Regulatory influence in a Honolulu adult education program, 2003-2005: A case study

Abstract

This study traces how regulatory compliance precipitated an adult education institution’s shift from open to managed enrollment. That shift was prompted by three administrative concerns derived from regulatory mandates: a requirement of data quality, a requirement of population coverage, and strong pressure for student promotion through the observed educational system. Richards and Lockhart (1996, p. 38) wrote: “Any language teaching program reflects both the culture of the institution... as well as collective decisions and beliefs of individual teachers.” Regulatory compliance produced a tension between principles and funding, and this paper examines the impact on institutional culture that resulted at one case.