This article provides a synthesis and review of 41 recent research studies focusing on the population of adult English language learners (ELLs) studying in nonacademic contexts. It notes the unique qualities and importance of understanding the English-language needs of this population, provides a critical overview of the existing literature, and concludes that both more research and research from diverse methodological perspectives are necessary.
Adams, R.J. (2005). Learner-learner interactions: Implications for second language acquisition. Dissertation Abstracts International , 65(9), 3355A.
2.
Bernat, E. (2004). Investigating Vietnamese ESL learners' beliefs about language learning. English Australia Journal, 21(2), 40-54.
3.
Bonissone, P.R. (2003). Teacher change and professional conversations: A case study of an ESL instructor's changing beliefs and practices regarding literacy learning and instruction. Dissertation Abstracts International, 63(11), 3834A.
4.
Brindley, G., & Slatyer, H. (2002). Exploring task difficulty in ESL listening assessment . Language Testing, 19(4), 369-394.
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Buttaro, L. (2002). Understanding adult ESL learners: Multiple dimensions of learning and adjustments among Hispanic women. Adult Basic Education, 11(1), 40-61.
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Buttaro, L. (2004). Second language acquisition, culture shock, and language stress of adult female Latina students in New York. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 3(1), 21-49.
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Carpenter, S. F. R (2005). "Ingles es loco": Teaching English to Latinos who don't speak English and who have varying levels of literacy in Spanish . Dissertation Abstracts International, 65(11), 4075A.
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Chapelle, C., & Duff, P. (2003). Some guidelines for conducting quantitative and qualitative research in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 37(1), 157-178.
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Derwing, T.M. (2003). What do ESL students say about their accents? The Canadian Modern Language Review, 59(4), 547-566.
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Ellis, E.M. (2004). The invisible multilingual teacher: The contribution of language background to Australian ESL teachers' professional knowledge and beliefs. International Journal of Multilingualism, 1(2), 90-108.
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Ellis, E.M. (2002). Teaching from experience: A new perspective on the non-native teacher in adult ESL. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 25(1), 71-107.
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Fry, R., & Hakimzadeh, S. (2006). A statistical report of the foreign-born population at mid-decade. Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center. Retrieved from http://pewhispanic.org/reports/foreignborn/
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Gault, T.R. (2003). Adult Hispanic immigrants' attitudes towards ESL classes. Review of Applied Linguistics, 139, 101-128.
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Gault, T.R. (2004). Adult Hispanic immigrants' assumptions regarding good teaching in ESL. Dissertation Abstracts International , 65(5), 1704A.
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Gilbertson, S.R. (2000, November). Just enough: A description of instruction at a volunteer-based adult English as a second language program. Dissertation Abstracts International, 61(5), 1709A.
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Gordon, D. (2004). "I'm tired. You clean and cook": Shifting gender identities and second language socialization. TESOL Quarterly , 38(3), 437-457.
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Gunn, M. (2003). Opportunity for literacy? Preliterate learners in the AMEP. Prospect, 18(2), 37-53.
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Hird, B., Thwaite, A., Breen, M., Milton, M., & Oliver, R. (2000). Teaching English as a second language to children and adults: Variations in practices. Language Teaching Research , 4(1), 3-32.
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Hubenthal, W. (2004). Older Russian immigrants' experiences in learning English: Motivation, methods, and barriers. Adult Basic Education , 14(2), 104-126.
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Hwang, H-S. (2003). Constructing social identities and language socialization practices in an intermarried family with a transplanted Korean mother. Dissertation Abstracts International, 64(2), 374A.
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Hyman, H.K. (2002, January). Foreign-accented adult ESL learners: Perceptions of their accent changes and employability qualifications. Dissertation Abstracts International, 62(7), 2319A.
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Izumi, Y., & Izumi, S. (2004). Investigating the effects of oral output on the learning of relative clauses in English: Issues in the psycholinguistic requirements for effective output tasks. The Canadian Modern Language Review , 60(5), 587-609.
23.
Jeon, M. (2005). Language ideology, ethnicity, and biliteracy development: A Korean-American perspective. Dissertations Abstracts International , 66(6), 2192A-2193A.
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Johnson, D. (2001). An annotated bibliography of second language acquisition in adult English language learners. Washington: National Center for ESL Literacy Education.
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Kim, J. (2005). A community within the classroom: Dialogue journal writing of adult ESL learners. Adult Basic Education, 15(1), 21-32.
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King, K.P. (2000). The adult ESL experience: Facilitating perspective transformation in the classroom. Adult Basic Education, 10(2), 69-90.
27.
Kristjansson, C.R.M. (2004). Whole-person perspectives on learning in community: Meaning and relationships in teaching English as a second language. Dissertation Abstracts International, 65(3), 910A-911A.
28.
Kutner, M., Greenberg, E., & Baer, J. (2005). A first look at the literacy of American adults in the 21st century (NCES 2006470). Washington, DC: National Center for Educational Statistics.
29.
LaBelle, J. (2005). Experiences of ethnic acceptance and prejudice in English language learning: Immigrants' critical reflections. Dissertation Abstracts International, 66(2), 459A.
30.
Lee, E.A. (2000). A study of the effectiveness of interactive multimedia in adult ESL education. Dissertation Abstracts International , 61(4), 1330A.
31.
Maum, R. (2003). A comparison of native and nonnative English speaking teachers' beliefs about teaching English as a second language to adult English language learners. Dissertation Abstracts International, 64(5), 1494A.
32.
McVay, R.H. (2004). Perceived barriers and factors of support for adult Mexican-American ESL students in a community college. Dissertation Abstracts International, 65(5), 1632A.
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Menard-Warwick, J. (2005a). Identity and learning in the narratives of Latina/o immigrants: Contextualizing classroom literacy practices in adult ESL. Dissertation Abstracts International, 65(9), 3255A.
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Menard-Warwick, J. (2005b). Intergenerational trajectories and sociopolitical context: Latina immigrants in adult ESL. TESOL Quarterly, 39(2), 165-185.
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Morgan, B. (2004). Teacher identity as pedagogy: Towards a field-internal conceptualization in bilingual and second language education. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 7(2/3), 172-188.
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Palacios, I.G. (2002, March). An ESL/Literacy Center: A qualitative study of perspectives and practices of immigrant adults and literacy facilitators . Dissertation Abstracts International, 62(9), 3030A.
37.
Panova, I., & Lyster, R. (2002). Patterns of corrective feedback and uptake in an adult ESL classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 36(4), 573-595.
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Reder, S., Harris, K., & Setzler, K. (2003). The multimedia adult ESL learner corpus. TESOL Quarterly, 37(3), 546-557.
39.
Schomburg, C.R. (2004). Surviving English. Great Plains Research, 14(2), 317-323.
40.
Shono, S. (2005). Good ESL teachers: From the perspectives of teachers and adult learners. Dissertation Abstracts International, 65(8), 2887A-2888A.
41.
Skilton-Sylvester, E. (2002). Should I stay or should I go? Investigating Cambodian women's participation and investment in adult ESL programs. Adult Education Quarterly, 53(1), 8-26.
42.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education. (2006). Adult Education and Family Literacy Act: Program Year 2003-2004 (Report to Congress on State Performance) . Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/ovae/2004aefla.pdf
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Warhol, T. (2004). Reassessing assessment practices in an adult ESL program: Liberian women's evaluation of their academic achievement. Working Papers in Educational Linguistics, 20(1), 31-45.
44.
Warriner, D.S. (2003). "Here without English you are dead": Language ideologies and the experiences of women refugees in an adult ESL program. Dissertation Abstracts International, 64(4), 1160A.
45.
Wu, Y., & Carter, K. (2000). Volunteer voices: A model for the professional development of volunteer teachers. Adult Learning, 11(4), 16-20.
46.
Yang, Y. (2005). Teaching adult ESL learners. Internet TESL Journal,11(3). Retrieved September 6, 2006, from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Yang-AdultLearners.html
47.
Yeh, L-M. (2005). Determination of legitimate speakers of English in ESL discourse. Sociol-cultural aspects of selected issues: Power, subjectivity, and equality. Dissertation Abstracts International, 65(9), 3256A-3257A.
