Adult ESL is a high-turnover field, and volunteers are a critical component of the adult ESL workforce. Existing research focuses on learners’ experience in the classroom, and there is limited attention to how teachers might change in any way as a result of encountering immigrant learners in adult ESL. The current study used an explanatory sequential, mixed-methods design to examine adult ESL volunteers’ informal and incidental learning and the impact of the learning on their intercultural maturity. A total of 212 adult ESL teachers (77 volunteers) participated in the study. Participants completed the Learning Practices Audit (LPA) and the Global Perspective Inventory (GPI), which were analyzed with exploratory factor analysis, multiple regression, and t-tests. Twelve participants (6 volunteers) completed semi-structured interviews informed by the Critical Incident Technique. Fifty-two critical incidents were identified and examined via narrative analysis.
The results demonstrated that adult ESL presented many triggers for informal and incidental learning for both volunteers and paid instructors. While paid instructors scored significantly higher than volunteers on the LPA, participants from both groups identified learning from teaching as the most important source of learning. Participation in informal and incidental learning activities was positively correlated with intercultural maturity. Both volunteers and paid instructors scored above the national average on the GPI. While there was no significant difference between volunteers and paid instructors in the mean GPI, volunteers scored significantly higher on the Intrapersonal scale and Social Responsibility subscale of the GPI. Interviews suggested intercultural experiences in adult ESL triggered learning in cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal domains of intercultural maturity. These experiences were usually in the form of unexpected events growing out of interactions with adult learners, were often social and interactive in nature, and involved self-reflection. Further, organizational support promoted informal and incidental learning.
This study validated the LPA in adult ESL, applied the GPI in adult ESL for the first time, and exemplified the use of CIT in studying experiences in adult ESL. It gave voice to adult ESL teachers and presented practical implications. Future research studies should consider virtual volunteering and power dynamics in adult ESL.
