adult learners

Geometry problem-solving requires learners to coordinate conceptual knowledge, spatial representation, strategy use and the regulation of cognition, motivation and effort. This systematic review examined how self-regulated learning (SRL) operates in geometry problem-solving and which learner, task, social, instructional and developmental conditions shape it. A Scopus search reported according to PRISMA 2020 identified 1,298 records; database limits left 529, and eligibility screening retained 32 empirical studies published from 2021 to 2026. Twelve studies involved undergraduates or pre-service teachers, seven involved school pupils, one involved kindergarten children and 12 did not state the educational level in the extracted records. Study quality was appraised with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool, and thematic synthesis identified four themes: planning and strategic regulation; monitoring, control and strategy adaptation; learner characteristics and outcomes; and instructional scaffolding and technology. Successful performance was associated with problem representation, strategy selection, monitoring, error detection, adaptation and evaluation. Diagnostic and elaborated feedback, content-focused peer feedback and supportive scaffolding were more informative than the presence of technology. Evidence on learner characteristics was mainly correlational, and evidence on young learners was thin. The review proposes a Process-Oriented Framework of Self-Regulated Geometry Problem-Solving that links input conditions, forethought, performance regulation, reflection, and outcomes and it is best supported for adolescent and adult learners. Future research should combine self-report with behavioural, longitudinal and process-tracing evidence and develop age-appropriate SRL measures for young children.

This article analyzes the management of distance education (DE) in the context of continuing education for youth and adults (EPJA), exploring its institutional, pedagogical, and technical dimensions. Through an approach that compares empirical data, obtained from a jurisdictional survey with federal regulations and analyzes them through the lens of contemporary theoretical frameworks, the study examines how provinces operationalize the principles of flexibility and modularity. The results reveal significant heterogeneity in the implementation of teaching roles, technological supports, and assessment criteria. It is concluded that the quality of this modality depends on comprehensive management that ensures coherence between organizational and instructional decisions, thereby guaranteeing the continuity of participants' educational trajectories, through the pedagogical option of distance education, which is mediated and hosted in virtual learning environments (VLEs), designed specifically for the particular needs of adult learners.

Grounded in Knowles’ theory of andragogy, this study employed a qualitative comparative case study design within a constructivist paradigm to examine how andragogical principles are applied by facilitators in urban and rural IFAE centers in North Mecha Woreda, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. 19 participants, comprising 2 facilitators, 16 adult learners, and 1 Adult and Non-Formal Education (ANFE) expert, were selected through purposive and total population sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and observations, and analyzed thematically using Knowles’ six andragogical assumptions as the primary analytical framework. The findings reveal that facilitators generally employed learner-centered, experiential, and contextually relevant instructional approaches, supporting the immediate application of learning across both settings. Contextualization of instruction, performance-based assessment, and peer-driven experiential exchange emerged as the most consistently operationalized andragogical principles. However, adult learners were systematically excluded from program planning and needs assessment, representing the most significant gap between andragogical theory and IFAE practice. The rural center demonstrated deeper and more intentional andragogical practice than the urban center, with application quality more strongly determined by facilitator training than by geographic setting. Theoretically, the study demonstrates that andragogical principles are selectively operationalized in IFAE contexts, mediated by institutional structures and facilitator preparation. The study recommends strengthening andragogically grounded facilitator professional development, institutionalizing participatory needs assessment to ensure meaningful learner involvement in program planning, and reactivating non-functional IFAE centers as critical policy priorities.

این پژوهش که بر نظریه آندراگوژی Knowles استوار است، با بهره‌گیری از طرح مطالعه موردی مقایسه‌ای کیفی در چارچوب پارادایم سازه‌گرایی، به بررسی نحوه به‌کارگیری اصول آندراگوژی توسط تسهیل‌گران در مراکز شهری و روستایی IFAE در منطقه North Mecha Woreda، ایالت منطقه‌ای Amhara، اتیوپی می‌پردازد. ۱۹ مشارکت‌کننده شامل ۲ تسهیل‌گر، ۱۶ یادگیرنده بزرگسال و ۱ کارشناس آموزش بزرگسالان و غیررسمی (ANFE) با روش نمونه‌گیری هدفمند و سرشماری انتخاب شدند. داده‌ها از طریق مصاحبه‌های نیمه‌ساختاریافته، بحث‌های گروهی متمرکز و مشاهده گردآوری و با استفاده از شش فرضیه آندراگوژیک Knowles به عنوان چارچوب تحلیلی اصلی، به صورت تماتیک تحلیل شدند. یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد که تسهیل‌گران عموماً از رویکردهای آموزشی یادگیرنده‌محور، تجربی و متناسب با زمینه استفاده می‌کنند که از کاربرد فوری یادگیری در هر دو محیط حمایت می‌کند. بومی‌سازی آموزش، ارزیابی مبتنی بر عملکرد و تبادل تجربی مبتنی بر همسالان به عنوان اصول آندراگوژیک بیش از همه به طور مستمر اجرا شده‌اند. با این حال، یادگیرندگان بزرگسال به طور نظام‌مند از برنامه‌ریزی برنامه و نیازسنجی کنار گذاشته شده‌اند که این امر مهم‌ترین فاصله میان نظریه آندراگوژی و عمل IFAE را نشان می‌دهد. مرکز روستایی نسبت به مرکز شهری، اجرای عمیق‌تر و هدفمندتری از اصول آندراگوژیک را نشان داد و کیفیت اجرا بیش از آنکه به موقعیت جغرافیایی وابسته باشد، به آموزش تسهیل‌گر مربوط بود. از نظر نظری، این پژوهش نشان می‌دهد که اصول آندراگوژیک به صورت گزینشی در زمینه‌های IFAE عملیاتی می‌شوند و این امر تحت تأثیر ساختارهای نهادی و آمادگی تسهیل‌گران قرار دارد. پژوهش توصیه می‌کند که توسعه حرفه‌ای تسهیل‌گران مبتنی بر آندراگوژی تقویت شود، نیازسنجی مشارکتی برای تضمین مشارکت معنادار یادگیرندگان در برنامه‌ریزی برنامه نهادینه گردد و مراکز غیرعملیاتی IFAE به عنوان اولویت‌های مهم سیاستی مجدداً فعال شوند.