Education Commons^™

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. …

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 …

Utilizing Adult Learning Principles To Understand Students’ Perception Of Integrating Open-Access Resources Into Nutrition Curriculum: A Survey Research, Kathleen M. Hoss-Cruz, Haijun Kang

Adult Education Research Conference

The purpose of this research roundtable is to discuss how principles of adult learning could be used to make sense of student experiences with an open-access resource used in a basic level nutrition course.

The Learning Projects Of Municipal Elected Officials, Rebecca Campbell Smeltzer

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe the learning projects related to the governmental role of a selected sample of elected municipal officials in a geographic region of a Southeastern state. The study includes the revision of Tough’s (1975) learning projects interview schedule and the addition of eight demographic items.

Participants were selected by using a random number generator to choose 12 cities from seven population groups, creating a stratified sample of 68 elected officials, 41 of whom agreed to be interviewed. Demographic information revealed that the participants were a mix of mayors (26.8%), vice-mayors (19.5%), and city …

Examining Barriers To Retention Of Adult Learners In Rural Education Programs, Tiffany Minyon Spivey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The retention of adult learners in rural educational settings throughout the United States is challenging for adult education instructors. Adult learners in rural areas encounter internal and external barriers, including lack of self-efficacy and minimal transportation. Research exists regarding the retention of adult learners, but little is known about the barriers to persistence among adult learners in rural areas, or the motivations experienced by students and instructors. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify perceived barriers to retention at a rural adult learning center in Georgia and to provide suggestions to improve adult education and literacy initiatives. …

Adult Learner Perceptions And Experiences In A Community College Engaged In Intensive Student Success Reforms, Susan J. Barcinas, Tracy A. Kachur, Duane Akroyd, Heidi N. Mccann, Yaxin Zheng

Adult Education Research Conference

This qualitative study is based upon 200 hours of observation and 30 participant interviews aiming to deeply describe and analyze adult learner perceptions of community college intensive student success reform initiatives.

Promoting Critical Thinking And Reflection In A Capstone Course For Adult Learners, James-Etta Goodloe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

University instructors can improve how they promote critical thinking in the classroom by fostering reflective writing habits with students. Midwest University requires all undergraduate students to complete 2 capstone courses, which are framed around a critical thinking curriculum. The skills of analyzing and reflecting on experiences are important components of critical thinking. Despite this acknowledged importance of critical thinking, there is currently no structured training for instructors of the capstone course on how to develop critical thinking abilities among adult students. The purpose of this case study was to examine the perceptions of the instructors of the capstone courses and …

Learner-Centered Instructors' Beliefs About Adult Learning: A Phenomenological Study, Sarah Scherling

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The population of adult learners in higher education continues to increase. In many cases, the majority of faculty teaching adult learners are adjunct instructors. These instructors bring a rich background of experience and expertise to the classroom, but may lack experience in designing and implementing effective instructional practices for adult learners. Instructional practices of adjunct instructors are influenced by their beliefs about teaching and learning. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to examine learner-centered adjunct instructors' beliefs about adult learning and how these beliefs influence their instructional practices. The study used written reflection, interview, and classroom observation data …

Older Undergraduate English Majors And Their Self-Described Value Of English, Joseph W. Price

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

The purpose of this multiple case study was to develop an understanding of what older nontraditional undergraduate English majors voiced as the challenges, attributes, and promises concerning their choice of that academic major.

Ten participants took part in this study; these were students enrolled during the Spring 2012 semester as English majors at an urban state university in the Midwest. Data from ten interviews were analyzed using a combination of structural and verses coding. Thirteen themes surfaced that cut across cases and questions and offered insight and explanation to the research question and sub questions. These included (in alphabetical order): …

The What And How Of Teaching Diverse Adult Learners, Deborah Lechuga, Vishal Arghode

Adult Education Research Conference

In this paper, we present an in-progress study to better understand the process by which adult education instructors become more competent teaching diverse adult learners. We provide a brief review of the relevant literature. We then share the findings from the initial survey, which serve as the basis for our current study. The new questions that emerged from the data analysis and the research design of our current study are also described.

Language Learning Strategy Use By Colombian Adult English Language Learners: A Phenomenological Study, Elsie E. Paredes

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how Colombian adult English language learners (ELL) select and use language learning strategies (LLS). This study used Oxford’s (1990a) taxonomy for LLS as its theoretical framework. Semi-structured interviews and a focus group interview, were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed for 12 Colombian adult ELL. A communicative activity known as strip story (Gibson, 1975) was used to elicit participants’ use of LLS. This activity preceded the focus group session. Additionally, participants’ reflective journals were collected and analyzed. Data were analyzed using inductive, deductive, and comparative analyses. Four themes emerged from the inductive analysis …

The Relationships Of Learning Style Balance And Learning Dimensions To Self-Directed Learning Propensity Among Adult Learners, Sarah Tullos Hutto

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of learning style characteristics to self-directed learning propensity among adult learners. The learning style characteristics investigated were learning style balance as measured by a scoring method developed by Mainemelis, Boyatzis, and Kolb (2002) and learning style dimensions as measured by the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI). The Oddi Continuous Learning Instrument (OCLI) was used to measure self-directed learning propensity. A questionnaire was used to collect descriptive information about the participants for age, gender, years of professional work experience, and graduate degree program in the categories of business, education, health, and …

University Of Kentucky Adult Learning Focused Institution (Alfi) Task Force: Findings And Recommendations, Randolph Hollingsworth

Undergraduate Education White Papers

This report to Provost Kumble Subbaswamy details the wide-ranging work over two years of the UK Adult Learning Focused Institution (ALFI) Task Force. The findings in sum assert that the undergraduate population at the University is primarily of a traditional age and that little explicit attention is given to adult learners in UK's stated policies or procedures. The recommendations are that by becoming more "adult friendly" the University could also provide more flexibility and promise for success to all its students.

Hiding In Plain Sight: Higher Education Pink And Blue Collar Staff Experiences As Returning Adult Learners, Workers, And Family Members, Susan J. Bracken, Jeanie K. Allen

Adult Education Research Conference

This study focuses upon a sometimes invisible subset of adult learners: higher education staff members. The participant interviews are part of a pilot study intended to create increased understanding of how these unique adult learners experience their environments. This paper focuses upon one central work/school theme, ‘knowing your place’.