Education Commons^™

A Study To Determine Barriers That Impact Adult Learner Academic Success, Joann Saunders

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Adult learners often encounter obstacles that impede their academic progress and either withdraw from a course or drop out of college. There has been significant research conducted on effectively instructing and motivating adult learners. However, not enough research has been conducted to help adult learners sustain their motivation when barriers arise impacting their academic success. The goal of this study was to identify barriers that impact adult learners’ academic success. The study examined the viewpoints of undergraduate adult learners at an American higher education institution to determine situational, institutional and dispositional barriers encountered impacting their academic success. The research theoretical …

In Their Own Words: A Narrative Inquiry Into Part-Time Master’S Degree Student Persistence, Erin Schroeder

Educational Studies Dissertations

While there are a number of studies that focus on adult undergraduate and even doctoral persistence, adult master’s degree students and particularly those who study part time, are a population that have been overlooked by researchers. This constructivist, qualitative study of part-time master’s degree students used narrative inquiry and experience-centered narratives to bring rich descriptive data to the conversation surrounding the persistence of part-time master’s degree students and the barriers they face in pursuit of their degree. The data for this study was collected via semi-structured interviews with 15 participants and shows that part-time master’s degree students enrolled in Humanities …

A Qualitative Study To Identify, Evaluate, And Analyze University Policies, Procedures, And Programs To Determine The Degree Of Correspondence To The Council Of Adult And Experiential Learning Principles For Adult Learners, Yonna S. Pasch

Doctoral Dissertations

More adults are looking to higher education to re-enforce job security, potentially increase future income, and enhance skill sets and credentials (Ritt, 2008; Business Education Forum, 2013; Stevens, 2014; Harrison, 2017). The traditional structure of higher education institutions, however, continues to pose challenges for adult learner access (Tobolowsky & Cox, 2012; Dachner & Polin, 2016; Croix, 2018). The purpose of this study, utilizing a Distributed Leadership framework, was to identify, evaluate, and analyze university policies and procedures that utilize the Council of Adult and Experiential Learning Principles (CAEL). The study identified the level of CAEL Principle implementation found from policy …

A Phenomenological Study Of Factors Affecting The High Dropout Rate Of Nontraditional African American Students In Community College, Vernordra Haynie

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Nontraditional students comprise 75% of the higher education student population (Complete College America, 2011). These students maintain employment and care for their families while juggling the demands of college courses. Two-year colleges face challenges retaining nontraditional learners and more than 50% of nontraditional African American students fail to complete their associate degree (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2019). The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to identify factors affecting the degree completion of nontraditional African American students in a community college setting and to offer institutional recommendations to retain this population of students to graduation. The researcher utilized a …

Perception Of African-American Adult Learners Toward Using Technology In Education, Kaira J. Bullock

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The problem this study explored was how do African-American adult learners perceive using technology in higher education to increase their academic success. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how African-American adult learners perceive using technology in higher education. This study was important because it provides an understanding of how African-American adult learners use technology in higher education because perceptions plays a significant role in the learning process, as it is the process where individuals interpret things based on their experiences. to further their academic achievement. This study was also significant because it provides a means for educators …

Exploring Transitions Back And Into College: Stories Of Adult Women, Laura Bennett

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Women are juggling multiple roles such as mother, wife, partner and employee that could

intensify a complex transition process to a new role of college student (Lin, 2016; Noll, Reichlin, & Gualt, 2017; Veney, O’Green & Kowalik, 2012). The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe a transition process of women to a role of college student a to understand why they might not graduate. Sociocultural theory embedded within Schlossberg’s transition model assisted with understanding the transition process of moving-in, moving-through, and moving-out. A qualitative research design was employed to describe this complex transition process and to answer the …

Parenthood And Persistence Of Adult Learners In The Western Region Of The United States, Emetrude Lewis, Alexia Bailey-Webb

Journal of Research Initiatives

This study explored the role of parenthood on adult learners who were parents of minor children and gaining an understanding of their needs while attending a college or university. A qualitative phenomenological approach and purposive techniques were used to identify and recruit adult learners who were parents of minor children located in the general area in the Western Region of the United States. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and Yüksel and Yıldırım (2015) guide used for phenomenological narrative data analysis. Recorded interviews were transcribed into text and NVIVO software was then used to organize the interview data and uncover …

A Self-Study Of A Special Educator’S Teaching Practices In A Prison Setting: Promoting The Self-Efficacy For Literacy Tasks Of Adult Learners Who Are Incarcerated, Brandon M. Selling

All NMU Master's Theses

For students and teachers in prison classrooms, success with reading and literacy tasks does not come easily. To teach within the correctional setting, an educator must get used to teaching with tension. These tensions must be balanced for the teacher to continue focus on instruction and to continue proper teaching practices. For students, reading proficiency is necessary for passing the 2014 computer version of the GED test. Passing the GED test is an exit goal of corrections education. The purpose of this qualitative self-study was to explore and describe my teaching practices to better understand how to apply my knowledge …

Epistemic Trust In Online Higher Education : A Mixed Method Phenomenological Research Study, Lisa F. Rapple

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The purpose of this study was to explore the online instructor’s role in building epistemic trusting relationships with adult learners in their online classrooms. A mixed-method phenomenology research (MMPR) approach was used to discover if certain instructor actions influenced an epistemic trust relationship to develop between the instructor and the adult learner. This study examined the instructor’s classroom management actions, communication immediacy actions, and regulatory actions, as well as the level of epistemic trust in 48 fully online courses, focusing on 4 exemplar cases for cross-case analysis. It was determined that the instructor’s classroom management actions and communication immediacy actions …