Many adult English language learners (ELLs) aspire toward postsecondary educational programs but do not go on to obtain college credentials after beginning classes in Adult Basic Education (ABE) or community college English as a second or other language classes to prepare for college-level English. Understanding how adult ELLs experience learning in such programs may help programs support adult ELL persistence. A lens that has illuminated qualitative differences in adult learning experience is that of constructive-developmental theory (CDT). This small qualitative case study used a CDT lens and grounded theory to investigate developmental perspectives and learning experiences among nine ABE ELLs in a college preparation class. Data included two qualitative interviews per participant, demographic questionnaires, and reading scores. Findings included notable developmental diversity among participants and qualitatively distinct learning experiences related to finding motivation, ways of learning, and navigating challenge. This article discusses these different learning experiences, including supporting developmentally diverse adult ELLs.

中文翻译：

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成人英语语言学习者在发展上的不同学习经历

许多成人英语语言学习者 (ELL) 渴望接受高等教育课程，但在开始成人基础教育 (ABE) 或社区大学英语作为第二语言课程或其他语言课程后，并没有继续获得大学证书，为大学英语水平做准备. 了解成人 ELL 如何在此类项目中体验学习可能有助于项目支持成人 ELL 的坚持。一个阐明成人学习经验质量差异的镜头是建设性发展理论（CDT）。这个小型定性案例研究使用 CDT 镜头和扎根理论来调查大学预科课程中九名 ABE ELL 的发展观点和学习经验。数据包括每位参与者的两次定性访谈、人口调查问卷和阅读分数。调查结果包括参与者之间显着的发展多样性，以及与寻找动机、学习方式和应对挑战相关的质量上截然不同的学习体验。本文讨论了这些不同的学习经历，包括支持发育多样化的成人 ELL。