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Impact of Adult Education on Adults’ Ability to Calculate Journey Durations

Abstract

Adult education provides individuals with practical knowledge and skills that support effective participation in everyday activities. One important practical numeracy skill is the ability to calculate journey durations, which involves determining the amount of time required to travel between two points using departure and arrival times. This skill is important for planning journeys, estimating arrival times, coordinating appointments, and managing daily activities. However, some adults may experience difficulties when calculating elapsed time, particularly when journeys involve different hours and minutes. This study therefore aims to examine the impact of adult education on adults’ ability to calculate journey durations. Adult education can improve practical numeracy through structured learning activities that connect mathematical concepts with everyday experiences. Instruction on journey-duration calculations may involve teaching adults how to read departure and arrival times, identify hours and minutes, subtract starting times from ending times, and convert between hours and minutes where necessary. Practical examples, exercises, demonstrations, and real-life travel scenarios can provide opportunities for adults to practise these skills and develop greater accuracy. The ability to calculate journey durations enables adults to make better decisions about transportation and time management. Adults who can accurately determine the length of a journey can estimate when they need to leave, anticipate arrival times, compare travel options, and coordinate different activities. Adult education may therefore strengthen this ability by providing learners with practical numerical exercises that gradually develop their confidence and accuracy in calculating elapsed time. The study will adopt a survey research design. The population will comprise adult learners enrolled in selected adult education programmes. A sample will be selected using an appropriate sampling procedure. Data will be collected using a structured questionnaire and a practical journey-duration calculation test designed to assess participants’ ability to determine travel time from given departure and arrival information. The data collected will be analysed using descriptive statistics and appropriate inferential statistical techniques to determine the impact of adult education on adults’ ability to calculate journey durations. The study is expected to establish that participation in adult education has a positive impact on adults’ ability to calculate journey durations. Adults who receive instruction involving practical time calculations are expected to demonstrate improved ability to identify elapsed time, perform calculations involving hours and minutes, and apply time concepts to everyday travel situations. The study may also indicate improved confidence in using numerical information for journey planning. The findings will have implications for the teaching and learning of practical numeracy in adult education programmes. Adult educators may be encouraged to incorporate everyday situations such as transportation, appointments, work schedules, and travel planning into numeracy lessons. Using familiar situations can make mathematical concepts more meaningful and provide learners with opportunities to apply classroom knowledge to practical circumstances. The study will be beneficial to adult learners, adult educators, curriculum planners, community learning centres, and educational policymakers. Adult learners may gain improved practical numeracy skills for managing journeys and daily schedules, while educators may obtain useful information for designing relevant learning activities. Curriculum planners and policymakers may also use the findings to strengthen practical numeracy components of adult education programmes. The study recommends that adult education programmes should include practical exercises that develop adults’ ability to calculate elapsed time and journey durations. Adult educators should use realistic travel scenarios, visual time representations, and repeated practice to reinforce these skills. It is concluded that strengthening practical time-calculation skills through adult education can contribute to adults’ ability to plan journeys effectively and manage their daily activities more efficiently.

Keywords: Adult Education, Adult Learners, Practical Numeracy, Time Calculation, Journey Duration, Elapsed Time, Time Management, Travel Planning, Numerical Skills, Functional Mathematics, Everyday Mathematics, Time Awareness, Departure Time, Arrival Time, Practical Learning, Adult Numeracy