Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching Commons^™

Gauging The Alignment Between School And Work: An Activity Theory Analysis Of Police Report Writing Instruction, Marianna R. Hendricks

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation is based on a fifteen-month study of police report writing instruction at one agency, connecting the curriculum at the training academy, field training, and the needs and expectations of multiple report audiences and users. It draws from Rhetorical Genre Studies (Miller, 1984; Russell, 2009), Activity Theory (Engeström, 2008), and Situated Learning (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Dias, Freedman, Medway, and Paré, 1999) to explore how novices learn a new genre through activity, and how this is complicated by a transition between school and work outside of a university context. Specifically, it focuses on the role of andragogical (rather than …

Impact Of An Online Student Bridge Program For First-Year Nontraditional Students, Lisa Rene Adkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low retention rates for first-year students plague many higher education institutions, and are even lower among online institutions of higher education. At Athena Colleges (a pseudonym), the attrition rate can be as high as 50% in students' first academic year. To address this concern, Athena Colleges has implemented an online bridge program that addresses students' academic needs and persistence. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the bridge program in reducing the first-time student attrition rate and academic performance in their first term. Most of Athena Colleges students are nontraditional students and due to this, the …

Building Local Skills: The Multitrait-Multimethod Matrix In Practice, Anna Clara Gersh

Wayne State University Dissertations

The potential of expanding the evaluative skills of site-based practitioners is examined in a variety of educational enterprises by introducing a procedure to determine evidence for construct validity of measurement tools. The expectations of administrators of educational enterprises, including school day principals, administrators of after school and extended day programs, camps and other instructional settings to effectively collect and manage data is growing. Research skills are an important part of both accountability and improvement efforts which are frequently tied to funding. The multitrait-multimethod matrix (MTMM) (Campbell & Fiske, 1959) combined with the Sawilowsky I test (Sawilowsky, 2002) may provide a …

Preoperative Education Needs In Ear, Nose, & Throat Clinic: A Patient Perspective, Jonathan Edmun Ramos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A medical center specializing in ear, nose, and throat (ENT) services noted an increase in the number of postoperative ENT complications compared to the national average. The purpose of this mixed-methods project study was to examine ENT patients' preoperative patient education (PPE) needs regarding postoperative care. Grounded in Knowles's model of learning, core adult learning principles were applied as guidelines in facilitating patients' PPE learning. Data were collected from 58 ENT patients who were selected using a convenience sampling method and who responded to a PPE survey using a 5-point Likert scale and open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed using …

Church-Based Hiv/Aids Prevention For Adults, Hattie Acheampong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) disproportionately affect African Americans in the South; given that population's high rate of church attendance, churches have been one potential avenue for HIV/AIDS education. Research has shown the importance of HIV/AIDS education in reducing risk behavior and infection, although church-based HIV/AIDS prevention programs for adults have received little scholarly attention, including the impact of such programs on attitudes, behavioral control, and intention to engage in safe sexual practices. Using Ajzens' theory of planned behavior as a foundation, the purpose of this quantitative study was to explore whether there is a statistically …

Nontraditional Hispanic College Students' Perceptions Of Their Sense Of Belonging At A 2-Year College In Southwest Texas, Ronald Eugene Zawacki-Maldonado

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to understand how a sense of belonging contributes to graduation persistence among nontraditional Hispanic college students. The collectivist culture among these adult learners often results in family and work obligations that curtail their pursuit of higher education. The voices of these students are mostly absent in the current literature and warrant the current research study. Sense of belonging and retention theory formed the conceptual framework for this phenomenological study. A purposeful sample of 16 nontraditional Hispanic students enrolled in a 2-year community college in Southwest Texas participated in interviews. Data analysis focused on themes …

Corporate Social Responsibility Enrichment Exchange Program, Deborah Waggoner

Capstone Collection

In this globalized age, international companies and organizations are working in more countries than ever before, and consumers and concerned citizens now have the opportunity and, perhaps even the responsibility, to better understand the environmental and social impacts of the companies and organizations with which they do business.

The concept that businesses and organizations need to be responsible to society for their direct and indirect impacts on people and the environment has become known as corporate social responsibility (CSR). As CSR continues to be a growing practice, companies seem to be approaching it from very different angles, depending upon their …

Examining The Efficacy Of Adult Learning Of Government-Mandated Content Using Andragogical Delivery Methods Versus Traditional Pedagogical Delivery Methods, Richard Keith Sealana

Doctoral Dissertations

To protect society from incompetent, unskilled, or out-of-date practitioners; to keep abreast of advances in knowledge and technology; and to respond to public demands for accountability and consumer protection; continuing education (CE) and mandatory continuing education (MCE) programs have significantly increased in the past 20 years. Individuals and organizations invest significant time and financial resources to comply with mandatory education and training requirements. Although the mandates and demand for CE and MCE continues to increase, there is minimal research on the efficacy of various delivery methods. The purpose of this study was to examine and document the efficacy of andragogical …

The Perceived Importance And Impact Of Instructor Actions In Online Graduate, Education Students' Satisfaction, Rochelle Franklin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the impact of online instructor actions on student satisfaction in online, graduate education courses. Students at an online institution that offers graduate degrees in Educational Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction, and Educational Technology completed the Priority Survey of Online Learners, which included questions about various aspects of their online learning experience, specifically focusing on timeliness, responsiveness and frequency of online instructor actions. This causal-comparative, quantitative research study employed survey strategy of inquiry. The sample consisted of 256 graduate, education students at an online, private institution. Paired t-tests were employed in data analysis. The results of this study revealed …

Adult Learning And Development Theories And Principles Represented In Theater, Jeffrey Miele

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how adult learning and development theories and principles are represented in theater. The study also investigated if there was significant evidence to support the idea of using dramatic works as an example to illustrate adult learning and development theories and principles as an educational tool. Ten plays were analyzed along with an accompanying rubric that the evaluator completed while reading the plays. The rubric searched for information if adults and/or educators were present in the text, how andragogy and barriers were presented, along with other theories and principles. The findings suggested that …

Obstacles And Barriers To Ged Success In Eastern Kentucky, Jennifer Leedy

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Literacy Professional Learning: An Amalgamation Of Adolescent Literacy, Mathematics Teaching, And Adult Learning, Janet L. Larson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

This study uses practitioner research to examine secondary mathematics teachers’ learning of literacy integration practices in the context of a district-wide literacy professional development series. The author, a secondary mathematics curriculum and instruction facilitator in a large, Midwestern suburban district, engaged in a two-year partnership with seventeen Mathematics Teacher Facilitators (MTFs) who taught literacy practices to their colleagues via a train-the-trainer model. This study provides an explicit rendering of professional development practices and ongoing, job-embedded learning vignettes of six MTF’s experiences in (a) teaching literacy practices to their colleagues and (b) how they learned and enacted these practices in their …

Understanding Faculty And Non-Traditional Student Perceptions Of Self-Directed Learning In A Practical Nursing Program, Carmen Marie Rogers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to identify and investigate nursing faculty and student perspectives of self-directed learning in a practical nursing program. It also explored the degree to which student's perceptions of self-directed learning exhibited factors consistent with that of critical thinking. This study is important because self-directed learning and its critical thinking elements are essential in providing safe, competent, effective, and efficient nursing care within practice and education. Using an explanatory case study design the practice of self-directed learning within a practical nursing program was examined through the use of: classroom observations, interviews with nursing faculty, nursing students, and document …

Workforce Preparedness Of Information Systems Students: Perceptions Of Students, Alumni, And Employers, Susan Bristow

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Employers of newly hired higher education graduates report their new workforce is not prepared. Further research was required to discover insights to the workforce readiness gap. This concurrent mixed methods study explored what competencies influenced employer's perceptions of the work-readiness of Information Systems (ISYS) undergraduate students and discovered ISYS graduates' and current ISYS students' perceptions of their work-readiness. Participants consisted of a convenience sample including 69 ISYS program upperclassmen, 20 ISYS program alumni, and 8 employers of the ISYS program graduates. ISYS program alumni completed an online Qualtrics survey to measure the participants' perception of their workforce preparedness. ISYS program …

An Assessment Of The Needs Of Georgian Secondary Agricultural Educators, Jason Peake, Dennis W. Duncan, Brian Parr, John Ricketts, Jennifer Williams

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

This purpose of this study was to determine the perception of secondary educators involved in Future Farmers of Georgia (FFG) schools throughout the country of Georgia concerning their needs for furthering the existing framework of agricultural education. The researchers used a modified focus group method to meet the aformentioned purpose of this study. The population for this study consisted of the high school agricultural education teachers and their administrators who were participating in the FFG Program (n=14). Qualitative data collected from the probe (first round) was used to generate a series of 46 statements. In the second round participants were …

Nefdc Conference Program, Fall 2013, New England Faculty Development Consortium

New England Faculty Development Consortium Conference Programs

New England Faculty Development Consortium

The Interactive Classroom: Collaboration and Learning in Higher Education

Conference Program

November 15, 2013

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Keynote address: Eric Mazur

A Study Of The Universities Of The Third Age In Hong Kong : An Evaluation Of Elder Academy Model For The Life Long Learning Of Older People, Ka Fai Wong

Lingnan Theses

Education aims at the development of knowledge and skills for its own sake and pleasure. People aged over 65 years currently comprise 11% of the Hong Kong population. Such aging population in Hong Kong constitutes a challenge to our society. To be adaptive to changes in the environment, especially in aging, more emphasis is placed on “lifelong learning” than on “lifelong education” for self-fulfillment Active aging is evidently supported as a solution to the impact of aging population. Lifelong learning is an important strategy for enhancing active aging. The provision and process of lifelong learning for older people can take …

Fearless: Nadejiah Towns, Nadejiah Z. Towns

SURGE

This week we would like to recognize Nadejiah Towns ’15 as a fearless fighter against poverty. This summer she has served as a Heston intern for the South Central Community Action Program (SCCAP) and has spent the majority of her time with the Work Ready program, a “welfare to work” organization that helps low-income community members gain the skills needed to by obtaining a reliable, professional job and become self-sufficient.

Lighting The Fire: How Peer-Mentoring Helps Adult Learners Increase Their Interest In Stem Careers: A Case Study At The Community College Level, Patricia Marie Deturk

Dissertations and Theses

In the U.S., about 7,000 high school students drop out each school day, representing a loss of talent and ability. Concurrently, there are a decreasing number of enrolled students taking science-related courses at the high school and college levels. Adults, who return to obtain their General Educational Development (GED) certification, are an untapped resource that could be steered toward STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers. In this case study, 15 GED students were shown a STEM video, and then peer mentored by 8 CLA (Clinical Laboratory Assistant) students, in a student-centered laboratory experience. Individual interviews of the GED students …

Computer Access, Teacher Skills And Motivation To Take Online Professional Development In The Riyadh School District, Haya Mohammad Albrkhil

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Eight hundred Saudi Arabia educators from the Riyadh District participated in this study to determine teachers' access to computers, computer skill level and motivation to enroll in online courses pertaining to professional development. Participants, who were chosen according to a stratified sampling technique, completed a survey which provided the data for the study.

The correlation between the motivation to take online courses and the computer skill perception of participants was weak but statistically significant indicating that as the rate of computer skills perception increases, the rate of motivation to take online classes increases as well. Other factors pertaining to increased …