Education Commons^™

Program Evaluation Of The J-1 Visa Teacher Exchange Program From The Perspective Of Exchange Teachers Within A Rural School District, Gradesa Lockhart

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Teacher shortages have had a significant impact on student learning outcomes in a time of immense testing accountability; yet, the way rural school districts handle the teacher shortage varies, from policies to incentive pay, to the use of international teachers. International teachers have become a significant resource for some rural districts to address teacher shortages. This study focused on the lived experiences of a subset of international teachers who are working in United States schools via the Exchange Visitor Program (EVP). The findings of the study authenticated the purpose of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1946, more commonly known as the …

Raw And Pure Education In The Society, Iwasan D. Kejawa Ed.D

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

What does education mean to individuals in the world today? Education is a way one can attain or improve his or her ability to lead and survive in the society of ours. Without educational training of the mind, it may be impossible to realize the importance of adaptability of living in the environment. Without education, It may also be difficult to embellish the use of both the mental and physical attributes possessed by individual beings.

What really is education? Education is the training of the mind to perform desire functions or to perpetuate the modality of obtaining an end or …

Ua42/3 Delo Extended Campuses, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the extended campuses.

• Subseries 1 WKU Elizabethtown / Ft. Knox
• Subseries 2 WKU Glasgow
• Subseries 3 WKU Owensboro

Transformative Learning Theory, A Theory In Progress? Thoughts From A Habermasian Perspective, Saskia Eschenbacher

Adult Education Research Conference

Mezirow borrows heavily from Habermas utilizing core concepts of his theory. However, this activity has serious shortcomings. This paper explores these shortcomings and contributes to the further development of the theory of transformative learning (TL). This paper focuses on three philosophical aspects of transformation theory. I (1) underline inaccuracies and misunderstandings of Habermas' ideas utilized by Mezirow. It will (2) identify theoretical shortcomings and problems in the work of Habermas transposed onto Mezirow's theory of transformative learning. And (3) finally I argue for a way forward for the theory of transformative learning to become a theory in progress.

Prior Learning Assessment: Systematic Review Of Academic Literature, Catherine A. Cherrstrom,, Carrie J. Boden, Todd Sherron, Lindsey Wilson

Adult Education Research Conference

Many argue a college degree is more important than ever and required for many occupations. However, pursuing one requires time and money. Prior learning assessment (PLA) offers one solution to overcome such barriers by documenting outside learning through competency portfolios or assessment testing to receive academic credit. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to examine the academic literature related to PLA within the United States. The review searched 669 databases, across 72 disciplines/fields, and yielded 47 peer-reviewed journal articles, published in 14 journals, during the last decade. Findings included six major themes with implications for adult education theory …

Theorizing Embodied, Collective And Societal Learning Through Prefigurative Social Movements, Margaret L. Cain, Jennifer Kushner, Cassidy Thomas

Adult Education Research Conference

This paper theorizes adult learning as a multi-leveled, emergent process of interactions between individuals, groups, and societal systems. We theorize from the context of prefigurative social movements that are enacting values of direct democracy, solidarity economics, and equity. We analyze Occupy encampments as sites in which individuals, movement groups, and society learn as complex adaptive systems. The theorizing of these learning processes has implications for adult education theory, research, and practice.

Continuing And Community Education As Engaged Learning, Wendy M. Green, Catherine Hansman, Nancy M. Prattt, Marius Boboc

Adult Education Research Conference

CPE providers focus on understanding learning needs, designing and providing educational offerings, and evaluating programs. Cervero and Daly believe these decisions are made within the contested spaces of the social, professional, institutional, and educational systems; however, CPE continues to focus on the needs of the workplace and economic demands. We argue for a re-framing of how CPE is conceptualized and situated within the realm of adult learning and development specific to higher education institutions which engage in the endeavor, proposing the Community Transformation Model for Continuing and Extended Education to address neo-liberalism bias.

Action Is Demonstrative Of Critical Reflection And “Disorienting Dilemma” Is Démodé, Carol A. Olszewski, Catherine A. Hansman

Adult Education Research Conference

This paper explores transformative learning and 1) roles of decision-making and actions as outward expressions of critical reflection and 2) vocabulary that encapsulates the essence of the “disorienting dilemma.”

Transformative Listening Across Global Contexts: Fostering Authentic Connection To Self, Other And Community, Laurie Anderson Sathe, Tes Cotter Zakrzewski, Alessandra Romano, Anne-Liisa Longmore, Deborah J. Kramlich

Adult Education Research Conference

As a group of global scholars, we see authentic listening, with its focus on attention and presence, as crucial to the formation of trust, connection, and the facilitation of learning. We co-created the Transformative Listening Collaborative and a Transformative Listening Protocol (the Protocol) as a means to increase awareness of the importance of authentic listening as a transformative component of learning through story. The Protocol is intended to improve listening skills, foster deep sense-making, and generate contextually situated spaces in which participants may connect with another, understand another, and/or learn more deeply about oneself.

A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis For A Theory Of Interfaith/Interreligious Learning Through Dialogue, Elizabeth M. Pope, Nadira K. Charaniya, Jane West Walsh

Adult Education Research Conference

Interfaith/interreligious (IF/IR) dialogue offers a context through which individuals within various religious communities can learn from and with each other. There are unique aspects to this learning environment. First, learning through conversation. Second, learning through conversation about a difficult topic. And third, learning from and with a religious other. To best understand what learning through IF/IR dialogue is, researchers would benefit from a nuanced understanding of the complexities of the learning environment and the participants within it. In this qualitative meta-synthesis, we examine current research on IF/IR dialogue to outline a theory of dialogical IF/IR learning.

Disability Matters: Ideia, Section 504, And Ada: What Do These Acts Mean For African American Learners Who Experience Intellectual Disabilities? A Critical Literature Review, Marketa President, Elice E. Rogers, Jonathan E. Messemer

Adult Education Research Conference

Adult learners with an intellectual disability have legal protections to access post-secondary learning and vocational opportunities. As individuals strive to maximize potential in the disability space, do cultural barriers of racism disrupt the potential for African American adult learners with intellectual disabilities? One implicit assumption is that race and social status affect advocacy efforts for learners during K-12 experiences, and the adult learners’ ability to self-advocate.

Program Closures: What Happens To Faculty Left Behind?, Lilian H. Hill, E. Paulette Isaac-Savage

Adult Education Research Conference

This autoethonographic study documents the stories of two adult education faculty members’ experiences when their academic programs were closed. In both cases, they each became programs of one after colleagues retired or left for other reasons. Despite their isolation as the only faculty members with adult education credentials, both continue to conduct research, teach, mentor students and colleagues, and remain engaged with the field of adult education.

Exploring Issues Of Power In Formal Mentoring Programs, Jeremy W. Bohonos, Sunny L. Munn, Tonette S. Rocco, Schane D. Coker, Myrian Herlle, Mikki L. Johnson

Adult Education Research Conference

The purpose of this project is to explore how power manifests within mentoring relationships that purport to reduce power distances and move away from traditional hierarchical models of mentoring towards reciprocal methods of mentorship. The roundtable will be a discussion of how power presents and can be proactively addressed in mentoring relationships.

Strengthening Adult Literacy Through Creative Writing, Elizabeth Santiago

Adult Education Research Conference

This Roundtable will discuss a qualitative study that investigated how creative writing strengthens and deepens the literacy skills of adults. Specifically, the study explores two sub-questions: How can creative writing processes support students’ achievement of personal and/or academic goals? How does a curricular focus on individual storytelling build literacy confidence and/or student agency? Data include: pre- and post-surveys, pre- and post-interviews, curriculum design based on best practices in writing instruction and adult learning, and student writing. The study suggests that creative writing is a viable and effective tool to promote literacy acquisition, build student voice, and support student-centred learning.

The Unintended Consequences Of Good Intentions, Debra Tavaras

Adult Education Research Conference

Adult education programs encourage adults to attend college after they receive their GED, yet the programs do not prepare them for the transition or on how to be successful. Colleges and adult education programs do not give enough attention to the challenges and barriers the adult learner faces. Programs assume that adult learners know how to balance the rigour of college and their other responsibilities. After all they are adults. Yet, studies have shown that 77% of GED graduates who attend community and technical colleges withdrew at the end of the first semester.

Writing And Publishing For Early Career Academics, Sunny L. Munn, Jill Zarestky, Jeremy Bohonos, Joshua Collins, Tonette Rocco

Adult Education Research Conference

This panel will describe strategies to help early career academics prepare a first publication and develop a research agenda. This interactive session provides graduate students and early career scholars with an overview of the types of papers frequently found in academic journals, and shares approaches to writing for both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed sections. The panel includes engaging participants in discussion around current research topics, drafting a manuscript, and building and executing a research agenda. The strategies and insights we share will be particularly useful to those wanting to understand the academic publishing process more thoroughly.

Learning About Covid-19: Sources, Trustworthiness, And Beliefs, Lisa M. Baumgartner, Joanna Ellis, Kris Hollingsworth, Courtney Peebles

Adult Education Research Conference

The purpose of this session will be to briefly review our study results concerning participants’ self-directed learning and beliefs about COVID-19. Second, we discuss challenges in educating individuals about COVID-19.

China’S International Aid To Adult Education, Jiang Xiaoying

Adult Education Research Conference

International aid or foreign aid has contributed significantly to world development since the end of World War II. Education is regarded as an indispensable component of international aid strategies. China was once a recipient of international aid. China has also been committed to assisting other countries consistently in decades. The unique role of China as both the donor and the recipient country attract worldwide interest in understanding China’s international aid strategy and how it differs from that of Western countries. This study employs document analysis based on the existing literature, government reports, and state leaders’ speeches from a historical perspective. …

Towards A Political Economy Of Adult Education And Globalization: Theoretical Insights For Confronting Wicked Problems In Global Times, John D. Holst

Adult Education Research Conference

Our global times are defined and profoundly shaped by globalization. As adult educators, we need theory to help explain the nature of and paths forward from the devastating social, political, and cultural impacts of globalization. Moreover, when we consider the field beyond academia and include social movement-based adult educators, it is important to understand that not only do we need theory, but some of the best theory we need is developed by social movement-based adult educators. This cross-disciplinary theoretical inquiry presents a political economic framework for understanding adult education and globalization that draws on academic and social movement-based theory.

Was It A Dream Or Nightmare? A Narrative Exploration Of Adult Refugee Learners’ Experiences In A Community College, Patricia J. Higgins, Mitsunori Misawa

Adult Education Research Conference

Refugees enter the United States seeking a safe place to rebuild their lives after surviving life-threatening situations. In this journey, education is seen as a bridge from instability to self-sufficiency. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to better understand the experiences of adult refugee learners as they navigate higher education in the United States. The research questions were: How do adult refugee learners’ prior life experiences influence the transition to higher education? How does the intersection of ethnicity and immigration status influence the higher education experience? and What strategies do adult refugee learners employ to navigate higher education?

Practicing Ethical Research To Empower Sexual Assault Survivors In Higher Education: An International Perspective, Amber L. Giffin, Mitsunori Misawa

Adult Education Research Conference

Sexual violence is a major global health concern and sociocultural issue (World Health Organization, 2021), with around one-third of sexual assault survivors developing mental health issues (Carey et al., 2018). However, there is a dearth in research about sexual assault survivors in higher education. Therefore, this paper will explore how researchers can ethically empower sexual assault survivors through research processes in higher education. The questions guiding this study are: 1) What are the current strategies used by researchers to ethically empower sexual assault survivors in higher education? 2) How do researchers employ these strategies in practice?

Ua42/2 Delo Continuing & Professional Development, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Continuing & Professional Development.

• Subseries 1 Center for Training & Development
• Subseries 2 Continuing Education
• Subseries 3 Lifelong Learning

Corporate Training; Summer Bridge Programs Support & Training Resources & Event Planning Services are part of Continuing & Professional Development.