Adult and Continuing Education Commons^™

Generative Ai In The Workplace: Adoption Patterns, Innovation Attributes, And Equity Implications At Bhssc, Andrew Ley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This case study explores generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) adoption patterns, innovation attributes, and equity implications within a diverse educational cooperative in western South Dakota. A mixed methods approach was employed to analyze adoption trends, perceived productivity differentials, and the significance of key innovation characteristics to 40 employees representing a range of divisions, roles, and levels of digital competence. Employees with lower self-reported digital competence and higher average age reported disproportionately higher perceived productivity gains from GenAI tools. This may suggest GenAI may level the playing field for aging individuals who have previously felt marginalized by rapid technological change in the …

Information Literacy Instruction Trifecta: Universal Design For Learning, Culturally Responsive Teaching, And Andragogy In Action, William Ortiz

Library Faculty Publications & Presentations

Instruction is an integral part of many academic librarians’ responsibilities, yet many enter the profession with varying levels of experience in teaching. While librarians can gain a basic understanding of the general best practices of instruction through myriad means before and after becoming librarians (e.g., a course in library school, professional development, mentorship from other librarians, personal research), many librarians do not get the chance to engage with critical pedagogies and fundamental learning theories the way that teachers do. To that end, this LOEX 2025 workshop is intended to act as a primer and a creative space so that instruction …

The Effects Of Training And Peer Coaching On The Fidelity Of Explicit Instruction On Social-Emotional Learning In Early Childhood Education, Ashley A. Strausbaugh

Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigated how training and peer coaching could improve fidelity of explicit instruction practices in early education teachers for social-emotional learning. Three teams of preschool teachers were trained in the use of explicit instructional practices and paired up to provide coaching in these practices during the intervention. The training and coaching were based on the model by Dunst et al. (2019), which identifies that providing training that includes elements of information, demonstration, practice opportunities, coaching and feedback increases the likelihood of moving knowledge to practice. A multiple baseline design was used to investigate fidelity of explicit instruction for …

A Comparison Of College Readiness Among Adult And Traditional-Age College Students, Oxana Rosca

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This dissertation examines age-based differences in college readiness by comparing newly enrolled adult undergraduates (age 24 and older) with traditional-age undergraduates at two public institutions: a large online university serving primarily working adults and a residential research university serving primarily younger students. The study uses secondary data from 5,447 incoming students who completed the Diagnostic Assessment and Achievement of College Skills (DAACS) Reading and Mathematics assessments between May 2022 and May 2023. The primary goal was to test whether adult and traditional-age students differ in reading and mathematics readiness after adjusting for background characteristics.

Multistage bifactor and unidimensional two-parameter logistic …

First-Gen Latinx/Afro-Latinx And Complex: Keeping Resilient Responses On Shuffle, Tibisay I. Hernandez

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This qualitative study examined the racialized experiences of first-generation Latinx and Afro-Latinx students in higher education. Fourteen participants engaged in pláticas, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups to reflect on how their identities, race, and institutional dynamics shaped their collegiate journeys. The study examined how these students navigated both personal and institutional settings, revealing the emergence of tensions around belonging, authenticity, and cultural responsibility in everyday interactions. Using Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) alongside Multidimensional Identity Negotiation Theory (MINT) and Co-Cultural Communication Theory (CCCT), this study developed an emergent framework—the Resilient Response Model—to better understand how students respond to complex identity …

Becoming The Donkey Derby’S ‘Karen’: A Humane Educator’S Autoethnographic Journey Toward Anti-Speciesist Communication, Jesika Keener

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Language not only carries oppression as an educative force, but research indicates that language is inherently speciesist and highly pervasive (Ethical Globe, 2021; Guevara Labaca, 2017; Hamlett, 2024; Leach et al., 2023). However, the ontological commitment to speciesism is historically foundational, which makes the total eradication of speciesist communication only viable through an unemerged hypothetical future society (Kahn, 2011). For the possibilities of such a world to come into being, pivotal steps must first be taken to critically engage with the communicated forms of speciesism in order to better understand it and actively resist its reproduction—with the aspiration for this …

How Can Tailored Entrepreneurship Training Effectively Support The Emancipation Of People With Disabilities In Ireland?, Ahsan Habib

Doctoral

This thesis investigates the impact of tailored entrepreneurship training on the perceived emancipation of aspiring entrepreneurs with disabilities in Ireland. This community is significantly underrepresented in the labour market, yet it is hindered in accessing self-employment opportunities due to a lack of specific training and limited access to necessary resources. Furthermore, there is a dearth of knowledge in academic literature addressing the influence of tailored entrepreneurship programmes targeted at people with disabilities. To address this knowledge gap, this study gathered data from in-depth interviews with 21 key informants (including nine participants from TU Dublin’s entrepreneurship training programme, five representatives from …

Exploring The Development Of Students' Calling To The Work Of An Hod Practitioner In An Undergraduate Hod Degree Program, Neil Dana Rahbar-Daniels

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation project consisted of a multiple case qualitative study to explore indications of cross-influences between students’ experiences of learning takeaways as participants in one or more HOD undergraduate degree courses and accompanying experiences (if any) of perceiving and/or living a calling to work as HOD practitioners. This phenomenological inquiry involved four undergraduate students who had completed one or more HOD degree courses at Mid-Atlantic States University (MSU as a pseudonym) during a two-year period. Each participant attended a single interview of about 90 minutes in duration, responded to a short vocational calling survey as a guide for interview questioning, …

Technology-Enhanced Professional Development For Early Literacy: A Comparative Study Of Online Teacher Learning Models In Kenya, Constanza Uribe-Banda

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Growing recognition of early literacy as essential for lifelong learning, along with evidence that teachers’ mastery of foundational literacy instruction influences student outcomes (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; UNESCO, 2020), has led to increased investment in teacher professional development. Despite these efforts, many educators face significant challenges in accessing high-quality training, particularly in resource-constrained settings where geographical barriers and limited institutional support persist. This is especially true in rural Kenyan communities, where teachers often work in under-resourced schools with unreliable electricity and internet connectivity yet bear responsibility for laying critical literacy foundations. The present study examines the potential to deliver effective …

Volunteer Teachers’ Experience In Hospitality In Church-Based Esl Ministries, Susan M. Russo

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In adult ESL empirical studies addressing a variety of problems of practice, the concepts of welcome, hospitality, or inclusion are frequently mentioned as important by teachers and learners. An absence of empirical studies on the experience of hospitality has been noted by researchers, hence the need for exploratory studies. Additionally, this study served to contribute to the limited body of research on church-based ESL ministries, and more future studies are needed to provide a better research-driven picture of their challenges and impacts.

The purpose of this mixed methods, constructivist grounded theory study was to develop a grounded theory consistent …

Unveiling The Layers: Exploring The Nuances Of Student Organization Experiences For Enhanced Student Leadership Development, Richard Alan Doty

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Previous studies on the topic of student organizations and clubs often focused on the broad involvement of students, overlooking the complex facets of their experiences within these clubs and organizations. This dissertation investigates the development of leadership capacity in community college students through their engagement in student clubs and organizations. Utilizing the Ready-Willing-Able (RWA) Keating, Rosch and Burgoon (2014) model as a guiding framework, this study explores the ways in which student leadership skills are shaped by various factors, including the size and diversity of the organization and individual behaviors. The research aims to fill a gap in existing literature, …

Accuracy And Reliability Of Anatomical Landmarks Compared Between 3d Facial Scanning And Cbct Radiographs: A Comparative Study, Mohamad Ahmad Munir Sakhita, Nayer Aboelsaad, Aly Osman

International Arab Journal of Dentistry

Introduction: Facial soft tissue evaluation is an important key for the overall patient diagnosis, treatment planning, and long-term prognoses. 3D patient imaging can be an alternative way to define the face providing the clinician with more accurate details, in comparison to the 2D imaging of soft tissues.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of anatomical landmarks comparing the 3D facial scanning with the CBCT radiographs.

Methods: The study was a comparative, crossover and descriptive study. Thirty patients (12 males and 18 females) with 15 to 30 years with a mean …

Evidence For Explicitation: Working From Asl Into English, Campbell Mcdermid, Carrie Humphrey, Anita Harding

Journal of Interpretation

A study was done to examine the explicitation and compression strategies used by interpreters working from American Sign Language (ASL) into spoken English. To date, most research has focused only on their work from English into ASL. A review of the literature identified several expansion and compression strategies that interpreters and translators utilize, and these served as a model of coding the data and for triangulation. The methodology for this study was qualitative and descriptive. Twenty-two interpreters volunteered to simultaneously interpret four ASL recorded texts into spoken English, for a total of 88 target texts. The researchers identified 9 expansions …

Laudate Deum: A Framework For Environmental Stewardship And Social Justice In The Philippines And Southeast Asia, Antonio Levy S. Ingles Jr.

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

This study explores the intersection of environmental initiatives and social justice movements in the Philippines, a nation rich in biodiversity but acutely vulnerable to climate change and ecological degradation. Using Laudate Deum as a guiding framework, the research examines how the principles of Immediate Action, Collective Responsibility, and Social Justice can inform collaborative strategies to address these challenges. Through an analysis of case studies, this paper highlights the socio-economic impacts of environmental crises, such as deforestation and pollution, and evaluates initiatives like mangrove reforestation and community-based waste management for their ecological and social benefits. The findings reveal that integrating Laudate …

Lived Experiences Of Student-Parents In Higher Education Who Utilize The Childcare Subsidy Program, Kindra Moore-Smith

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

This paper examines a phenomenological study describing the experiences of student-parents who use the Parents for Higher Education program at Eastern Community College. The theory that guided this study was McClusky’s theory of margin, which addresses the support and services adults need to accomplish their goals in life. This framework provided a connection that explained the importance of childcare subsidies and the needs met while attending classes for community college students—the transcendental phenomenology approach used. The setting for this study was the virtual platform Zoom. The study was conducted using 10 participants, all student-parents who participated in the childcare grant …

Teaching Video Game As A Leisure Skill To Arab American Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Video Modeling In A School Setting, Lubna Alzayyat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Leisure activities are important in assisting individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to build relationships, learn to behave socially appropriately, and acquire new interests- competences that assist in cultivating positive self-consciousness (Specht et al., 2002; Womack et al., 2011). Statistics indicate that 2.3% of 8-year-old children in the United States are diagnosed with ASD (CDC, 2021). Despite these large numbers and the tremendous benefits of engaging in leisure activities, participation in leisure activities is lower among children with ASD when compared to their typically developing peers (Ratcliff et al., 2018). The situation is worse when compared to children with ASD …

Attack On Titan Anime Memes: Possible Meanings And Interpretations By Young Adults., Yee-Lin Teo, Sze Seau Lee, Xin Jie Lim

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Memes have unpredictable and diverse interpretations because of their tendencies to be parodies, remixes, or mashups. This study aims to examine the possible meanings which memes may express and the interpretations of memes by young adults within the affinity space of Attack on Titan anime memes. The two-phase methodology involves analysing the memes using Shifman’s analytical dimensions of content, form, and stance, before conducting in-depth interviews with ten young adults who represent insiders and outsiders of the affinity space. The findings discuss how Attack on Titan memes normalise sexualisation, violence, and struggles such as suicidal intentions in young adults. The …

A Program To Support Kangaroo Care Of Preterm Infants In The Nicu For The Caregivers, Katherine Blake Carby Cooksey, Mary Jan Greer, Debbie Johnson

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

This presentation is about an educational program developed to help educate the caregivers about kangaroo care while their baby is in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This program is to emphasis in the occupations of social interaction and family involvement with kangaroo care. Caregivers/parents are able to learn about the what kangaroo care is, the different type methods of kangaroo care, the benefits of kangaroo care, the importance of kangaroo care while being in the NICU. This program development for the caregivers is able to help with their journaling experience while in the NICU and adjusting kangaroo care into …

Older Adult's Fall Prevention Program, Myles Butler, Rebecca King

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The decline in bodily functions with aging increases older adults' vulnerability to falls, which is a leading cause of death within this population. The poster presents an educational based fall prevention program focused on safety awareness and risk management for older adults. In conclusion, implementing a fall prevention program leads to increased awareness regarding risk factors that are detrimental to the safety and well-being of the older adult community

Ergonomics & Environmental Changes Within The Beauty Industry To Decrease Musculoskeletal Conditions, Jessika Eiland, Rebecca King

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Ergonomics, adaptation, and environmental changes within the beauty industry to decrease musculoskeletal conditions in the upper extremities. Musculoskeletal disorders and their effects may limit a hairdressers ability to complete their job duties. For individuals within the beauty industry, health management can become an important factor.