The Australian Journal of Adult Learning (AJAL) is an official publication of Adult Learning Australia (ALA) and is published three times each year. It is concerned with promoting critical thinking and research in the field of adult learning as well as the theory, research and practice of adult and community education.

Each issue includes articles that have been through a double-blind peer review process. It also includes some articles that are viewed by the International Editorial team but are not double, blind-peer refereed.

These articles are generally of a more practical and applied nature, and/or from authors who do not want or need to go through the full refereeing process.

Welcome to our latest issue

AJAL promotes critical thinking and research in the field of adult learning as well as the theory, research and practice of adult and community education. It has been published for over fifty years and covers a wide range of topics of interest to those in adult education. This edition of AJAL (56:1) neatly divides in two, reflecting informal and formal aspects of adult learning in the early 21st century. AJAL is free for members of Adult Learning Australia.

Opening the learning process: the potential role of feature film in teaching employment relations

Author: George Lafferty – University of Western Sydney

George Lafferty explores the potential of feature films to encourage broader learning about work and employment among university students. The use of film enabled opportunities to open up discussions and widen perspectives among students drawn from diverse backgrounds. The paper describes how this approach was used. Read more.

A survey on the influence of titles on the visitor's interpretation and learning in art galleries: an Iranian context

Authors: Kouros Samanian, Hoda Nedaeifar, Ma'soumeh Karimi – University of Arts, Tehran, Iran

This paper introduces readers to an account of the learning generated through the use of artwork titles in Iranian art galleries. They outline how titles are means of interpreting works for gallery visitors and hence play an important mediating role in the viewer’s learning experience. Read more.

Learning to swim using video modelling and video feedback within a self-management program

So-An Lao, Brett E. Furlonger, Dennis W. Moore, Margherita, Busacca – Monash University

The paper follows one 36 year old who used the video technology over a one-year period to monitor its effectiveness as a way of developing confidence and technique. Read more.

Unlocking the potential within: a preliminary study of individual and community outcomes from a university enabling program in rural Australia

Authors: Susan Johns, Nicole Crawford, Cherie Hawkins, Lynn Jarvis, Mike Harris, David McCormack – University of Tasmania

The spread of various enabling and pathway programs to assist new entrants in under-graduate university study has been a stimulus for much research in Australian higher education in recent years. This paper explores this topic by examining the individual and community outcomes of a rural based enabling program. Read more.

University-based enabling program outcomes: comparing distance education and internal study

Authors: Cheryl Bookallil, John Rolfe – Central Queensland University

This paper compares completions, articulations and academic performance between students completing the programs by internal mode and those who opted for distance study. Service learning undertaken as part of community-university partnerships has been a growing area of South African higher education. Read more.

Formative reflections of university recreation science students in South Africa as catalyst for an adapted service-learning program

Authors: Anneliese Goslin, Engela van der Klashorst, Johannes G. U. van Wyk – University of Pretoria, South Africa / Darlene A. Kluka – Barry University, Florida, USA

This is a report on a study of 410 students in a recreation service course on their first service learning experience. Students used reflective journals to record their pre-experience thought s and then their experiences over the four-week program. Their paper considers the question of whether these pre-service and formative reflections can develop collaborative, in-depth learning. Read more.