The application of adult education principles in the National Union of Educators' in-service training courses

M.Ed.The main purpose of this study was to establish whether adult education principles were being implemented in the development and the delivery of courses by the National Union of Educators. An additional reason was to establish whether these courses assisted teachers as adult learners to learn effectively and efficiently so that they could apply what they had learnt. The main finding of this study is that although some courses were successful, it was apparent that there was no clear plan to include adult education principles. A qualitative research design was used to establish whether adult education principles were being implemented in the development and delivery of courses offered by the NUE. The methods of data collection that were employed were semi-structured interviews and detailed observation notes. The constant comparative method of data analysis was used to search for recurring themes and patterns. The study revealed that there was no or very little evidence of a formal needs assessment done by the NUE, prior to any of the courses offered for the in-service-training of teachers. However, in spite of this some courses were successful. The success of these courses seemed to depend on the personality of the presenter, who used adult education principles instinctively or unwittingly. The study concludes with a few recommendations: one of these is that a needs assessment needs to be conducted prior to the planning of any course. Additionally adult principles and practices should be incorporated into courses and the mode of instruction needs to be addressed