A Content Analysis of Adult Education

Abstract

The twenty volumes of Adult Education published between 1950 and 1970 were analyzed to ascertain trends and patterns in the contents of the journal as indications of the development of the discipline of adult education. The use of journal space, types and subjects of articles, as well as citation and authorship practices were examined by five year periods. An increase in the proportion of authors affiliated with a university was coincident with longer articles and more references cited. There was a steadily increasing emphasis on research-based articles with a decreasing emphasis on program descriptions and statements of personal belief or experi ence. The subject matter analysis indicated that there had been a rapid increase to more than one-third in the most recent period in the number of articles concerned with the fundamental principles underlying adult learning.