Education Commons^™

Using The Critical Mathematics Pedagogical Framework To Teach Adult Basic Education Learners: A Transformative Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Study, Matthew D. Gromlich

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The goal of this study was to design and implement curricula in the Adult Basic Education classroom that aligned to the Critical Mathematics Pedagogical Framework. Specifically, this study assessed if ABE students’ mathematics anxiety and mathematics self-efficacy ware affected by curricula that aligns to the Critical Mathematics Pedagogical Framework. Using a transformative convergent parallel mixed methods study, this study showed that students taught using CMPF-based lessons specifically reflected on their own attitudes towards mathematics self-efficacy, mathematics anxiety, number positioning, and the need for societal change around mathematical concepts. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed to highlight student reflections and …

Doctoral Student Online Learning: Addressing Challenges Of The Virtual Experience, Dejuanna M. Parker, Kent Willis, Barbara D. Holmes

Journal of Research Initiatives

Abstract

This qualitative study sought to understand student beliefs and perceived levels of confidence in a primarily online professional doctoral degree in education. Before accessing course material and formal instruction, respondents assigned scores to a Likert-style survey and answered open-ended questions about their understanding of basic educational research methodology. The rise of distance education follows the rapid growth of technological advancement, yet, much is still unknown about pedagogical practices that contribute to improved learning outcomes for students in the virtual environment. Themes that emerged from this study suggest that (1) student expectations do not align with prior preparation, (2) student …

The Therapeutic Nature Of Qualitative Interviewing: Benefits Of Research Participation, April Perry, Mary Grace Bigelow

Journal of Research Initiatives

This research explored the notion that interview studies can be therapeutic for participants. It examines the common themes that participants report as beneficial from participating in a study about the transition from higher education to post-university life. The findings are presented as common themes and illuminated by participant excerpts. It is concluded that there are therapeutic characteristics to the qualitative interview process that mirror some of the benefits individuals can receive from the counseling process.

Brain Science And Parent-School Relationships In A Title 1 Elementary School In Massachusetts: A Basic Qualitative Study, Arij Rached, Simone Elias, Linda Wilson-Jones

Journal of Research Initiatives

Bandura's (1977) social cognitive theory contends that people think, learn, and perform based upon a sum of personal (e.g., beliefs, emotions, behaviors), social (home-school relationships), and environmental (school culture). Also, research has already determined that collaboration between home and school leads to better children's social-emotional learning (SEL) (August, Anderson, & Bloomquist, 1992; Cooper & Redfern, 2016; Grant & Ray, 2018). Thus, a basic qualitative research tradition was used to better understand elementary public-school parents' perceptions of the impact of parent-school relationships on children SEL development in a Title 1 school in Massachusetts (MA). Thru the lenses of brain science, a …

An Exploration Of The Perceptions Of Institutional Advancement Leaders On Their Role In The Survival Of Private Hbcus: A Qualitative Study, Evelyn Leathers, Comfort O. Okpala

Journal of Research Initiatives

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of institutional advancement leaders on their role in the survival of private HBCUs. The major goals of the study focused on how advancement leaders perceived their leadership roles in generating funds to sustain private historically Black colleges and universities in the southeastern region of United States. Purposive sampling technique was utilized to select seven experienced and successful advancement leaders for the study. Through in-depth phenomenological interview and analyses, four themes emerged. The findings from the study show that the participants strongly perceived that their leadership role in fundraising to …

Acknowledge Us: An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Female Army Veterans In Undergraduate Programs, Jennifer O'Neil

Educational Studies Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the lived experiences of female United States Army veterans who have enrolled in an academic undergraduate program post discharge. As higher education continues to be an important transition point for female veterans, understanding the lived experiences of this population provides higher education administrators and faculty the opportunity to create and implement services and programs that will appropriately assist this population in their educational journey. Using a phenomenological methodology (Moustakas, 1994; Patton, 2015; van Manen,1990) thirteen female veterans across five different eras (Vietnam, 1980’s peacetime, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan) took part in …

Training Design Enhancement Through Training Evaluation: Effects On Training Transfer, Elham Arabi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With recurring changes in the society, in terms of economy and technology, companies need to ensure that their human capital is aligned with these transformations in order to sustain in a competitive industry. To date, organizations view training as a requirement to increase their employees’ efficiencies and productivity, and reduce their attrition rates. Despite investment in employee training, research shows a lack of transfer of learning to job and as a result minimal return on investment. This issue is due to many barriers, but can be addressed by learning professionals. Poor learning design and training evaluation practices have been identified …

Cross-Border Development: A Long-Term Role For Universities, Robert Brian Smith, Nucharee Nuchkoom Smith

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

Low-income economies are experiencing potential serious threats in terms of long-term sustainability and social development. At the same time, most developing economies are grappling with possible disruptions from the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the current COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences. However, every economy has the same goal of elevating its status to that of a developed country. This research uses the narrative/case study approach to examine cross-border development and the role that universities can play as important actors in the development of society. Moreover, this research combines observations and literature analysis. Universities are clearly best placed to play an …

From Disconnection To Sentience: Creating Space For Practitioners Who Experience Student Death, Kevin L. Wright

The Vermont Connection

Student crises are a common issue within higher education. When a student comes to a college campus, it is the duty and responsibility of student affairs professionals to empower them and contribute to their holistic success. Unfortunately, some students fall through the cracks and the result can conclude with a student transferring to another institution, failing their classes, dropping out of college, or in a worst-case scenario, death. Working in higher education requires hard work and heart work. There is an emotional investment in the work that is produced by scholar-practitioners. When unfortunate situations occur that result in a student’s …

Leading For Social Justice: A Call To Action To Improve Society., Teresa L. G. Warner

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

School leaders are required to prepare students for a globally competitive society, and act ethically to facilitate a shared vision of school practices that serve all students equitably. Social justice leadership provided in school and teacher leadership preparation programs is a way to meet the standards for school executives and teachers. The decision to lead for social justice can be made as a result of district mandates while some leaders are motivated by personal experiences. Leaders are distracted from the importance of leading for social justice due to the pressures of accountability testing and the political outcry of the day. …

Counternarratives Of Success: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Life Experiences Of Prior-Enlisted Reserve Officers Navigating Higher Education, Adam B. Fullerton

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The current extant literature on student veterans describes the student veteran population in monolithic terms through a deficit perspective. With reserve servicemembers making up 33% of the veteran population (VA, 2018), reservists move beyond tokenism (Kanter, 1978;1987) and need to be explored separately. This separation enhances the understanding of their experiences in working towards educational attainment and the differences from the traditional student veteran identity. To engage in the study of this subpopulation, a narrative inquiry into the lived experience of three Marine officers who obtained their degrees while serving as enlisted reservists was conducted.

This study used Veteran Critical …

The Importance Of Planning Intellectually Challenging Tasks, Ali Althuwaybi

Educational Considerations

Since the emergence of the 21st century, advances in information, communication, and technology are changing teaching and learning in numerous ways. Today, teachers are essential for this momentum shift. The identification and design of appropriate and effective instructional tasks and applying them in the classroom will affect teaching and learning. However, this goes beyond offering curriculum and teaching materials to educators. Teachers should be able to stimulate passive curriculum materials and transform them into intriguing instructional tasks if they can specify resources, processes, and outcomes. Current literature underscores the need to support teachers in engaging in operational planning activities that …

January 2020, Randy Beutler

SWOSU President’s Newsletter

State Equalization Board: What is it and what does it do?

The Oklahoma State Board of Equalization is an entity of state government that has a very important role in the appropriations process each year. The group is responsible for providing an estimate of all revenue that will be available for appropriation by the Oklahoma Legislature for the coming fiscal year.

Adhd And Mindfulness: Looking To Eastern Thought To Expand Western Practice, Tiffany Devol, Qi Sun

Adult Education Research Conference

This roundtable presents mindfulness exercise as a transformative approach in the teaching and learning process. It discusses how this ancient eastern meditation technique can holistically empower adult learners with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Exploring The Contextualization Of Workplace Spirituality In South Korean Startups, Ahreum Lim, Nicolaides Aliki, Chan Lee

Adult Education Research Conference

This study explores how spirituality in workplaces is contextualized in South Korean startups. With the unprecedented development of technology, new small-sized ventures, so-called startups have emerged as the major drivers in today’s global market (Schwab, 2017). The disruptive changes that startup creates in the market imply the growing needs of both organizations and individuals to be more adaptive to the given changes. Backing up these trends, an increasing amount of new consumers’ needs is fulfilled through innovative breakthrough, possibly only temporarily, at the expense of tremendous stress that individual employees at startups suffer from. Nonetheless, to survive through the volatile …

“They Just Don't Invest In Those Students…" Adult Literacy Education And The Shift To Career Readiness: Conversations With Veteran Educators In The Us, Jaye Jones

Adult Education Research Conference

The 2014 reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) – a major source of funding for adult education programs in the United States – meant even greater emphasis on workforce-focused skills in the classroom and intensified tracking of occupational outcomes. Concerns have been raised about how a move away from critical literacy has impacted some of the field’s most vulnerable learners, those at the lowest levels of literacy. This paper examines the experiences of veteran adult literacy educators to illuminate the impact workforce-focused policies have had on educational services for adult literacy level learners.

“I Embrace My Ashes”: North Korean Migrants Learning About Entrepreneurship From Failure, Jinhee Choi, Esther Prins

Adult Education Research Conference

Migrants’ workplace experiences in their host society shape their social adjustment, yet how migrants learn from failures is under-investigated. This study examined how North Korean migrants in South Korea sought to learn from failures in their workplaces and everyday life. The paper draws on nine months of ethnographic research in South Korean social enterprises (restaurants, cafes) that employ North Korean migrants. Data sources include informal conversations and loosely structured interviews with five purposefully selected women who started, or planned to start, their own enterprise. The findings revealed that migrants experienced failure in five inter-related spheres: financial, relational, physical, psychological, and …

Anti-Harassment Training Programmes In The Rcmp: Is Organizational Transformative Learning Possible?, Karen E. Yong

Adult Education Research Conference

Examining a complex hierarchical law enforcement organization mandated anti-harassment (AH) training programmes. A sample of the RCMP revealed bullying negative behaviours occurring at 19% across study group (n=237). Mix-method approach using Kirkpatrick Evaluation, OCAI and NAQ-R provided insights into the correlation of training to organizational stated culture goals. More males reported being bullying (25%) No overt bullying reported by female respondents however, subtle bullying remains. All training materials aligned with organizational mission, vision and strategic goals. Curricula was clear however a gap exists between formal training and applied learning as evidenced by quantitative assessments. The NAQ-R (Cronbach alpha 0.777) indicates …

Education And Learning To Support A Just Transition In Central Appalachia, Colleen Unroe

Adult Education Research Conference

This case study explores the learning and education of a community organization involved with multiple Just Transition initiatives in Eastern Kentucky where the economies were formerly dominated by the coal industry. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted of leaders within the organization in addition to exploring the educational materials. Although non-formal learning plays an important part, informal learning, activist exchanges, and communities of practice play a more fundamental role in the activist learning.

Learning Experiences And College Access Of American Workers: Evidence From Piaac, Chang Sung Jang, Junghwan Kim, In Tak Kwon

Adult Education Research Conference

Using the U.S. data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), this study aims to explore how work-related learning experiences of working adults influence their sub-baccalaureate or baccalaureate degree-seeking in higher education institutions (HEIs). Given many jobs in the U.S. that require higher education credentials, we examined how formal and informal work-related learning experiences are associated with the college access of working adults who have a high school diploma. The multinomial logistic regression results show that work flexibility, distance learning, and private learning experience are positively related to working adults’ college access. Based on the findings, …

Cultural Diversity Professional Development In Schools Survey, Krystal R. Thomas, Hillary Parkhouse, Jesse Senechal, Zoey Lu, Laura Faulcon, Julie Gorlewski, David B. Naff

MERC Publications

This report presents findings from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) Cultural Diversity Within Schools Survey. This survey was designed for school- based professionals (i.e., teachers, instructional staff, administrators) within the MERC region. Administered in the fall of 2018, the survey collected information about experiences of professional development related to cultural diversity, attitudes toward cultural diversity within schools, perceptions of barriers and opportunities, and perspectives on the need for professional development. Section 1 of the report discusses the context for this survey effort: increased cultural diversity in our schools, increased cultural mismatch between students and teachers, and multicultural education as …

Adult Education And The Nation-State: A Systematic Review Of Literature, Hye-Su Kuk

Adult Education Research Conference

In this literature review, I analyze how the concept of the state is defined and used in empirical adult education research articles. Findings are in three themes of 1) systems of governance in adult education, 2) governmentality and contention, and 3) research challenging whether the state boundaries are blurred in the adult education literature. I discuss the implications of the findings in comparison to theoretical approaches toward the state in adult education.

Formal And Informal Learning Transfer In The Workplace, Royce Ann Collins, Connie Carpenter

Adult Education Research Conference

Both employees and organizations invest significant amounts of time, energy, and funds while promoting knowledge development as a fulcrum for increasing reflexive transformation, gaining higher cognitive skills, and achieving both organizational and workforce members’ performance goals. Our paper advocates multi-faceted and interactionist adult learning approaches designed to stimulate learners’ motivational dispositions as they transition to and from formal and informal learning environments.

Third Shift Labor Of Advanced Career Learners: Growing The Adult Education Field, Tulare W. Park, Carol Rogers-Shaw, Dorca Kisare-Ressler

Adult Education Research Conference

This paper explores the literature on advanced-career adult learners pursuing graduate education on the “third shift”, which begins after daily work and family obligations are completed (Kramarae, 2001, p. 3). The purpose is to explain the unique characteristics of these learners and the ways in which educators can offer support so they are successful and able to return to practice as adult educators themselves to grow the field of adult education.

Differences Between Us And German Adults In Native-Born And Migrants’ Participation In Volunteering As A Dimension Of Civic Engagement, Jovita Ross-Gordon, Anke Grotlüschen, M Cecil Smith, Thomas J. Smith, Amy D. Rose, Jill Zarestky, Marion Fleige

Adult Education Research Conference

We examine civic engagement among immigrants and native-born adults in the United States (U.S.) and Germany, operationalized in this study as voluntary work or volunteerism. Data for the analyses are drawn from the PIAAC. Germany and the U.S. were selected from the countries participating in PIAAC initial data collection in 2012 as two large OECD countries with different histories of immigration and responses to migrants. In Germany, native-born individuals showed greater volunteerism than immigrants (β = 0.119, p < .001) while in the U.S., no significant difference was apparent by immigration status (β = 0.031, p = .133). These results are discussed in the paper relative to existing research literature and implications for adult education are suggested.

Addressing A Global Epidemic: Opportunities For Adult Education To Assist Suicide Loss Survivors, Gina C. Whalen

Adult Education Research Conference

Globally 800,000 people die by suicide every year. The worldwide prevalence of suicide has led to an increase in suicide prevention educational programming, but suicide bereavement education is rarely addressed. The upward trend of suicide rates has direct implications at the personal, community, societal, and global levels. The purpose of this literature review is to bring together empirical studies of those bereaved by suicide from various fields, so that researchers in adult education have a direction for this much-needed area of exploration. Three themes emerged during this research: (a) unique bereavement challenges, (b) barriers to obtaining support, and (c) sources …

Building Intercultural Maturity: Informal And Incidental Learning Among Volunteers In Adult Esl Contexts, Beixi Li

Adult Education Research Conference

This empirical paper describes the preliminary results of a mixed-methods study about the relationship between informal and incidental learning among volunteers in adult ESL and their intercultural maturity.

A Critical Examination Of Immigrant Integration Policies And Adult Education Practices In South Korea, Heh Youn Shin

Adult Education Research Conference

The purpose of this session is to facilitate a dialogue on how South Korea’s immigrant integration policies and related adult education practices at public social service agencies affect marriage immigrants’ learning and becoming in their post-migration context.

A Chicana Feminist Epistemology In Adult Education: A Literature Review, Cindy Peña, Jessica M. Quintero, Elizabeth Castañeda, Sonia Rey López

Adult Education Research Conference

The purpose of this literature review was to identify research in adult education literature that used a Chicana feminist theoretical framework. The review was conducted using the Elton B. Stephen CO. (EBSCO) database. Although a thorough review of the most notable adult education journals revealed a lack of scholarly articles using Chicana Feminist Epistemology (CFE), the authors were able to identify three themes within the literature that could aid in incorporating CFE into adult education research. Future implications of embedding a Chicana feminist epistemology in adult education research and practice can create well-rounded studies centered around authentic Latina experiences.

Reflection And Perspective On International Workplace Learning Research: A Literature Review, Yifan Zhao

Adult Education Research Conference

In recent years, researchers' interest in workplace learning has increased dramatically. Many journals show the current research status of workplace learning. This study uses bibliometrics, cluster analysis, knowledge map to analyze 1764 literatures in 8 journals of workplace learning in 2010-2019. Research findings: (1) The research topics of workplace learning are relatively micro and diverse. Workplace learning theory, influencing factors of workplace learning, workplace learning evaluation, leadership, performance improvement and organizational change are the current research hotspot. (2) Empirical research is the majority research method. (3) Workplace learning theoretical model, informal learning, performance improvement, organizational learning, innovation, leadership are the …