Needed: A Multicultural Perspective for Adult Education Research

Abstract

Educators have recently taken interest in understanding the needs of racial and ethnic minority youth in the schools. A review of adult education research literature over the last five years suggests the adult education research community has not shown a similar interest. Given the traditional un-derrepresentation of minority adults in adult education programs and considering the changing demographics of the U.S., this omission gives cause for concern. Presented are data revealing the paucity of publications addressing multicultural issues in adult education, despite a small but growing number of dissertations. In an effort to stimulate discussion and research in the area, the author suggests a number of questions worthy of investigation. Methodological issues particularly relevant to research on minority populations are also discussed.