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Principles of Adult Learning Scale

Directions: The following survey contains several things that a teacher of adults might do in a classroom. You may personally find some of them desirable and find others undesirable. For each item please respond to the way you most frequently practice the action described in the item. Your choices are Always, Almost Always, Often, Seldom, Almost Never, and Never. On your answer sheet, circle 0 if you always do the event; circle number 1 if you almost always do the event; circle number 2 if you often do the event; circle number 3 if you seldom do the event; circle number 4 if you almost never do the event; and circle number 5 if you never do the event. If the item does not apply to you, circle number 5 for never.

1. I allow students to participate in developing the criteria for evaluating their performance in class.

2. I use disciplinary action when it is needed.

3. I allow older students more time to complete assignments when they need it.

4. I encourage students to adopt middle-class values.

5. I help students diagnose the gaps between their goals and their present level of performance.

6. I provide knowledge rather than serve as a resource person.

7. I stick to the instructional objectives that I write at the beginning of a program.

8. I participate in the informal counseling of students.

9. I use lecturing as the best method for presenting my subject material to adult students.

10. I arrange the classroom so that it is easy for students to interact.

11. I determine the educational objectives for each of my students.

12. I plan units which differ as widely as possible from my students' socio-economic backgrounds.

13. I get a student to motivate himself/herself by confronting him/her in the presence of classmates during group discussions.

14. I plan learning episodes to take into account my students' prior experiences.

15. I allow students to participate in making decisions about the topics that will be covered in class.

16. I use one basic teaching method because I have found that most adults have a similar style of learning.

17. I use different techniques depending on the students being taught.

18. I encourage dialogue among my students.

19. I use written tests to assess the degree of academic growth in learning rather than to indicate new directions for learning.

20. I utilize the many competencies that most adults already possess to achieve educational objectives.

21. I use what history has proven that adults need to learn as my chief criteria for planning learning episodes.

22. I accept errors as a natural part of the learning process.

23. I have individual conferences to help students identify their educational needs.

24. I let each student work at his/her own rate regardless of the amount of time it takes him/her to learn a new concept.

25. I help my students develop short-range as well as long-range objectives.

26. I maintain a well-disciplined classroom to reduce interferences to learning.

27. I avoid discussion of controversial subjects that involve value judgements.

28. I allow my students to take periodic breaks during the class.

29. I use methods that foster quiet, productive, deskwork.

30. I use tests as my chief method of evaluating students.

31. I plan activities that will encourage each student's growth from dependence on others to greater independence.

32. I gear my instructional objectives to match the individual abilities and needs of the students.

33. I avoid issues that relate to the student's concept of himself/herself.

34. I encourage my students to ask questions about the nature of their society.

35. I allow a student's motives for participating in continuing education to be a major determinant in the planning of learning objectives.

36. I have my students identify their own problems that need to be solved.

37. I give all students in my class the same assignment on a given topic.

38. I use materials that were originally designed for students in elementary and secondary schools.

39. I organize adult learning episodes according to the problems that my students encounter in everyday life.

40. I measure a student's long-term educational growth by comparing his/her total achievement in class to his/her expected performance as measured by national norms from standardized tests.

41. I encourage competition among my students.

42. I use different materials with different students.

43. I help students relate new learning to their prior experiences.