This is the first New Directions volume related to young adultlearners since 1984. Then, as now, young adults are an importantsegment of the adult population but have received scant attentionin the adult education literature.
Increasingly, youths and young adults are enrolling in adulteducation programs and in doing so are changing the meaning ofadulthood. Given the significant demographic, technological, andcultural shifts during the past 30 years, there is an increasingneed for practitioners and program planners to reconsider whatconstitutes "adult" and "adult education."An understanding of the changing meaning of adulthood isfundamental to developing programs and policies that will addressthe needs of younger learners, and we believe it is time for anupdated discussion among adult educators and scholars in otherdisciplines.
This sourcebook is designed to reignite the discussion related tomeeting the educational needs of young adults along with a timelyand interdisciplinary discussion that highlights the transitionalneeds of young adult learners.
This is the 143rd volume of the Jossey Bass series NewDirections for Adult and Continuing Education. Noted for itsdepth of coverage, it explores issues of common interest toinstructors, administrators, counselors, and policymakers in abroad range of education settings, such as colleges anduniversities, extension programs, businesses, libraries, andmuseums.