I am currently doing a grad research paper on Adult Online Learners and found that the research is kind of thin. It seems most of it is coming from market research specialists. Try these online publications: The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, and Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
Allen, I. E., Seaman, J., (October 2007) Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning. Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C), Needham, MA
Bosworth, B., Callahan, A., Choitz, V., Davidson, C., Hoops, J., Kazis, R., McLeod, A., (March 2007) Adult Learners in Higher Education: Barriers to Success and Strategies to Improve Results. Employment and Training Administration Occasional Paper 2007-03. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/30/b1/d0.pdf
Parsad, B., and Lewis, L. (2008). Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2006–07 (NCES 2009–044). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC. (LOTS OF STATS)
Stokes, P. (2006) Hidden in Plain Sight: Adult Learners Forge a New Tradition in Higher Education. A National Dialogue: The Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education [Issue Paper] Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports/stokes.pdfbdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports/stokes.pdf
The Adult Learner: An Eduventures Perspective - Who They Are, What They Want, and How to Reach Them. [White Paper] Copyright 2008 - Eduventures, Inc., Boston, MA (LOTS OFSTATS)
Trends in Adult Learning: A 2006 Snapshot. [Market Report] Copyright 2009 - Aslanian Group, Inc., New York, NY (LOTS OF STATS on the Aslanian Group website)
good luck!
|K|