| Chapter 1: | Overview of the Study |
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Statement of the Problem
Described in 1999 as a practitioner concern by Isenberg and Titus:
Adult learners are provided with a plethora of information at their fingertips through the Internet. However, the accessibility, volume, and speed of information and the practice of “surfing the net” raise a practitioner concern over the user‘s ability to meet learning needs. Because online adults can get the information they need at the time they need it and in the way they need it, the Internet would seem to be one of the ultimate learning tools. However, until adults learn how to learn, the “link to the world” may merely be an information box, not a tool for learning (p. 1).
According to Isenberg and Titus (1999):
The importance of the concern is threefold: 1) many adults‘ educational background has left them ill-equipped to be lifelong learners; 2) failure to learn on the Internet may lead to frustration, anger, and a fear of trying again; and 3) communication technology is expanding so rapidly that adult education research is not able to keep pace with Internet learning practice (p. 1).
This previous threefold concern still prevails today for adult education practitioners. The traditional linear model, research to practice, is a deductive approach where premises lead to conclusions. This implies that practice arises from research. In reality, practice to research, which is an inductive approach where conclusions lead to premises, also occurs. Isenberg and Titus (1999) further describe the concern and suggest a new practice model: