Education Commons^™

Examining The Indian Farmer Suicides Through The Social And Environmental Justice Lens, Yogita Abichandani, Juanita Johnson-Bailey

Adult Education Research Conference

Approximately 200,000 farmers have committed suicide in India over the last decade. A majority of them are the ones who have been failed by the non- yield of genetically modified cotton per hectare and are dependent on these crops for their daily livelihood. The GM cottonseeds represent the hegemony and oppression of the farmers propelled by the globalization movement. This paper provides an understanding that the social movements against the GM seeds are in fact movements pointing towards the social and environmental injustices and seeks to understand the role adult education can play in addressing the social and environmental injustice.

Fostering A Literate U.S. Workforce: Perspectives Of Adult Educators In Human Resource Development, Merlissa C. Alfred

Adult Education Research Conference

Organizations are faced with increasing demands for a highly literate and skilled workforce. Investments in basic literacy and skills training are required to effectively address these organizational needs. The purpose of this study was to investigate Human Resource Development’s role in investing in and developing the segment of the US workforce that lacks the basic literacy and skills needed to participate in the employment arena.

Massachusetts Adult Basic Education And Esol Distance Learning Programs: How To Assess Student Readiness For Distance Learning?, Berna Kahraman, Amelia Mallona, Donna H. Friedman, Sarah Kuck Jalbert

Center for Social Policy Publications

This report presents the findings from the pilot screening process prepared by the Center for Social Policy (CSP) and implemented during December 2008-March 2009 by the adult basic education (ABE) online learning programs in MA which are funded by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE). The purposes of the pilot process were:

• To determine the effectiveness of screening tools in assessing participant characteristics, such as the skills, demographics, and life circumstances that are associated with success in online learning;
• To identify supports and interventions which students need in order to persist and succeed in online learning.

At the …

The Enactment Of Hegemony Through Identity Construction: Insights From Thepresentation Of Self In Everyday Life, Brendaly Drayton, Esther Prins

Adult Education Research Conference

This paper uses Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis to examine how hegemony maintains its power and influence in the life of the individual. The analysis reveals that the power of hegemony lies in the construction of particular identities that shape our interactions and limit our imagined futures.

Metacognitive Awareness And Strategy Use In Academic English Reading Among Adult English As A Second Language (Esl) Students, Yuko Iwai

Dissertations

This mixed method research study explored the role of metacognitive awareness in reading among adult English as a Second Language (ESL) students of various academic levels enrolled in a university in the southeastern part of the United States of America while engaged in academic reading. In addition, this study examined metacognitive reading strategies employed by those students.

In the quantitative portion of the study, 98 students responded to the Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) instrument and a background information questionnaire. The SORS measured metacognitive awareness and use of reading strategies. In the qualitative portion of the study, six students (two …

The Influence Of Career-Technical Student Organizations On Non-Traditional And Traditional Community College Students, Suzanne Lee Johnson

Dissertations

Student organizations have been contributing to adult education for years. The need to recruit non-traditional students and retain them is very important to the financial support of the career and technical program. If a career-technical student organization (CTSO) can encourage retention and completion of traditional and non-traditional students in a field of study, the state might realize the need to increase the funding provided to the advisers/instructors of the CTSO and the financial support of the CTSO. This study investigated what motivates a student to become an active member in a CTSO and to what extent the CTSO contributed to …

Power And Democracy Through Self Governance: Negotiating Landscapes And Minefields In One Adult Education Doctoral Program, Dianne Romdeholl, Mansur Abdullah, Tania Giordani, Tom Heaney, Wendy Yanow

Adult Education Research Conference

In this paper four graduates and a faculty member critically analyze efforts to develop and sustain democratic practice in the context of their doctoral program in higher education.

An Integrative Model For Transformative Learning, Charity Johansson

Adult Education Research Conference

Transformative learning is a growing focus of study with input from many areas of adult education. This paper presents a model of transformative learning that integrates key scholarly contributions to transformative learning theory, providing a common framework and language for analyzing the transformative learning process.

How Adult Educators Can Forge A Peaceful World, Hsiu-Chu Hsu

Adult Education Research Conference

The purpose of this presentation is to explore some practical ways that adult educators can help to promote peace by including three less-discussed categories of adult education: popular education for critical citizenship, for nonviolence and constructive programs, and for holistic spirituality.

Program Planning Theory In Service-Learning: A Relational Model, Robin S. Grenier, Lorilee R. Sandmann, Richard Kiely

Adult Education Research Conference

This paper introduces the relationship between program planning theory and service-learning in graduate education and the development of a relational program planning model for service-learning. A case will be made regarding the value of the relational program planning model for guiding and enabling more democratic forms of service-learning practice.

Expanding The Contributions Of Bell Hooks: Through The Lens Of Adult Education, Catherine H. Monaghan, Elice E. Rogers, Catherine A.

Adult Education Research Conference

The purpose of this roundtable is to discuss hook’s influence in the field of adult education and her contributions. We will explore four key areas: 1) adult teaching and learning pedagogy, 2) adults and popular culture, 3) feminism and diverse women’s issues, and 4) diversity and liberatory pedagogy.

Shared Governance In An Adult Education Doctoral Program: “Self-Directed Learning Meets Democratic Process” – A Delicate Balance Of Intent, Implementation, And Impact, Diane Novak, Philip Moulden, Elizabeth Peterson, Eugene Rinaldi, Nadira K. Charaniya, Susan Malekpour, Diana Churchill, Jo D. Kostka

Adult Education Research Conference

This symposium explores the governance component offered within a doctoral program in which students were given the opportunity to engage in collective decision-making through democratic process. Panelists, most of whom were research participants for the dissertation upon which this exploration is based, represent cohort groups from 1996 through 2007.

Adult Education, Assessment And The Beginnings Of The Ged, Amy D. Rose

Adult Education Research Conference

This study examines the development and implementation of the General Educational Development (GED) examination in the United States. It examines the ways that the GED was initially conceptualized and how the notion of equivalence was popularized.

(Re)Situating Cognition: Expanding Sociocultural Perspectives In Adult Education, Kim L. Niewolny, Arthur L. Wilson

Adult Education Research Conference

We review key sociocultural perspectives of learning and cognition to begin to “make good” on the promise of situated cognition in adult education by incorporating its too-often ignored political analysis.

The Role Of Spirituality In The Practice Of Adult Education Leaders, Jeanette Justice Fleming, Bradley C. Courtenay

Adult Education Research Conference

Leaders defined spirituality as different from, but related to religion, part of their identity, and as a connection to a Higher Being, to others, and to nature. Spirituality provided a calling to profession, instilled an ethical framework and served as a resource in times of challenge. It influenced use of power, decision making, and communication with coworkers. Participants exhibited a variety of leadership styles reflecting individual perceptions of spirituality.

Recognition Of Prior Learning: Why Is It So Difficult To Accredit Learning That Has Occurred Outside The Academy Towards The Award Of A Qualification? A Report From Australia, Leesa Wheelahan, Peter J. Miller, Diane Newton

Peter Miller

One of the key drivers for RPL is its perceived capacity to act as a mechanism for social inclusion within the context of lifelong learning policy frameworks that seek to “encourage formal learning, to promote links between it and informal learning and to improve opportunities for people to use their informal learning to gain recognised qualifications” (Young, 2001: 4). However, it has not acted as a mechanism for social inclusion in Australia or internationally. This paper seeks to answer the question: why is it so difficult to accredit learning that has occurred outside formal education and training towards the award …

Thoughts And Feelings Of A Beginning Tertiary Group Of Adult Learners In A Human Resource Development Course, Bryan W. Smith

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This is a study of a case of adults entering tertiary study for the first time, and their mental life concerning their own self-performance, constructed across four instances. The purposes of the study were to identify some characteristics of the four participants’ covert behaviour during their learning in a course on Human Resource Development (1-IRD), to gain some insight into the conception of self-performance held by the participants and the attributions of this self-performance, to examine the approaches to learning held by each participant, and to contribute to closing the gap between adult education and educational psychology. Three consecutive three-hour …

An Assessment Of Technology Classroom Environments In Chinese Universities, Jiexiu Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of graduate classroom environments as perceived by the graduate students and faculty in technology courses, at Chinese universities. Relationships between the different dimensions of the social environment of the graduate technology classrooms were examined. The Adult Classroom Environment Scale (ACES) was used to measure the actual and ideal classroom environments on seven dimensions. The research was conducted during Fall 1998. Participants in this study included 317 graduate students and 8 teachers in 8 classes from 6 universities in Beijing, China. The results of data analysis showed that there were significant …

The Learning Experiences Of Nontraditional Students Enrolled In Organizational Management And Business Administration Cohort- And Study-Group Programs, Janyce R. Westerman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of the study was to examine the learning experiences of nontraditional students enrolled in organizational management and business administration cohort- and study-group programs at four, small, private, church-related, arts-based colleges in Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. The objective of the study was to examine how cohorts and study groups were implemented at four colleges. In addition, the study explored ways that cohorts and study groups contributed to students' satisfaction and academic performance levels, interpersonal relations, and leadership skills. Three hundred forty-five informants and respondents participated in this study. The subjects included 286 students enrolled in organizational management and …

A Study On Attitudes Of Rural And Urban Respiratory Care Practitioners Toward The Impact Of Continuing Education, Donald A. Samples

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the preferences, impact, and attitude of respiratory care practitioners toward continuing education. A review of demographic characteristics was conducted to develop a professional profile of practitioners in Tennessee. An assessment of continuing education practices provided information concerning types of courses, preferences, and methods used to meet continuing education requirements. Data collection was made possible through the use of a questionnaire. A stratified random sample was drawn from the 1,966 respiratory care practitioners in Tennessee. Based on the practitioner's residence, 150 practitioners were selected from rural and urban communities. A total of 300 …

The Educational Needs Of Welfare Recipients And The Role Of The Community College As An Agent Of Social Change, Carolyn L. Browning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate two underlying questions related to welfare reform and its impact on participants in the Cumberland Plateau Region: (1) What are the training and other noneducational needs of the participants in the VIEW program? and (2) What is the projected success of the impact of the training on the lives of the participants? The research study included 47 interviews with four distinct groups of individuals--VIEW participants, case managers, administrators, and trainers. Three focus group interviews were conducted with individuals who were participants in the VIEW program or professionals actively involved in the administration …

Perceptions Of African-American Males Regarding Factors Supporting Doctoral Completion In Colleges Of Education, William Respress

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of the study was to examine what institutional factors most influenced the decision of African-American male doctoral scholars to persist unto graduation. The literature review showed mentoring, institutional climate, race relations, and social adjustment as key factors in persistence of minorities in graduate studies. An objective specific to the study was to explore the cumulative outcomes that mentoring, social adjustment, institutional climate, and race relations have upon persistence. The population included scholars at both Predominantly White Colleges (PWIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) throughout the United States in Colleges of Education. One hundred sixty-four scholars …

Comparative Characteristic Lifestyle Approaches Of Persisters And Dropouts In Adult High Schools In Tennessee, Samuel J. Shepherd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem of this study was that no data existed on characteristics of life style management as related to persisters and dropouts among adult high school students in the state of Tennessee. The purpose of the study was to determine the characteristic life style approaches most prevalent among persistent enrollees, graduates, and dropouts of selected adult high school programs in Tennessee. Five hundred fifty-nine persisters and 868 dropouts were surveyed by mail, by telephone, or by school site visits. There were 419 participants in the study, 311 persisters and 108 dropouts. The research was descriptive in nature and utilized data …

Mandated School Board Member Training For Local Boards Of Education In Tennessee As Perceived By Local Boards Of Education Members And Superintendents Of Schools, John D. Payne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of the mandatory in-service training in Tennessee for all local board of education members. The primary focus of this study was to determine if the board members' or superintendents' responses about the training agencies, content, or applicability of any Academy indicated any continuing (long-term) impact on the actions of board members when they returned to their local boards of education. The secondary concern of this study was to determine if the responses were significantly differentiated between the positions of board member and superintendent or among the demographic characteristics defined …

Principal Internships: Developing Specific Knowledge And Skills As Identified By The National Policy Board For Educational Administration, William D. Russell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure the learning of the specific skills and knowledge as identified by the National Policy Board for Educational Administration during internships of students from universities participating in the Alliance for the Preparation of Educational Leadership. Former interns from Brigham Young University, East Tennessee State University, Florida State University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, responded to a survey designed to measure the skills and knowledge as defined by the National Policy Board for Educational Administration. Indicators of the domains identified by the National Policy Board for Educational Administration allowed former interns to …

Perceptions Of Classroom Social Environment Held By Virginia Community College Students And Instructors In Developmental Courses, Ann C. Bartholomay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine students' classroom social environment needs by identifying characteristics of actual and ideal classroom environments as perceived by students taking developmental math or English courses in Virginia community colleges, characteristics of the actual classroom environments as perceived by their instructors, and characteristics of actual and ideal classroom environments as perceived by subgroups of students. The subgroups were formed by gender, race, age, type of developmental course, size of college, and whether students were first generation college students. The Adult Classroom Environment Scale was administered to students and instructors in developmental studies classes in …

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of The School Leadership Response Team Professional Development Process In Helping Tennessee Schools Move Toward Shared Leadership, James B. Fields

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the success of the School Leadership Response Team Development Process in helping school personnel move toward shared leadership and to determine if it was an appropriate model for the adoption of shared leadership within Tennessee's public schools. This descriptive study systematically reviewed documents related to the project and used a questionnaire to elicit information from training participants. The population was the 196 school personnel and others from 31 schools across the State of Tennessee who obtained leadership training in 1991 as part of this grant. The follow-up questionnaire was responded to by …

Continuing Professional Education: Priority Resources For Leadership Development, Joan Trentham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine those resources that selected leadership development experts rated as most effective in discovering and fostering the continuing professional development of leaders. In this descriptive study, three research questions were formulated. A modified version of Hunter's reputational technique was used to collect data through a snowball sampling of the selected population. In phase 1 of the study, a survey was developed, validated, and mailed to 56 LEADership directors in all 50 states, yielding 34 (64%) returns, which were used in creation of the final questionnaire. In phase 2 of the study, the final …

Advisement Effectiveness And Self-Directed Learning: A Comparison Between Traditional And Non-Traditional Students In Selected Regional Universities In Tennessee, James L. Daniel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Because most academic advisement programs were established to accomodate traditional student populations, it was the purpose of this study to compare the effectiveness of these systems as perceived by traditional and non-traditional undergraduate students at three of Tennessee's regional universities. Traditional and non-traditional students were also compared on the extent to which they exhibit self-directed learning. A comparison of mean scores was made for responses made to items contained in the American College Testing (ACT) Survey of Academic Advising, including the total mean score for the Oddi Continuing Learning Inventory (OCLI) between traditional/non-traditional students, full-time/part-time students, students at the three …

A Study Of Learning Activities Of Selected Caregivers Of Alzheimer's Patients In East Tennessee, Jeannette G. Mclaughlin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem of this study was to identify and describe the individual learning activities of caregivers of people with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and to develop an analytical description of the patterns of learning of these adults. An instrument was not available for use; therefore, a focused interview guide was developed. The interview guide was developed through consultation with several spouses or adult children caring for Alzheimer's patients, professionals in the health care field, and a review of the literature. The major analysis procedure for the study was the constant comparative method, an inductive method that has been used …