Empire State College (ESC) is an alternative college that uses an individualized degree plan, assessment of prior learning, and a learning contract arrangement. Data were collected from 4,543 entering students at ESC between fall 1974 and January 1977 on a Student Biographical Inventory (SBI). The SBI included items on the students' background,…

Much research has focused on retirees and disengagement from prior work roles. One neglected variation is entry into second careers. Seventy persons, aged 50 to 87, who had retired from or left one occupation and taken up a second career selling their work at art and craft fairs, were interviewed. Respondents had held a variety of responsible…

The main reasons that adults participate in education are as follows: achieve personal goals/satisfaction, prepare to change careers, or advance in a current career. Adults in the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups constitute 59% of all adult learners. Of those groups, the 25-34 age group is more degree-oriented because of concern with earning the…

Assessed the effectiveness of a life reassessment course on adult students (N=161). A follow-up survey suggested the course had helped individuals with adaptive strategies that facilitate life transitions. One year later over half had enrolled in college and 80 percent had made a major change in activities. (JAC)

Self-disclosure and marital satisfaction were studied among 125 males and females who were in their first remarriage. Essentially equal numbers had remarried in midlife (ages 30-45) and late life (ages 60-75). Employed the multidimensional Wheeless self-disclosure scales and Locke-Wallace measure of marital satisfaction. Discusses findings. (KW)

A study in 1987-92 assessed the effects of changes in life course on work and careers. Interviews with 150 individuals who remained active or continued to work beyond age 65 showed lifetimes differing greatly from the traditional model. The combination of longer lifetimes and postponement of old age has created a new stage in adult life, a second…

This study investigated several aspects of early retirement (prior to age 65) as reported by a selected group of Colorado educators from two large districts, one using the state system and the other its own local system of early retirement. Early retirees from these districts were surveyed by means of a three-part questionnaire: part 1 gathererd…

Although prior research has shown the importance of income and health status in predicting the decision to retire before age 65, a systematic comparision of the relative importance of social pressures to other variables important to the retirement decision has not been conducted. In order to ascertain the usefulness of the behavioral intention…

Women who, as adolescents, feared success in male-dominated fields, may demonstrate non-traditional career preferences later in life and return to school to pursue their new career aspirations. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 women over age 30 who were enrolled in graduate or professional schools. Data showed that mature women students…

Indicates that women experiencing a midlife crisis pass through five recognizable stages: (1) feeling trapped, (2) the first change, (3) multiple changes, (4) rational planning, and (5) implementing the plan. (NKA)

Reasons for traditional faculty development programs' neglect of middle-aged, disillusioned faculty are explored. A plan is presented for involving colleagues, including department chairpersons, in efforts to reestablish communication and reinvolve these faculty in meaningful activities and rewards. (MSE)

A study of middle-aged women in five Israeli sub-cultures--immigrant Jews from central Europe, Turkey, Persia, and North Africa and Israeli-born Muslim Arabs--reflects the expectation that culture may shape the response to biological change. The study was carried out in four phases. First, psychiatric interviews were conducted with 55 women. In…

Women who enrolled in college during their middle-aged years (between ages 30 and 49) were studied. Attention was directed to: the relationship between returning to school and critical developmental issues; the influence of educational experience on understanding such issues; and the stress factors experienced by mid-life university women.…

A study of preservice MPA (Masters of Public Administration) students is explored. An analytical framework summarizing the preservice/mid-careerist interaction process is offered to provide a preliminary mapping of the MPA educational experience. The study concludes by delineating the implications of the findings for MPA instructional and program…

A study of 16 middle-aged adults undergoing a career change into teaching investigated their relationships with their practicum supervisors, focusing on sources of tension arising from prior occupational identity and self-concept. A strong effect of prior occupational identity on social dynamics of the classroom supervision process was found.…