Measures and References: Social Supports

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Measures

Numerous measures exist to gain a full picture of a student's learning strengths and challenges. Following are examples of measures used to assess this Learner Factor. These measures should be administered and interpreted by experienced professionals.

Social Support Questionnaire-Short Form (Sarason et al., 1987): Self-report questionnaire of adults' perceptions of the number of supportive relationships and their satisfaction with the relationships.

Adult Learner Social Supports (Lundberg et al., 2008): Self-report questionnaire to assess support that adult learners are receiving from friends and family.

References

Carawan, L. W., Nalavany, B. A., & Jenkins, C. (2016). Emotional experience with dyslexia and self-esteem: The protective role of perceived family support in late adulthood. Aging & Mental Health, 20(3), 284-294.

Comings, J. P. (2008). Student persistence in adult literacy and numeracy programs. Tracking adult literacy and numeracy skills (pp. 180-196). Routledge.

Cuban, S. (2003). "So lucky to be like that, someone care": Two case studies of women learners and their persistence in Hasai'i literacy program. Adult Basic Education, 13(1), 19-43.

Eğeci, İ. S., & Gençoz, T. (2006). Factors associated with relationship satisfaction: Importance of communication skills. Contemporary Family Therapy, 28(3), 383-391.

Fraser, S., Beeman, I., Southall, K., & Wittich, W. (2019). Stereotyping as a barrier to the social participation of older adults with low vision: A qualitative focus group study. BMJ Open, 9(9), e029940.

Keyes, C. L. M., & Waterman, M. B. (2003). Dimensions of well-being and mental health in adulthood. In M. H. Bornstein, L. Davidson, C. L. M. Keyes, & K. A. Moore (Eds.), Crosscurrents in contemporary psychology. Well-being: Positive development across the life course (p. 477-497). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

Lundberg, C. A., McIntire, D. D., & Creasman, C. T. (2008). Sources of social support and self‐efficacy for adult students. Journal of College Counseling, 11(1), 58-72.

Margaryan, A., Littlejohn, A., and Milligan, C. (2013). Self-regulated learning in the workplace: Strategies and factors in the attainment of learning goals. International Journal of Training and Development, 17(4), 245-259.

Patterson, M. B. (2018). The forgotten 90%: Adult nonparticipation in education. Adult Education Quarterly, 68(1), 41-62.

Prins, E., & Van Horn, B. (2012). Adult learning in family literacy. In B.H. Wasik (Ed.), Handbook of family literacy (pp. 166-180). Routledge.

Sarason, I. G., Sarason, B. R., Shearin, E. N., & Pierce, G. R. (1987). A brief measure of social support: Practical and theoretical implications. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 4(4), 497-510.

Shukla, A., Harper, M., Pedersen, E., Goman, A., Suen, J. J., Price, C., ... & Reed, N. S. (2020). Hearing loss, loneliness, and social isolation: A systematic review. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 162(5), 622-633.

Sippel, L. M., Pietrzak, R. H., Charney, D. S., Mayes, L. C., & Southwick, S. M. (2015). How does social support enhance resilience in the trauma-exposed individual?. Ecology and Society, 20(4), 10.

Thoits, P. A. (2011). Mechanisms linking social ties and support to physical and mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 52(2), 145-161.

Tsai, H. Y. S., Shillair, R., & Cotten, S. R. (2017). Social support and "playing around": An examination of how older adults acquire digital literacy with tablet computers. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 36(1), 29-55.

Wangberg, S. C., Andreassen, H. K., Prokosch, H. U., Santana, S. M. V., Sørensen, T., & Chronaki, C. E. (2008). Relations between Internet use, socio-economic status (SES), social support and subjective health. Health Promotion International, 23(1), 70-77.

Wright, S. L., Perrone‐McGovern, K. M., Boo, J. N., & White, A. V. (2014). Influential factors in academic and career self‐efficacy: Attachment, supports, and career barriers. Journal of Counseling & Development, 92(1), 36-46.

Yeager, D. S., Walton, G. M., Brady, S. T., Akcinar, E. N., Paunesku, D., Keane, L., ... & Dweck, C. S. (2016). Teaching a lay theory before college narrows achievement gaps at scale. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(24), E3341-E3348.