EDITORIAL, Kathleen P. King..........................................................................................................................................................................................2

INVITED ARTICLE
"It Simply makes Us Better": Literacy Research-In-Practice in the U.S., Britain, Australia, and Canada..................................................................................5
B. Allan Quigley, & Mary Norton

RESEARCH ARTICLES
Engagement: Precursor to Learning for Welfare Recipients in Adult Basic Education............................................................................................................18
Mary Ziegler, Chas Durant, & Rosemarie Mincey

Traditional and Nontraditional Students' Learning Styles: Using Canfield's Learning Styles Inventory....................................................................................29
Gabe Keri

Exploring the Impact of Commodification of Adult Education..............................................................................................................................................39
Kerry Newman

BEST PRACTICE ARTICLES
So What is Systemic Staff Development.............................................................................................................................................................................52
Georges Marceau

Insights on Teaching Critical Thinking.................................................................................................................................................................................55
Judy Soffian

Understanding the Seasons of a Man's Life through a Multicultural Lens for Higher Education in the United States...............................................................62
Yukiko Inoue


ISSUES AND TRENDS
Dropout Prevention and the Role of Adult Education.........................................................................................................................................................66
Martin Murphy

BOOK REVIEWS
Planning Programs for Adult Learners: A Practical Guide for Educators, Trainers and Staff Developer................................................................................74
Jane Bennett

The Policy-Making Process..............................................................................................................................................................................................76
Sonya Maxwell