Women As Learners : The Significance of Gender in Adult Learning

"This thorough and up-to-date exploration of women's learning is a much needed addition to the field of adult education. The authors' refreshingly engaging style renders complex theoretical material accessible to scholars and practitioners alike. While theories and research on women's learning are situated in the broader context of adult learning, the authors never lose sight of what it all means for the teaching/learning transaction." --Sharan B. Merriam, Department of Adult Education, The University of Georgia "An impressive case for why women's experiences of education should receive the attention of educators, developmental psychologists, social theoreticians, and policymakers. In the process of making their case, the authors challenge many of the assumptions that underlie popular gender-blind adult learning theories. They demonstrate how often social context, culture, and the politics of power are ignored in educational theory and practice to the detriment of women learners. They delve into personal narratives to 'give voice' to the fears, aspirations, rebellions, and transformations that accompany women's educational journey.... In an era in which women constitute the majority in higher education, we sorely need a comprehensive map such as Women as Learners to broaden our horizons. I applaud this book!" --Nancy Goldberger, psychology faculty member, The Fielding Institute, and coauthor of Women's Ways of Knowing Here, at last, is a volume that explores and analyzes learning as a distinctive experience for women. The authors are all established adult education professionals and recognized authorities on women as adult learners. Together, they examine and compare the importance of such factors as sense of identity, self-esteem, social world, and power in what and how women learn. Drawing from extensive research and scholarship, as well as from personal stories, they reveal the numerous ways in which women experience the learning process. They explain, for example, how women often become personally connected to the object and process of learning. They also analyze these different experiences to show education and training professionals how to better design and conduct programs for women. Women as Learners offers specific recommendations to improve all types of formal and informal adult educational programs, including literacy education, counseling and support groups, workplace training, and professional development activities. Concise yet comprehensive, this long-awaited book provides the most current principles for practice.

ELISABETH HAYES is professor of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. DANIELE D. FLANNERY is assistant professor of Adult Education at The Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg.