Annotated Bibliography - Need Friday
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Annotated Bibliography
What is an annotated bibliography? An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, web pages, and other documents. The reference citation is listed first and is followed by a brief description. The annotation informs the reader of the relevance and quality of the sources cited. What is the purpose of the annotated bibliography? In certain classes, you will be asked to write an annotated bibliography, which sounds quite intimidating, but is simply a brief summary of something you have read or consulted during the course of your research on a given subject. The annotated bibliography has a structured format, and the purpose for this is to provide the organizational tool you need to keep track of your research and references. The bibliography may serve a number of purposes: illustrate the quality of research, provide examples, review literature on a particular subject, or provide further exploration of the subject. Provided below is a sample annotated bibliography. Doctoral students should follow the sample annotated bibliography provided in courses. This sample annotated bibliography may differ in appearance from formatting required in the School of Advanced Studies.
Annotated Bibliography
Adult education. (2003). In Encyclopaedia Britannica online. Retrieved from
http://britannica.com
This is a good overview article from a well-known, non-specialized encyclopedia that
focuses on the various definitions of adult education. A brief history of adult education
worldwide is provided, as well as a discussion on the different modalities and delivery
methods of adult education. An in-depth discussion of Britain’s Open University is
included.
Aslanian, C. B. (2001). Adult students today. New York, NY: The College Board.
This is an exceptional resource for statistics about adult learners and their motivation
for returning to school. The author presents a study spanning 20 years that illustrates
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extensive demographics, including average age, income, travel distance, cost, ethnicity,
gender, religion, and field of study.
Brookfield, S. (n.d.). Adult learning: An overview. Retrieved from
http://www.nl.edu/ace/Resources/Documents/AdultLearning.html
This is an excellent and thorough article covering four major research areas: self-
directed learning, critical reflection, experiential learning, and learning to learn. The
author refutes current definitions of adult learning and motivation and proposes instead
that culture, ethnicity, and personality have greater significance than are espoused in
the current myths that describe adult learners. This article is interesting to consider in
that it diametrically opposes the existing and widely accepted views on the subject.
Donaldson, J. F., Graham, S.W., Martindill, W., & Bradley, S. (2000, Spring). Adult
undergraduate students: How do they define their experiences and their success? Journal
of Continuing Higher Education, 48(2) 2-11. Retrieved from
http://www.informaworld.com/ujch
The small study confirms current thinking that adults return to school for primarily
external reasons, e.g., a major life event or career advancement. The research further
illustrates that actual success in learning comes from an internal locus of control that
includes life experience, maturity, motivation, and self-monitoring.
Marienau, C. (1999, Spring). Self-assessment at work: Outcome of adult learners’ reflections on
practice. American Association for Adult & Continuing Education, 49(3), 135. Retrieved
from http://www.aaace.org/
As a qualitative study of adults in graduate programs, the study reviews adults’ use of
self-assessment and experiential learning from the perspectives of performance at work
and personal development. This article is enlightening in that it explores the benefits to
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the adult learner of self-assessment and introspection. The concept of purposefulness
and the need for the adult learner to connect learning with concrete experience are
discussed.
Merriam, S. B., & Caffarella, R. S. (2001). Adult learning theories, principles and applications.
San Francisco, CA: Wiley & Sons.
This is a textbook used for the training of instructors of adult students. Several excellent
and pertinent chapters are devoted to the self-determination of the adult student and the
need for programs to be designed that allow adults to use their problem-solving skills.
Moore, B. L. (1999). Adult student learners. Penn State Pulse Website. Retrieved from
http://www.sa.psu.edu/sara/pulse/adults_65shtml
This website contained a survey of adult learners’ perceptions of their education
experience at Penn State. The study contained a large survey sample and generally
confirmed the findings of other studies at major universities. The important information
gleaned is that the emphasis on adult learner programs at historically traditional
universities is a much higher priority due to the increasing population of adult students.
Sheldon, K. M., & Houser, M. L. (2001). General motivation for college measure. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 152-165. Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/journals/psp/
This source is a psychosocial instrument designed to measure adult students’ general
motivation for attending college. This instrument is appropriate to my research topic
because it profiles adult students and rates motivation in terms of both intrinsic and
extrinsic factors. It supports the findings in my other sources and adds another
component: the pursuit of happiness.