1980’s. Retrieved from: www.ushistory.org/us/59d.asp

McMahon. (2014). Historical CPI-U Data from 1976 to April, 2014. Quantitative Reasoning: Math 123. Ivy

                Tech Community College.

Merriam, S. & Brockett, R. (2007). The Profession and Practice of Adult Education: An Introduction. San

                Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A Nation at Risk. Washington, DC.

Rose, Amy D.  (1994). Adult Education as Federal Policy: The Search for a Literacy Agenda. PAACE Journal

                of Lifelong Learning, Vol. 3, p. 4-13. Retrieved from: www.iup.edu.