Education Commons^™

Using The Critical Mathematics Pedagogical Framework To Teach Adult Basic Education Learners: A Transformative Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Study, Matthew D. Gromlich

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The goal of this study was to design and implement curricula in the Adult Basic Education classroom that aligned to the Critical Mathematics Pedagogical Framework. Specifically, this study assessed if ABE students’ mathematics anxiety and mathematics self-efficacy ware affected by curricula that aligns to the Critical Mathematics Pedagogical Framework. Using a transformative convergent parallel mixed methods study, this study showed that students taught using CMPF-based lessons specifically reflected on their own attitudes towards mathematics self-efficacy, mathematics anxiety, number positioning, and the need for societal change around mathematical concepts. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed to highlight student reflections and …

The Therapeutic Nature Of Qualitative Interviewing: Benefits Of Research Participation, April Perry, Mary Grace Bigelow

Journal of Research Initiatives

This research explored the notion that interview studies can be therapeutic for participants. It examines the common themes that participants report as beneficial from participating in a study about the transition from higher education to post-university life. The findings are presented as common themes and illuminated by participant excerpts. It is concluded that there are therapeutic characteristics to the qualitative interview process that mirror some of the benefits individuals can receive from the counseling process.

Doctoral Student Online Learning: Addressing Challenges Of The Virtual Experience, Dejuanna M. Parker, Kent Willis, Barbara D. Holmes

Journal of Research Initiatives

Abstract

This qualitative study sought to understand student beliefs and perceived levels of confidence in a primarily online professional doctoral degree in education. Before accessing course material and formal instruction, respondents assigned scores to a Likert-style survey and answered open-ended questions about their understanding of basic educational research methodology. The rise of distance education follows the rapid growth of technological advancement, yet, much is still unknown about pedagogical practices that contribute to improved learning outcomes for students in the virtual environment. Themes that emerged from this study suggest that (1) student expectations do not align with prior preparation, (2) student …

Brain Science And Parent-School Relationships In A Title 1 Elementary School In Massachusetts: A Basic Qualitative Study, Arij Rached, Simone Elias, Linda Wilson-Jones

Journal of Research Initiatives

Bandura's (1977) social cognitive theory contends that people think, learn, and perform based upon a sum of personal (e.g., beliefs, emotions, behaviors), social (home-school relationships), and environmental (school culture). Also, research has already determined that collaboration between home and school leads to better children's social-emotional learning (SEL) (August, Anderson, & Bloomquist, 1992; Cooper & Redfern, 2016; Grant & Ray, 2018). Thus, a basic qualitative research tradition was used to better understand elementary public-school parents' perceptions of the impact of parent-school relationships on children SEL development in a Title 1 school in Massachusetts (MA). Thru the lenses of brain science, a …

An Exploration Of The Perceptions Of Institutional Advancement Leaders On Their Role In The Survival Of Private Hbcus: A Qualitative Study, Evelyn Leathers, Comfort O. Okpala

Journal of Research Initiatives

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of institutional advancement leaders on their role in the survival of private HBCUs. The major goals of the study focused on how advancement leaders perceived their leadership roles in generating funds to sustain private historically Black colleges and universities in the southeastern region of United States. Purposive sampling technique was utilized to select seven experienced and successful advancement leaders for the study. Through in-depth phenomenological interview and analyses, four themes emerged. The findings from the study show that the participants strongly perceived that their leadership role in fundraising to …

Acknowledge Us: An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Female Army Veterans In Undergraduate Programs, Jennifer O'Neil

Educational Studies Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the lived experiences of female United States Army veterans who have enrolled in an academic undergraduate program post discharge. As higher education continues to be an important transition point for female veterans, understanding the lived experiences of this population provides higher education administrators and faculty the opportunity to create and implement services and programs that will appropriately assist this population in their educational journey. Using a phenomenological methodology (Moustakas, 1994; Patton, 2015; van Manen,1990) thirteen female veterans across five different eras (Vietnam, 1980’s peacetime, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan) took part in …

Training Design Enhancement Through Training Evaluation: Effects On Training Transfer, Elham Arabi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With recurring changes in the society, in terms of economy and technology, companies need to ensure that their human capital is aligned with these transformations in order to sustain in a competitive industry. To date, organizations view training as a requirement to increase their employees’ efficiencies and productivity, and reduce their attrition rates. Despite investment in employee training, research shows a lack of transfer of learning to job and as a result minimal return on investment. This issue is due to many barriers, but can be addressed by learning professionals. Poor learning design and training evaluation practices have been identified …

Cross-Border Development: A Long-Term Role For Universities, Robert Brian Smith, Nucharee Nuchkoom Smith

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

Low-income economies are experiencing potential serious threats in terms of long-term sustainability and social development. At the same time, most developing economies are grappling with possible disruptions from the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the current COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences. However, every economy has the same goal of elevating its status to that of a developed country. This research uses the narrative/case study approach to examine cross-border development and the role that universities can play as important actors in the development of society. Moreover, this research combines observations and literature analysis. Universities are clearly best placed to play an …

The Impact Of Teacher Methodology Training For Higher Education Faculty Members, Nicole R. Baker

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Many college programs are designed to graduate individuals who are experts in their field of study, but not necessarily individuals who are trained in how to teach. This quantitative, quasi-experiment study examined college faculty member’s level of training in the area of teaching practices and methodology. The relation to student satisfaction, current course performance, attendance, the belief in the need for training, and faculty member’s sense of efficacy in teaching was explored. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to organize the data using a one-way ANCOVA to analyze the impact the level of training had on …

From Disconnection To Sentience: Creating Space For Practitioners Who Experience Student Death, Kevin L. Wright

The Vermont Connection

Student crises are a common issue within higher education. When a student comes to a college campus, it is the duty and responsibility of student affairs professionals to empower them and contribute to their holistic success. Unfortunately, some students fall through the cracks and the result can conclude with a student transferring to another institution, failing their classes, dropping out of college, or in a worst-case scenario, death. Working in higher education requires hard work and heart work. There is an emotional investment in the work that is produced by scholar-practitioners. When unfortunate situations occur that result in a student’s …

Leading For Social Justice: A Call To Action To Improve Society., Teresa L. G. Warner

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

School leaders are required to prepare students for a globally competitive society, and act ethically to facilitate a shared vision of school practices that serve all students equitably. Social justice leadership provided in school and teacher leadership preparation programs is a way to meet the standards for school executives and teachers. The decision to lead for social justice can be made as a result of district mandates while some leaders are motivated by personal experiences. Leaders are distracted from the importance of leading for social justice due to the pressures of accountability testing and the political outcry of the day. …

Counternarratives Of Success: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Life Experiences Of Prior-Enlisted Reserve Officers Navigating Higher Education, Adam B. Fullerton

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

The current extant literature on student veterans describes the student veteran population in monolithic terms through a deficit perspective. With reserve servicemembers making up 33% of the veteran population (VA, 2018), reservists move beyond tokenism (Kanter, 1978;1987) and need to be explored separately. This separation enhances the understanding of their experiences in working towards educational attainment and the differences from the traditional student veteran identity. To engage in the study of this subpopulation, a narrative inquiry into the lived experience of three Marine officers who obtained their degrees while serving as enlisted reservists was conducted.

This study used Veteran Critical …

Cultural Diversity Professional Development In Schools Survey, Krystal R. Thomas, Hillary Parkhouse, Jesse Senechal, Zoey Lu, Laura Faulcon, Julie Gorlewski, David B. Naff

MERC Publications

This report presents findings from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) Cultural Diversity Within Schools Survey. This survey was designed for school- based professionals (i.e., teachers, instructional staff, administrators) within the MERC region. Administered in the fall of 2018, the survey collected information about experiences of professional development related to cultural diversity, attitudes toward cultural diversity within schools, perceptions of barriers and opportunities, and perspectives on the need for professional development. Section 1 of the report discusses the context for this survey effort: increased cultural diversity in our schools, increased cultural mismatch between students and teachers, and multicultural education as …

Strengthening The Capacity To Serve Undocumented Students In A Rural California State University, Carlos Alvarado Sanchez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Undocumented students face many obstacles while seeking a higher education degree. As undocumented students apply and are accepted to colleges and universities, they should have the means and resources to complete their higher education degree like all students. An array of strategies can be considered and implemented to have educators and school administrators in higher education be better equipped to serve all students, but specifically undocumented students.

Educators and administrators could continue their acquisition of knowledge base and comfortability about the different implications that surround undocumented students. Therefore, this thesis seeks to examine the efficacy of self-reports on a pre- …

The Importance Of Planning Intellectually Challenging Tasks, Ali Althuwaybi

Educational Considerations

Since the emergence of the 21st century, advances in information, communication, and technology are changing teaching and learning in numerous ways. Today, teachers are essential for this momentum shift. The identification and design of appropriate and effective instructional tasks and applying them in the classroom will affect teaching and learning. However, this goes beyond offering curriculum and teaching materials to educators. Teachers should be able to stimulate passive curriculum materials and transform them into intriguing instructional tasks if they can specify resources, processes, and outcomes. Current literature underscores the need to support teachers in engaging in operational planning activities that …

Learning At Work In Female-Dominated And Male-Dominated Industries: A Piaac Study, Joshua C. Collins, Tobin Lopez, Jill Zarestky, Ellen Scully-Russ

Adult Education Research Conference

Learning at work has the potential to be an important contributor to employee performance and professional advancement. Yet, gender inequality is prevalent in many workplaces and may influence the types and quality of learning to which employees are exposed. This study’s purpose was to examine the relationship between female- and male-dominated industries and learning at work as measured by the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). For those industry sectors determined to be female- or male-dominated, we used a linear regression model to determine whether a relationship exists between gender dominance and learning at work based on …

“I Embrace My Ashes”: North Korean Migrants Learning About Entrepreneurship From Failure, Jinhee Choi, Esther Prins

Adult Education Research Conference

Migrants’ workplace experiences in their host society shape their social adjustment, yet how migrants learn from failures is under-investigated. This study examined how North Korean migrants in South Korea sought to learn from failures in their workplaces and everyday life. The paper draws on nine months of ethnographic research in South Korean social enterprises (restaurants, cafes) that employ North Korean migrants. Data sources include informal conversations and loosely structured interviews with five purposefully selected women who started, or planned to start, their own enterprise. The findings revealed that migrants experienced failure in five inter-related spheres: financial, relational, physical, psychological, and …

Formal And Informal Learning Transfer In The Workplace, Royce Ann Collins, Connie Carpenter

Adult Education Research Conference

Both employees and organizations invest significant amounts of time, energy, and funds while promoting knowledge development as a fulcrum for increasing reflexive transformation, gaining higher cognitive skills, and achieving both organizational and workforce members’ performance goals. Our paper advocates multi-faceted and interactionist adult learning approaches designed to stimulate learners’ motivational dispositions as they transition to and from formal and informal learning environments.

Adhd And Mindfulness: Looking To Eastern Thought To Expand Western Practice, Tiffany Devol, Qi Sun

Adult Education Research Conference

This roundtable presents mindfulness exercise as a transformative approach in the teaching and learning process. It discusses how this ancient eastern meditation technique can holistically empower adult learners with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

“Circumstantially Volatile”: A Narrative Study Of The Lived First-Year Experience At A New England Liberal Arts College, Patrick Flynn

Adult Education Research Conference

College-ready, traditional-aged undergraduate students in the United States have been stopping out at an increasingly higher rate over the last forty years. Many students stop out after the first year, which has led researchers to focus on the first-year experience (FYE) as a way of understanding the trend. While the FYE literature, complemented by research in gender theory, the college transition, emerging adulthood, and college student development provide a foundation for considering the problem, there have been very few studies concerning the FYE of white males. Understanding the FYE at a substantive level for this population will lead to further …

Understanding Power, Politics, And Organizational Culture In Order To Effectively Develop Interdisciplinary Partnerships, Wendy Green, Catherine Hansman

Adult Education Research Conference

There has been a consistent shift in how health professions education is viewed and a move to bring the fields of graduate medical education, continuing medical education, and adult education together in order to create more robust learning environments. We propose a conceptual model that addresses organizational differences and power dynamics that acknowledges how power, politics, organizational culture, team dynamics and individual interactions influence the development and implementation of health professions programs.

“They Just Don't Invest In Those Students…" Adult Literacy Education And The Shift To Career Readiness: Conversations With Veteran Educators In The Us, Jaye Jones

Adult Education Research Conference

The 2014 reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) – a major source of funding for adult education programs in the United States – meant even greater emphasis on workforce-focused skills in the classroom and intensified tracking of occupational outcomes. Concerns have been raised about how a move away from critical literacy has impacted some of the field’s most vulnerable learners, those at the lowest levels of literacy. This paper examines the experiences of veteran adult literacy educators to illuminate the impact workforce-focused policies have had on educational services for adult literacy level learners.

The Role Of Peer Inquiry Communities In Advancing Technology Integration For Practitioners In Adult Basic Education, Jennifer Kobrin

Adult Education Research Conference

This paper explores how peer communities, one element of a larger collaborative, inquiry-based professional development project in adult education, advance participants’ knowledge and use of technology. As the designer and facilitator of the project, the author drew from memos and field notes, in addition to interviews and written reflections with 6 of 9 total participants who were teachers and administrators in Adult Basic Education programs. Findings indicate successful technology integration entailed participants combining their own experiences with established research to create “knowledge-of-practice” (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009), and that knowledge generation within the peer communities reflected a horizontal trajectory.

Adult Education And The Nation-State: A Systematic Review Of Literature, Hye-Su Kuk

Adult Education Research Conference

In this literature review, I analyze how the concept of the state is defined and used in empirical adult education research articles. Findings are in three themes of 1) systems of governance in adult education, 2) governmentality and contention, and 3) research challenging whether the state boundaries are blurred in the adult education literature. I discuss the implications of the findings in comparison to theoretical approaches toward the state in adult education.

Building Intercultural Maturity: Informal And Incidental Learning Among Volunteers In Adult Esl Contexts, Beixi Li

Adult Education Research Conference

This empirical paper describes the preliminary results of a mixed-methods study about the relationship between informal and incidental learning among volunteers in adult ESL and their intercultural maturity.

Exploring The Contextualization Of Workplace Spirituality In South Korean Startups, Ahreum Lim, Nicolaides Aliki, Chan Lee

Adult Education Research Conference

This study explores how spirituality in workplaces is contextualized in South Korean startups. With the unprecedented development of technology, new small-sized ventures, so-called startups have emerged as the major drivers in today’s global market (Schwab, 2017). The disruptive changes that startup creates in the market imply the growing needs of both organizations and individuals to be more adaptive to the given changes. Backing up these trends, an increasing amount of new consumers’ needs is fulfilled through innovative breakthrough, possibly only temporarily, at the expense of tremendous stress that individual employees at startups suffer from. Nonetheless, to survive through the volatile …

Third Shift Labor Of Advanced Career Learners: Growing The Adult Education Field, Tulare W. Park, Carol Rogers-Shaw, Dorca Kisare-Ressler

Adult Education Research Conference

This paper explores the literature on advanced-career adult learners pursuing graduate education on the “third shift”, which begins after daily work and family obligations are completed (Kramarae, 2001, p. 3). The purpose is to explain the unique characteristics of these learners and the ways in which educators can offer support so they are successful and able to return to practice as adult educators themselves to grow the field of adult education.

A Chicana Feminist Epistemology In Adult Education: A Literature Review, Cindy Peña, Jessica M. Quintero, Elizabeth Castañeda, Sonia Rey López

Adult Education Research Conference

The purpose of this literature review was to identify research in adult education literature that used a Chicana feminist theoretical framework. The review was conducted using the Elton B. Stephen CO. (EBSCO) database. Although a thorough review of the most notable adult education journals revealed a lack of scholarly articles using Chicana Feminist Epistemology (CFE), the authors were able to identify three themes within the literature that could aid in incorporating CFE into adult education research. Future implications of embedding a Chicana feminist epistemology in adult education research and practice can create well-rounded studies centered around authentic Latina experiences.

Differences Between Us And German Adults In Native-Born And Migrants’ Participation In Volunteering As A Dimension Of Civic Engagement, Jovita Ross-Gordon, Anke Grotlüschen, M Cecil Smith, Thomas J. Smith, Amy D. Rose, Jill Zarestky, Marion Fleige

Adult Education Research Conference

We examine civic engagement among immigrants and native-born adults in the United States (U.S.) and Germany, operationalized in this study as voluntary work or volunteerism. Data for the analyses are drawn from the PIAAC. Germany and the U.S. were selected from the countries participating in PIAAC initial data collection in 2012 as two large OECD countries with different histories of immigration and responses to migrants. In Germany, native-born individuals showed greater volunteerism than immigrants (β = 0.119, p < .001) while in the U.S., no significant difference was apparent by immigration status (β = 0.031, p = .133). These results are discussed in the paper relative to existing research literature and implications for adult education are suggested.

A Critical Examination Of Immigrant Integration Policies And Adult Education Practices In South Korea, Heh Youn Shin

Adult Education Research Conference

The purpose of this session is to facilitate a dialogue on how South Korea’s immigrant integration policies and related adult education practices at public social service agencies affect marriage immigrants’ learning and becoming in their post-migration context.