HRD 631- The Adult Learner

Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Writing the Paper

For further research assistance, please contact Evelyn Greenlaw (evelyng@usm.maine.edu; 753-6541) or Maureen Perry (mperry@usm.maine.edu; 753-6546), Librarians at Lewiston-Auburn College Library, University of Southern Maine.

In order to find books, journal titles, videos, government documents and other materials held in the University of Maine System you will need to consult URSUS, the online catalog. Because journal article citations are not individually included in URSUS, you will need to use a discipline-specific index to find this information (see Resources by Subject).

If you do not know the exact subject heading describing the topic you need, try doing a keyword search using other word/s related to that topic and then click on the subject heading links found within the relevant records to find additional, useful resources.

The following are a listing of URSUS related subject headings:

Adult education
Adult learning
Cognitive styles
Community development
Continuing education
Distance education
Experiential learning
Family literacy programs
Functional literacy
Workplace literacy

To obtain materials not located at your USM campus, but within URSUS, you will need to click on the Request button on the URSUS screen and enter your name and barcode number (found under the barcode on your USM Card, always beginning with 25022....). Your barcode will first need to be activated at the Circulation Desk.

If the item is not available through the University of Maine System (URSUS) or Maine InfoNet you can request it via Interlibrary Loan (Illiad).

Reference sources are useful tools to obtain background information and to develop a vocabulary of possible search terms. The following items are print resources available within the University of Southern Maine system.

Adult Education Quarterly
GOR Periodicals, 1983-present; LEW Periodicals, 1997-present

Adult Learning
GOR Periodicals, 1989-2002; LEW Periodicals, 1998-2001

Andragogy in Action
GOR Stacks LC5215 .A53 1984

Education: A Guide to Reference and Information Sources, 2nd Edition
GOR and LEW Reference LB15 .B89 2000

Encyclopedia of American Education
LEW Reference LB17 .U54 1996, v.1-3

Fact Book on Higher Education, 1997 Edition
LEW Reference LA227.3 .F3 1997

Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education
GOR and LEW Stacks LC5215 .H25 1989

Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education, New Edition
GOR Stacks LC5215 .H245 2000

The Literature of Adult Education: A Bibliographic Essay
GOR Stacks LC5251 .H69 1992, and LEW Stacks LC5251 .H68 1992

The Meaning of Adult Education
GOR and LEW Stacks LC5215 .L5 1961

Pedagogy of the Oppressed
GOR Stacks LB880 .F7313 1972, LEW Stacks LB880 .F7313 1985

Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning
GOR and LEW Stacks LC5225 .L42 M53 1991

Because of the lengthy publishing cycle for a book, information in a book is not always current. Periodical articles are current sources of information. There are two main types of periodicals: scholarly and popular. Scholarly periodicals are usually referred to as journals. Articles in journals contain reports of primary research; the articles are written by experts in the field and for other researchers/scholars; use terms and language specific to that discipline; may include graphs, charts, etc. related to the topic; most often are peer reviewed via an editorial board; are published by professional organization or society, university, research centers, scholarly presses; and often include a bibliography. Popular periodical articles contain general information; are written using easily understood language that appeals to a varied audience; are usually written by journalists or others who are not experts in the field; do not include citations; has a limited or non-existent editorial review board; and may contain glossy photographs. The Finding Articles tutorial provides more information on how to find articles.

To find scholarly articles it is necessary to consult a discipline-specific electronic or print index/database. The following are electronic indexing sources available to the Unversity of Southern Maine community.

Academic Search Premier
For date and title coverage click here
Provides full text for nearly 4,000 scholarly publications of which 3,100 are peer reviewed. Academic areas of study include: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.

Business Source Premier
Provides full text for more than 2,800 scholarly business journals of which 912 are peer reviewed. Coverage includes: management, economics, finance, accounting, international business and much more.

ERIC-Education
Date coverage: 1966-current (note: because of contractor changes, some of ERIC's updating may have cocverage lags)
Indexes and abstracts journal articles and documents on education research and practice.

Proquest Dissertations & Theses

PsycINFO
Date coverage: 1887-current
Index to the professional and academic literature in psychology and related disciplines, including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, and other areas. Coverage includes references and abstracts to over 1,300 journals in more than 20 languages, and to book chapters and books in the English language. The database includes information from empirical studies, case studies, surveys, bibliographies, literature reviews, discussion articles, conference reports and dissertations.

Public Affairs Information Service
Citations for articles, books, conference proceedings, government documents, book chapters, and statistical directories about public affairs.

Sociological Abstracts
Date coverage: 1974-current
Covers sociology and related disciplines including anthropology, criminology, demography, education, gerontology, mental health, minority studies, political science, public health, social psychology, social work, urban studies, welfare programs, and women's studies. Comprehensive and international in scope.

There is no authority control for the Internet. In choosing Internet resources it is imperative to evaluate the authenticity of the source. Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources (UCLA College Library) provides excellent evaluation criteria. The following selected resources have been chosen because of authenticity and comprehensiveness of coverage.

Adult Education Resources (University of Maryland, Baltimore County)

American Association for Higher Education (AAHE)

American Association of Adult & Continuing Education (AAACE)

American Society for Training & Development (ASTD)

Association for Experiential Education (AEE)

California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project

Center for Critical Thinking

Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education (ACVE)

Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)

HigherEdJobs.Com

National Center for Education Statistics

National LINCS (National Institute for Literacy)

Roger Hiemstra's Page

USM College of Education & Human Development

This category contains information on how to write the paper. In using resources it is imperative that they be used ethically and legally. The sources listed here provide assistance in this process.

Writing Handbooks

St. Martin's Handbook
POR Reference PE1112 .L86 1989
Contains sections on the writing process, sentence construction, punctuation, doing research, and academic writing.

A Writer's Reference, 3rd Edition
POR Reference PE1408 .H2778 1995
Includes sections on composing and revising, design, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, writing, and documentation.

Citation Styles

APA Documentation (University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center)

APA Style.org

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition
POR and GOR Reference BF76.7 .P83 2001; LEW Reserve BF76.7 .P83 2001

Online: A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources

Using American Psychlogical Association (APA) Format (Updated to 5th Edition) (Purdue University Online Writing Lab)

Plagiarism

Plagiarism-The Do's and Dont's: Guidelines for Avoiding Plagiarism (University of California-Davis)

Plagiarism Examples (Indiana University School of Education)

Last update: 01.11.05